Spokane Public Radio has replaced its longtime variety programming with three single-format stations dedicated to news, classical, and jazz—an overdue change that will attract more listeners, strengthen finances, and keep the nonprofit broadcaster sustainable for years to come, says SPR President and General Manager John Decker.

The reimaged lineup marks SPR’s first major programming shift in decades. KPBX 91.1 FM is now SPR News, consisting of regional news from the SPR news team, talk shows, and NPR shows including "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered"; KSFC 91.9 FM is now SPR Classical, featuring classical music 24/7 with local hosts, complemented by national shows; and KPBZ 90.3 FM is around-the-clock jazz music coupled with local hosts and the WFMT Jazz network.

Decker says the change follows years of research showing single-format stations attract more listeners and build stronger loyalty than mixed schedules, a key factor as the nonprofit works to grow membership, recover from federal funding cuts, and keep its operations sustainable. That mission, he says, includes keeping SPR's news, music, and cultural programming freely accessible to anyone, whether over the air or through its online streams, without paywalls or subscription fees. 

“The program change that we revealed Monday is, I think, going to set us up for success in the long run,” Decker says. “But there is a period right now where the dust is settling and audiences are getting used to the new schedules.”

Long before public radio stations were under threat of being defunded and ultimately dismantled by President Trump's current administration, leaders at SPR—an NPR member station—had been discussing the need for change. Before Decker joined the organization in January, a study had been commissioned that showed that the broadcaster's audience numbers were stagnant.

For Decker, the results of the survey were unsurprising; he saw that changes needed to be made in order for the broadcaster to remain fiscally sustainable. SPR had been struggling for the past 12 to 18 months, and something needed to happen, he says.

“The fact that SPR hadn’t made any significant changes to its broadcast lineup in a really long time meant that we were sort of behind the curve in looking for new audiences, or to be very honest, growing the audience that we currently have,” Decker says.

A variety-format station piles everything—news, jazz, classical, and shows—onto one station, while a single-format station is a dedicated station for each category. Decker contends it’s hard to build an audience on a variety-based format because that is not the way people listen to the radio and haven’t for a very long time. The consequence of piling everything into one station meant audience members could turn off the station when something that didn’t interest them came on.

Looking forward, Decker is cautiously optimistic about its fiscal year. No staff cuts have been made or are planned with the new changes, and no programs have been cancelled. It's still too early to forecast audience numbers, he says; however, some internal figures give him confidence in the organization's new footing.

"I do think it's possible that KPBX can be the No. 1 news station in town," Decker says. "I think that's entirely possible and that's a metric we are going to follow very closely."

Given its changes and loss of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB, totaling $250,000, Decker says he feels hopeful, although he acknowledges it's a funding hole that needs to be filled.

The CPB is the steward of the federal government’s investments in public broadcasting. Trump’s May 1 executive order instructed the CPB to cease direct funding to NPR and PBS.

As reported by the Journal, Decker planned SPR's budget under the assumption that the organization would not receive CPB funds.

Earlier this month, the CPB announced it was winding down operations after Trump signed a law clawing back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting through fiscal year 2027.

“When they voted to rescind and claw the money back, it was a very, very sad day,” Decker says. “Because it reflects, yet again, a mentality for all the decision makers and politicians in our country that somehow it’s not valuable to support journalism, or truth, or even children’s programming.”

The CPB's fiscal budget for 2025 is $535 million, which translates to $1.60 per tax-paying American, Decker says. However, the cost, in contrast to its value, is two different things. Now that the CPB has been dismantled, Decker contends it will never be reinstated, no matter who is in Congress.

“It’s hard not to be cynical,” Decker says. “We haven’t seen the end of this. This particular administration has made it clear how they feel about voices of dissent.”