Public Radio Exchange

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.

Hi PRX producer,

Spring is in the air here in Cambridge, and PRX is rolling out the virtual red carpet for our annual Zeitfunk Awards, honoring the most licensed pieces, producers and stations of 2009!

We look forward to this each year because it’s a chance to honor the hard work that PRX members put into their craft.

And, it’s so exciting to see new names placing in the awards, that this year we highlighted (with our happy radio person seen above) each person and piece who has never placed in Zeitfunk before.

Congrats to all!

-Genevieve Sponsler
Member Support &
Editorial Associate

Gettin’ Zeitfunky

Here are the Zeitfunk first-place winners for 2009 (each will soon receive a trophy that is way more fun than an Oscar).

Many more of you placed; follow the links for the full list.

Most Licensed Producer
Phil Nusbaum (more)

Most Licensed Group
Vinyl Cafe (more)

Most Licensed Debut Producer
Chris Kuborn (more)

Most Licensed Debut Group
Music Mountain (more)

Zeitfunk is also a great resource of what’s selling and who’s buying it, including useful stats like the piece lengths that stations buy most.

PRX Can Do That?

Keep track of pieces you’ve sold
From My PRX > Carriage Reports, select a date range to download a CSV file that you can use in Excel. Each file tells you the purchase date, piece, purchaser, and any carriage the station provided.

Ira to go
About a month ago PRX’s developers released the This American Life iPhone App, with streaming access to every TAL episode, staff picks and special features. Heck, let Ira tell you about it.

Wake up to your favorite station
Our other (but no less awesome) iPhone app, the free Public Radio Player, has been downloaded over 2.5 million times, and we recently updated it with an alarm clock, faster performance and even a sleep timer.

Stuff We Dig

Recording on your iPhone/iPod
Recording from your iPhone would be so convenient, if only it sounded good. There may be hope — Transom reviews two new devices that you can attach to your phone.

Missed the Filmless Festival?
The annual Third Coast Filmless Festival, “a celebration of storytelling, sound and the art of listening,” took place on March 6 in Chicago. PRX has put together a playlist of some of the fantastic audio pieces featured at the festival. Take a listen.

PRX News & Tips

We tweet, you listen to great stuff
Follow our daily staff-picked tweet of something cool on PRX.

This American Life back in iTunes
TAL’s entire archive of nearly 400 episodes is again available in the iTunes Store, this time thanks to PRX. We are thrilled to wield our powers as a direct-to-iTunes distributor, and…

PRX producers are in iTunes, too!
Peruse the albums and give your fellow producers some love by buying, reviewing and sharing with friends. We have a small staff and are not looking for more album pitches at the moment, but we’re excited about where this could lead.

Almost here: carriage spreadsheets
PRX 3.10 will include downloadable CSV files of carriage information that you can use in Excel. When you talk with stations remind them that it is important to fill out carriage.

Got a good podcast?
We’re curating audio podcasts for Miro, a non-profit website and application that aggregates and organizes podcasts. PRXer Emily Corwin is heading the curation, and she’s open to suggestions. Send her your podcast feed — she’ll have a listen and bring the best to the top.

Radio Matters

Ever wonder if radio has an impact now or where it’s going in the future? Check out these great links from our pals:

New on Transom: “Kidnap Radio”
Producer Annie Correal’s father was kidnapped in Colombia in 1999, and her family used the radio program “Voices of Kidnapping” to deliver messages with the hope that he would hear them in captivity — and he did.

In Kidnap Radio, Annie shares her story and those of others who continue to use the radio to reach out to their kidnapped loved ones.

A word from AIR: “We Can Because You Do”
Sue Schardt, Executive Director of the Association of Independents in radio, breaks down public radio in dollars and cents and shares what she sees in the future for producers:

“The change underway is happening at the level of craft. The transformation of media is being driven from the bottom up, by individual producers — working independently and at organizations across the country — learning the new tools, adapting their practice, and inventing new ways to tell stories and spread their work. Our job is to recognize them, get them what they need, then step out of the way and let them lead us to the ‘new public media’ so many are speaking of.”

Read more

PRX News & Tips

Help desk limited over the holidays
The help desk elves will be away for the holidays and answering only urgent issues from Dec. 22 to Jan. 4. Email issues to prxhelp[at]prx[dot]org.

You’re in the money
Fourth quarter ’09 royalties will be paid in early January. Royalties are taxable income and you will receive a 1099 in January, too. Please make sure PRX has your correct address and tax ID on file; send both to kerri[at]prx[dot]org.

Coming soon: carriage spreadsheets
PRX 3.10 will include downloadable CSV files of carriage information that you can use in Excel.

Don’t get coal in your PRX stocking
Fill out your profile! Stations won’t buy a piece if they don’t know anything about who produced it. Your profile has space for experience, awards, outlets on which your work has previously aired, etc. Brag a little!

An Interviewer’s Resource

Our friends at Virtuoso Voices have put together Interviewing Performing Artists…and Others: A Practical Guide and are happy to share this fantastic resource as a PDF.

They gathered interview tips from 25 radio professionals including hosts Robert Siegel and Kurt Andersen, plus successful indie producers like PRX members Paul Ingles and Aaron Henkin.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Think about the order of your questions as carefully as you think about the questions themselves…The order of your questions should craft a narrative arc, and you can save yourself a lot of post-interview slicing and dicing if you spend some extra prep time beforehand.” – Aaron Henkin, creator/host of Tapestry of the Times

Indie Producers at Home on KUT

O’Dark 30 is an exciting new addition to KUT’s late-night schedule — an exploration of the world of independent audio production. Every Monday from 12-3 a.m., the Austin station will play a little bit of everything from some of public radio’s best producers, and they’re buying a ton of indie content right from PRX.

Not in Austin? Not up that late? Listen online!

Welcome PRX 3.9

New piece page highlights:

• More visible piece data including the audio player, length, timing, cues, news holes, production date and content advisories above the fold. Do your part: add this key info to your pieces!

• We show more of your pieces on each piece page, right below the audio player.

• A more concise piece summary, plus a producer contact button next to the photo.

• Now you can see station carriage reports on both the piece page and My PRX. If your piece gets licensed and the station doesn’t fill out carriage info, please contact them from their PRX profile.

Our new browser uploader lets you select and upload all your files for a piece at once. Learn more.

Do you have more ideas of what we need next on PRX.org to make it work better for you? Let us know!

Tips & Resources

Want your work in a podcast?
Several PRX producers’ pieces have already been featured in EconomyBeat. Let us know if you have a piece you want us to consider for it: add the piece to PRX and give it the tag “ebpodcast” or email Roman Mars.

Updated: An Ideal Piece Page
Have you filled out all the useful info that makes your pieces attractive to stations? Learn how.

Fan us on Facebook!
We share cool pieces (maybe one of yours!), the latest PRX news and more on our page.

Opportunities

Did you start in youth radio?
PRX’s YouthCast host, Molly Adams, is producing a new Web segment interviewing adults who found their passion for media when they joined a youth radio group. Email Molly if this is you — share your story with the country’s youngest producers!

Science Literacy Training
SoundVision Productions is presenting Science Literacy Training for public radio reporters and producers in the Bay Area, April 11-17. The workshop includes sessions on science journalism, reporting science for radio and more. Applicants receive no-cost tuition, free board, a stipend toward transportation and some meals. Applications are due by 5 p.m. PST on Dec. 10.

Fresh from PRPD

Here’s some info from sessions and feedback from PRPD-attending stations.

Pitching your program ideas
Several brave souls pitched their ideas to programming staff during Third Coast’s “Other Pitch” session at the conference. APM provided a helpful handout (PDF) on how to make a great pitch, including answering the “most important question”: “What makes this something the audience can’t do without?”

Listen in
While the conference sessions are only available to PRPD members, you can listen to keynote speeches and the benediction, which was a one-of-a-kind presentation by PRX Talent Quest winner and “State of the Re:UNION” host Al Letson.

Is that intro yours?
Pieces on PRX should be ready for air and for use by our outside purchasers. For example, stations and programs won’t air intros and outros read by the hosts of other programs. If your piece aired previously, remove these from the audio file before adding it to PRX. Instead, type them into the Intro and Outro fields on the piece creation page.

Spelling counts on PRX
Correct spelling in your piece descriptions is a sign of credibility, and it matters for search results, too. If you enter the tag “forclosure,” your piece won’t be found if a station searches for “foreclosure.” Think job application — how you present your work affects how many stations will buy it.

PRX News & Resources

Meet me at FluPortal
Launched by PRX and CPB, FluPortal links to reputable public information, public media coverage, and customized Web widgets. Weave these resources into your on-air reports and your Web sites.

Are you covering the flu? Let us know — we want to highlight pieces on FluPortal.

EconomyBeat Podcast
Do you have a piece you think should be considered for the EconomyBeat Podcast? Add it to PRX and give it the tag “ebpodcast.” More about PRX and the Economy Collaboration.

PRX goes bilingual
The International Center for Journalists is using PRX “to provide community radio journalists in the United States and Latin America with a new Web-based service to share and rebroadcast stories across borders.” Press release.

New PRX Pointer
Here’s how to make a playlist that will allow you to gather PRX pieces, play them in a row, and launch a popup player so that you can browse PRX (or any site) while they play.

Events & Opportunities

Third Coast Awards Ceremony
Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m., Arts Club of Chicago
You’re invited to the party honoring the winners of the TCF/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition. Hear excerpts from the year’s best radio stories, salute the producers behind this remarkable work, and meet this year’s Audio Luminary Award recipient.

Reminder: Listening Institute
Nov. 12-15, Duke University
Radiomakers will gather for a weekend of workshops, intense listening, and critical discussions about a wide range of audio documentaries. Presented by Third Coast and the Center for Documentary Studies.