By: E&P Staff Washington Post Radio will go off the air next month after failing to attract enough listeners and losing money during its 17-month existence.
Post Radio was not able to draw even 1% of listeners during its first year. Although ratings improved somewhat in recent months -- partly because of Nationals baseball broadcasts and Tony Kornheiser's morning program -- the gains weren't enough to convince WTWP's owner, Bonneville International Corp., that the station could be profitable any time soon, executives said.
When it started in March of last year, Post Radio was billed as a new kind of radio programming. It featured in-depth discussions with Post reporters and editors about the day's news. The station said it would be like "NPR on caffeine."
Some local programs, such as David Burd's morning show, will continue on the new, still-unnamed replacement station, but most of the broadcasting day will be filled with syndicated talk shows. Executives declined to identify a new lineup.
During the recent spring ratings period, WTWP finished tied for 18th place among local stations, with an average of 1.2 percent of the audience, according to Arbitron. It was the station's best three-month performance since its inception.
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