Public Radio Exchange

Sharing Galore: New Piece Features

A holiday gift from PRX: new features coming soon that will take your pieces into 2011 in sharing style.

Opt-into having large or small embeddable widgets that you and others can post on blogs and other websites. (This will be available only to paid PRX members at first.)

The small widget in a WordPress blog

Currently, only logged-in PRX members can listen to your pieces. We’ll allow you to let non-logged in users listen if you want, like this.

When you publish a piece, you’ll be given a short piece URL perfect for tweeting right away to let the world know it’s live on PRX.

News, Tips & Cool Stuff

Stations need you to fill out your content advisories on your pieces. You should also bleep swear words before uploading to PRX. Have questions about what counts? Ask us.

PRX’s own John Barth shares The State of Radio and where we’re headed, from more collaboration to new platforms to bigger audiences, with a need for more risk-taking and crossing of the “great divide”.

January is when we compile our annual list of the most licensed and listened-to pieces on PRX, the Zeitfunk Awards. Get your pieces uploaded by the end of the year to be in the running!

Opportunities

KCRW-Santa Monica’s new program UnFictional highlights work from indie producers, and they get a ton of their content from PRX. They’re looking for documentaries and stories that have a strong narrative. Log into PRX to send the program’s host direct links to your pieces that may fit.

The Association of Independents in Radio and Independent Television Service need indie producers’ perspectives on their short CPB-funded survey.

The survey explores distribution, format, and areas where independents generate income outside of public media and what their prospects may be for the future. The findings will provide the first comprehensive understanding of indie journalists contributing to public radio, television, and online.

Read the FAQ and complete the survey by Dec. 31 at 11 p.m. ET.

KUOW in Seattle seeks an environmental reporter as part of a CPB-funded Local Journalism Center. Production will include news spots and feature-length reports for multiple platforms including online and broadcast. Learn more and apply by Jan. 5.

Third Coastin’

Some of the winning Third Coast Competition pieces are already up on PRX. Their specific awards will be announced at the ceremony Oct. 30, so get a head start listening!

PRX will be the exclusive home of Best of the Best: The 2010 Third Coast Festival Broadcast, coming Nov. 18.

And, we know there are many wonderful pieces out there that didn’t win. If you entered the Third Coast Competition, put your entry on PRX and let us know.

You can use PRX to contact stations about your work? You can promote yourself to the outside world using your profile, playlists, and — coming soon — embeddable widgets?

There are many things that PRX can do that you may not know — stop by our table at Third Coast and ask us anything or let us show you around!

News, Tips & Cool Stuff

This summer, the PRX help staff held our first open webinars, and we had a lot of attendees and great questions. So, we’re doing it again.

PRX 101 for Producers is Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. EST (register) and PRX 101 for Stations is Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. (register).

PRX support staffer and indie producer Emily Corwin talked with a ton of producers at a retreat this past weekend, and has tips based on their questions.

REMIX Radio is an experimental radio stream showcasing pieces from PRX.org. Originally on XM 136, the station is now on KPBZ 90.3 in Spokane, Wash. You can also listen to a free stream on remixradio.org.

REMIX curators are continually looking for pieces on PRX. Make it easy for them to license your work if they want to by adjusting your opt-in preferences.

And, speaking of other great showcases of indie talent…

O’Dark 30 is an exploration of the world of independent audio production on Austin’s KUT, and they get most of the pieces from PRX producers. Each episode has a fun animated promo you can find online along with all the past episodes. They also create playlists of all the PRX producers’ pieces that are in the shows.

Send O’Dark 30 direct links to your best work on PRX.

The PRX-developed This American Life app is now on Android.

Opportunities

Bullying has been all over the news lately. Events across the country demonstrate both the tragic consequences of bullying, and how much more we need to understand it. PRX is looking for your stories on bullying, with an eye towards creating an hour-long special on the issue. Have stories? Working on something? Let us know.

Louisville Public Media is looking for a “seasoned journalist and dynamic leader to develop and nurture a major expansion of our local news effort.”

PRX Sends Help

With more than 20,000 radio pieces on PRX.org, it can feel a little overwhelming. Can I add more people to my group account? How do I get paid? What do I pay to join? How do I get exposure for my pieces?

Sign up for a webinar! No experience necessary — they’re open to new PRX users or seasoned members who would like a review.

PRX 101 for Producers is Aug. 19 at 3 p.m. EST (register) and PRX 101 for Stations is Aug. 12 at 4 p.m. (register).

News & Reminders

In order for us to send you your royalties, we need your SS# on file. Contact Kerri. You can view your royalties from My PRX > Royalty Statements.

Destination DIY is one of PRX’s newest outside purchasers. Producer Julie Sabatier is looking for pieces that take DIY beyond home improvement and crafts, to explore all kinds of ways people work with limited resources to create rather than consume. Be sure to manage your opt-in preferences for Destination DIY and dozens of other OPs at My PRX > Outside Purchaser Preferences.

Generation PRX is our project to support youth radio. We recently redesigned parts of the GPRX network to better connect producers, pieces, resources and ideas. Check it out and share why you love radio with youth producers.

Do you tweet about your radio work? Send us your Twitter account so we can follow you and you can scratch our backs, too.

Events & Opportunities

Got a story about getting busted, breaking in or roughing it? Hot new show Snap Judgment needs stories on these and other themes. Check out their pitch list and send them what you’ve got!

Participate in a single-day un-conference Aug. 21. Come to set the agenda, share ideas, network and lay the foundation for what’s to come in new media.

Sponsored by WBUR and Boston University, the prize honors a young public radio journalist who has produced a news piece of particular significance within the past year. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 17.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Boston on Sept. 21, mark your calendar for an event tied to the book Reality Radio. WGBH and AIR will host author John Biewen and radio creators Ira Glass, Jay Allison and The Kitchen Sisters.

Grab one of 10 slots for AIR’s immersion in NYC Nov. 15-19. It’s a unique way to treat yourself to a deep dive into unconventional approaches to assembling sound and story. Application deadline is Sept. 30.

Big News

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve won a grant to create PRX StoryMarket, which will allow the public to suggest story ideas, vote on them, and pitch in funds to help them get produced.

What does this mean for you?

Here’s an excerpt from our official announcement:

“If you are an independent producer, StoryMarket is a new source for funding original work…Distinct from PRX.org — an open market for existing work — StoryMarket helps commission new work at professional rates for the best ideas.”

PRX StoryMarket will start this fall in Louisville,
and we hope to have it in at least three other markets next year.

Cool Stuff

Yep, that number in your PRX profile’s web address actually means something:
http://www.prx.org/users/100000.

We were excited to pass the 100,000-member mark this spring, and even more excited to have another talented producer in our midst, Jason Wilber, a musician who has performed on David Letterman and who has a show coming to PRX in July.

A fascinating feature from producer Jake Warga for Transom, How to Embed and Why Not, covers the costs, what to do before you go, and how to navigate while you’re at war — including what acronyms like “HMMWV” mean. An excerpt:

“I suggest wearing something that says PRESS on it; I found that once soldiers know you’re not a contractor they REALLY want to talk to you. I was the first media person most soldiers had ever met.”
Full article

Hear Jake’s pieces about Iraq on PRX.

Events & Opportunities

You gotta enter the Third Coast Competition, honoring the best stories produced worldwide, including those produced for public, independent or commercial radio, plus podcasts, audio tours and installations. Final deadline is July 14.

Work somewhere cool!
We’re hiring a developer and NHPR is hiring producers.

A week-long intensive will be held in NYC in Nov. for mid to advanced level producers. You don’t have to be an AIR member to participate. This opportunity may be especially appealing to those working in traditional radio formats eager to experiment with new approaches to sound and storytelling. Application deadline is Sept. 30.