August 27, 2004 (ROCHESTER, NY) — The ratings are in and they show that the number of people turning on WXXI Public Broadcasting keeps on growing. More people watched WXXI-TV (channel 21/cable 11) for Democratic National Convention coverage than any other broadcast or cable station in the Rochester market. In fact, Monday and Wednesday of that week (July 26 and 28), more people watched WXXI than watched programs of any kind on any other station. A staggering 46,000 households tuned in to WXXI-TV Wednesday night to watch John Edwards deliver his address to party delegates. In fact, the percentage of households watching WXXI was greater than those of almost any other PBS station including those in Boston, Washington or New York City.

On the radio side, WXXI-AM 1370 was the only radio station in Rochester to carry Democratic Convention coverage. As the Republican National Convention gets underway this week, it’s expected that with PBS’s Jim Lehrer and Gwen Ifill lending valuable insight, along with nightly, uninterrupted NPR coverage on WXXI AM 1370, WXXI will be the number one source for Convention coverage in the Rochester area once again.

“These ratings, especially compared to those in other communities, are a testament to Rochester’s serious interest in the democratic process,” said WXXI President, Norm Silverstein.

This growth trend wasn’t just reserved for Convention coverage, however. WXXI-TV’s viewership during the July ratings period was up 44% in primetime and 25% across the board.

And when Rochesterians weren’t watching, they were listening.

Classical FM 91.5 also experienced its largest growth in a ratings period ever. This past spring’s Abritron ratings put WXXI’s all-classical radio station listeners at 82,000 daily, up 22% from the same period last year. That lift wasn’t just notable for classical music in the Rochester market, but it gave FM 91.5 the second largest percentage of listeners of any classical public radio station in the country.

WXXI AM 1370, Rochester’s NPR station, continued its growth as Rochester’s news and public affairs leader with a 13% increase in listeners during the spring (May-June) ratings period. Local news coverage blended with national NPR stories proved to be a winning combination for 62,000 weekday listeners, as one of Rochester’s last locally-owned and operated radio stations brought in more than 7,000 listeners over last year’s spring ratings period. At the same time, 5,000 additional listeners tuned in to the WXXI’s simulcast of NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered on WRUR FM 88.5.

Rochester is turning to WXXI Public Broadcasting more than any other source of programming during this election year, furthering the station’s mission to promote understanding of the issues of our diverse community, nation and world. The Republican National Convention airs on WXXI-TV-21 (cable 11) and AM 1370 nightly from Monday, August 30th to Thursday, September 2nd beginning at 8 p.m. each evening.

###

WXXI is an essential, lifelong educational resource for the greater Rochester area. WXXI provides programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of the issues of our diverse community, nation and world. Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.