WHEN PUBLIC RADIO GOES PRIVATE: THE CONSEQUENCES OF PRIVATIZATION ON THE NPR NETWORK OF STATIONS

Open Access
- Author:
- Lindner, Andrew Micah
- Graduate Program:
- Sociology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- September 21, 2012
- Committee Members:
- John David Mccarthy, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
John David Mccarthy, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Alan M Sica, Committee Member
Roger Kent Finke, Committee Member
Mary Beth Oliver, Special Member - Keywords:
- Media
Privatization
Public Radio - Abstract:
- This dissertation explores the consequences of the privatization of National Public Radio for the NPR network of stations. In Chapter 1, I introduce the major questions posed by this dissertation and review some of its limitations. In Chapter 2, by analyzing the rates of stations’ adoption of NPR membership and departure from the network, this research tests several hypotheses from literature on organizational population ecology, crowding in/out theory, and political composition. The results indicate that after an initial wave of departures from NPR in the wake of privatization, the NPR network of stations has continued to grow. At the same time, greater dependence on federal funding tends to be associated with more stability in the network of stations (fewer adoptions and departures), while business funding increases the rate of departures. These findings suggest that in the privatization era of reduced government funding, the NPR network of stations may operate more like a private marketplace. I also find that the concepts of the liability of newness, density delay, and density dependence while significantly shaping the dynamics of the organizational population’s pattern of growth, must be significantly adapted to apply to adoptions and departures rather than organizational foundings and mortalities. Finally, the results suggest that, controlling for levels of government funding for the NPR network, Republican control of at least one house of Congress does little to increase the probability of the departure of any individual station, but were associated with higher rates of departures at the national level. Though further research is needed, this finding may suggest that Republican anti-NPR rhetoric creates unease throughout the system that discourages continued membership for stations.