Public Radio Exchange

Open your piece, share with the world

Jake posted on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 | Blog, PRX | 2 Comments

PRX’s mission is to harness technology to bring significant stories to millions of people. We’ve primarily focused on opening broadcast opportunities for producers with stations.

Last year, PRX introduced embeddable audio players — included as part of what we call “open streaming” — for producers with paid PRX accounts to use on an opt-in basis to share their work online. Not surprisingly, when we looked at last year’s stats the most listened-to pieces of 2011 allowed open streaming.

So we are excited to announce that as of now all new pieces on PRX will allow open streaming by default for all producers (producers can still opt-out to limit streaming if they prefer).

With one checkbox, open streaming allows:

• Access to an embeddable player that plays the piece on websites and blogs.
• Ability to share the full piece through Facebook’s player, rather than 30 seconds.
• Full-length streaming on PRX.org without requiring log-in.

For producers there are big advantages to opening your stream: more listening, more sharing, more ways for stations and audiences to find and connect with your work.

Over 8,000 individual pieces were licensed by stations from PRX last year, some more than once: 17,488 total licenses by hundreds of stations, reaching millions of listeners. Even as broadcast continues to get the biggest bang for distribution, increasingly producers want to get their work heard immediately on the web and PRX is continuously improving the ways we can help.

We’ll have more improvements to these streaming and sharing options coming soon, and are eager for feedback.  For some more explanation check out:

• How to Allow Open Streaming (or turn it off)
• How to Share Pieces
• Sharing, Streaming, and Embedding FAQ

Memories of Groundhog Day

Genevieve posted on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 | Blog | No Comments

“Ned… Ryerson!”

If you remember that name, you probably remember the movie Groundhog Day and actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who pushes insurance and friendship on Bill Murray’s character daily on the street.

Stephen is an extraordinary storyteller whose series The Tobolowsky Files has aired on KUOW/Seattle and WFPL/Louisville Public Radio. Now you can get the story behind the story of the movie, as Stephen shares his Memories of Groundhog Day.

If you’re with a PRX member station, Memories of Groundhog Day is FREE for you to air. It’s a great chance to add some whimsy to your early Feb. schedule and give the program a try with your audience.

Questions about your station’s PRX membership or anything else? Just shout.

What KUOW’s Program Director has to say about the series:

“What I like most about The Tobolowsky Files is the intimacy and the intelligence of the stories. By intimacy I mean that it seems as if Stephen is leaning across the table telling ME personally a story. By intelligence, I mean that the stories are both entertaining and that I learn something. The Tobolowsky Files is the perfect alignment between story-telling creation and presentation.

“When we test-piloted the program in the evening we received more positive response than with any other new program we’ve tested. We then chose to air it Sunday afternoons at 1:00 right after another of the best story-telling programs available, thereby helping us extend listening further into the day.” – Jeff Hansen, Program Director at KUOW/Seattle

Welcome Laitan

Audrey posted on Monday, January 9th, 2012 | Blog, Introductions | No Comments

Laitan Oladipo approached PRX about helping out during her winter break. We think that’s a great use of free time, and we are glad to have benefited as well. Thanks, Laitan!

Hi, there! My name is Laitan Oladipo and I am currently a sophomore at Brown University studying Modern Culture and Media. Thus far, I’ve spent my time at school pursuing courses that have allowed me to be creative and innovative. I have a widespread interest in media but, more specifically, I love art and everything artistic. I love to sing, write, paint and do anything that encourages cultural appreciation/self-reflection/participation.

I got involved with PRX through Rekha, a fellow Brunonian, and am so happy that I had the opportunity to get to work with her. I wanted to pick her brain as to everything media and she really gave me a lot to think about. My experience with public radio has always been rather on the surface—it was something I would listen to in the car driving to and from school—but after spending a full day at the Public Radio Exchange, I can truly say that this community is cultivating a digital art form. What I mean is that PRX’s method is against the grain in a way that is relevant, much like unconventional art.

I’ve always believed art is dependent on its emotional semblance and connection with the viewer. Art is relevant when the viewer feels and therefore cannot forget. Art is the inexperienced, still waiting to be made and discovered. What immediately resonated with me after leaving the Exchange on day one was that, much like art, PRX serves as an outlet for many diverse voices, stories, and opinions.

For the time being I will be working on a small project with Jones at Generation PRX. I am excited to learn more about public radio and hopefully expand my definition of the medium.

PRX Cheers Vinyl Cafe’s Stuart McLean

John posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 | Blog, PRX | 2 Comments

Congratulations to Stuart McLean, host of Vinyl Cafe!

We’re not sure if we’ll have to give a snappy PRX salute the next time we see Stuart, but he has been named one of the recipients of the Order of Canada, an officer to be precise, for “a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.” This is one of Canada’s highest civilian honors.

Stuart joins other well-known Order of Canada recipients such as author and New Yorker columnist Malcolm Gladwell, creator of Saturday Night Live Lorne Michaels, and filmmaker and comedian Eugene Levy.

Stuart posted on the Vinyl Cafe Facebook page:

“…My name is on the award, and that is lovely, but the award is for my work on the show and there should be other names on it. Vinyl Cafe producer, Jess Milton, who works harder and smarter than anyone. Meg Masters who has been editing the stories since the beginning. Julie Penner (and before her Owen Pallett) who works on the music. Louise Curtis who keeps the office going. John Sheard, Don Jones and all the touring gang. Greg deClute and others at the CBC. Founding producer David Amer. It’s a team effort. And if the award is a great big shout out, the team deserves one too. Jess says she is proud of me. I am proud to work with her, and everyone else. I’m a lucky man.”

The Order will be presented formally in 2012.

Meet the GPRX Bullying Stories Project Producers

Jones posted on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 | Blog, PRX | No Comments

Several weeks ago, we asked the Generation PRX network to send us pitches on stories about bullying – and did they answer the call!  We received a large pile of terrific submissions from youth radio groups around the country.  Our panel of youth and adult producers had the extremely difficult job of selecting just five finalists from the group.

And here they are!  Over on the GPRX blog, you can meet the producers and hear their pitches.  As thanks for their work (and with our thanks to the Motorola Mobility Empowerment Foundation), each group received a recording kit (including a Sony PCM-M10 recorder and an RE-50 mic, for the tech-curious among you) and Hindenburg Journalist audio editing software.

The team is already hard at work, collaborating with GPRX and producer Catie Talarski of WNPR to turn their pitches into stories that will become part of an hour-long special on bullying.

We’re delighted to work with all of these talented producers, and to share youth voices on bullying with the entire PRX network.  Want project updates?  Follow us here.

Tags: generation prx motorola mobility empowerment foundation bullying stories project

Now Hiring: Director of the Public Media Accelerator

Jake posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 | Blog, Jobs, PRX | 1 Comment

Please retweet and share and help us find someone great to join our team.

The full job description and link to online application is here on the Public Media Accelerator site.

And here’s what we’re looking for in brief:

Our ideal candidate is a current or recent technology/media entrepreneur, excited about if not directly experienced in public service media, with superb project and people management skills, and the ability to inspire and facilitate visionary, sustainable change. Previous involvement with startup accelerators is a big plus.

Now hiring: Director, Public Media Accelerator. Exceptional gig, get us exceptional candidates! publicmediax.org/2011/12/13/now… #pubmedia #nptech

— PublicMediaX (@PublicMediaX) December 14, 2011

PRX to launch Public Media Accelerator with $2.5 million investment from Knight Foundation

Jake posted on Thursday, December 8th, 2011 | Blog, Press Releases, Tech | 7 Comments

I have exciting news to share, for PRX and public media.

PRX has evolved considerably over the past several years, focusing our strategy on three areas: Content, Distribution, and Leadership/Innovation.

In Content we are seeing great success with The Moth Radio Hour and other signature programs; in Distribution the PRX content marketplace is thriving, Public Radio Remix is a growing national format, and our mobile apps for public media are taking off with This American Life, KCRW Music Mine, Public Radio Player and top station apps.

But it is in the third area of Leadership and Innovation – where projects like the Public Radio Talent Quest first emerged –  that I am bringing you news of a significant development we are announcing today: a new $2.5 million effort to spur innovation to advance public service media.

The press release below lays it out, and you can learn more at http://www.publicmediax.org and by following @publicmediax.

We will soon be recruiting advisory board members and mentors, and are interested in key partnerships and sponsors. More on that front coming soon.

Best,
Jake

==============

CAMBRIDGE, December 8, 2011 – A new effort will provide funding and expertise to entrepreneurial teams with innovative ideas for increasing the impact of public service media.

Called the Public Media Accelerator, the project will be launched and operated by PRX, and is supported by a $2.5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Modeled on technology startup incubators, the Accelerator aims to strengthen public media’s essential role in meeting community information needs across new platforms and devices.

“Forty years ago, public broadcasting harnessed the technology of the time to engage audiences with high quality content that was otherwise inaccessible,” said Jake Shapiro, CEO of PRX. “We are expanding this vital service to include today’s pervasive and participatory media, particularly mobile.”

“Through funding more than 200 community information experiments, we’ve found that the models with the best success are nurtured through outside advice and expertise,” said Michael Maness, Knight Foundation’s vice president for journalism and media innovation. “We hope the Public Media Accelerator will bring public media’s quality journalism into more people’s lives, by using technology to expand its reach.”

The Public Media Accelerator will invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures, building apps, services and media products. It will showcase successful projects to additional funders and investors, and receive support through a partner and sponsor network.

The Public Media Accelerator will formally launch at the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) conference in March in Austin and will name a director and advisory board early next year.

For more information and updates about the Public Media Accelerator visit http://publicmediax.org and follow @publicmediax on Twitter.

 

ABOUT PRX
PRX is an award-winning nonprofit public media company, harnessing innovative technology to bring significant stories to millions of people. PRX.org is public radio’s largest distribution marketplace, offering thousands of audio stories for broadcast and digital use. Listen to Public Radio Remix, our continuous stream of the best radio stories, on XM123, PublicRadioRemix.org, and a growing number of broadcast stations. Our apps for public media include This American Life, KCRW Music Mine, and Public Radio Player. Learn more at PRX.org.

ABOUT THE JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit KnightFoundation.org.

IdeaLab post on “the developer gap”

Jake posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2011 | Blog, Tech | No Comments

As part of a Knight News Challenge invitation to write occasionally for the terrific MediaShift IdeaLab I’ve got a new blog post up: “Public Media Should Mind the Developer Gap“. This has been a frequent topic in conversations we have here at PRX and with our partners across public media, particularly as we’ve been building mobile apps and testing the limits of tech capacity at stations big and small.

Here are a few quotes, and you can find the full post here.

As public broadcasting goes through its own turbulent transition to a new Internet and mobile world, the technology talent gap is a risk that looms large. Yes, there are many other challenges: political and policy battles, business model pressures, cultural and structural obstacles, the need for strategic vision and leadership. And there are other recruitment needs across general management, content, fundraising. But the twin coins of the new digital realm are code and design, and with a few notable exceptions, public media is seriously lacking in both.

These days the competition for talent in media technology is fierce, from new ventures to mature enterprises. Public media should be the go-to place for aspiring and experienced technologists who believe in a public service mission, want to collaborate to build products, services and content for millions of people, and seek an alternative from the rapidly commercializing web. There should be natural alliances with open-source software communities, with leading nonprofit web giants Mozilla and Wikipedia, the growing number of web-based local news organizations, and the open/civic data movement.

 

To keep up with the latest from the PRX tech team make sure to check out the PRX Labs blog.

 

Tags: developer gap, knight, mediashift, technology

Incredible Embeddable Girls

Audrey posted on Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 | Blog, PRX | No Comments

Just in case you missed it, this week The Kitchen Sisters made a splash with their “Hidden World of Girls,” hosted by Tina Fey. The pieces were spotted on Jezebel, HuffPo, and Time. “The Hidden World of Girls,” reached near and far as listeners were able to easily listen via PRX’s embeddable player, which HuffPo used for both of the pieces in the series. Check out that player in action! Looks great, right?

If you’re a producer, we strongly suggest that you update your piece permissions to enable people to share, stream and embed your work. Although we can’t guarantee that your piece will be Jezebeled or HuffPo’d, we can guarantee that enabling sharing equals more potential listens which equals success in our books. Now spread the love!

The PRX Monthly Update

Audrey posted on Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 | Blog, PRX | 3 Comments

Happy November! Winter is coming in like a lion and we’re trying (and failing) to successfully adjust our thermostat to the perfect temperature in our new office. Did we tell you we moved? Well, we moved! This is our 6th? 8th? Maybe even 20th office in Harvard Square, but we’ve finally settled in where the view is fine and the pizza is delicious.

We’ve also done other stuff, too (other than eat pizza). We went on a staff retreat! Here’s a picture of ALL of us in the woods.

We came together from near and far to Essex, MA where we spent a day and a half reflecting, brainstorming and just plain hanging/board gaming out.

Speaking of boards, last week we were pleased to have our Board of Directors in town for a very successful and inspiring meeting of the minds. We’ve got lots of exciting plans ahead, so stay tuned!

Finally, the apps! How could I forget? Our developers are like Santa’s Workshop for the iTunes App Store over here. In the past few weeks they’ve created KCRW Music Mine, and station apps for WNYC, Vermont Public Radio, KQED, and WQXR. We’ve got a few Android apps coming soon, too! Download them. Love them.

Well, that’s all for now. But check back here for PRX Monthly Updates (better title to come) about all things PRX, and if you’re a producer or station member in the area, don’t hesitate to stop in and say hello—we’ve got a giant bin of Twizzlers with your name on it!