Public Radio International
Encyclopedia
Public Radio International (PRI) is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston
, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources. In public radio, PRI competes with National Public Radio and American Public Media
to provide programming to public radio stations. Additionally, the company is increasingly focused on fulfilling the unmet needs in global news and cultural perspectives, created and curated specifically for relevance for Americans. Therefore its competitive set in the larger media and information landscape consists of organizations focused on creating, partnering and providing global news and cultural perspectives content.
PRI is the "managing partner" of American Public Radio, which provides satellite radio programing via Sirius XM Satellite Radio. APR is composed of PRI, Chicago Public Radio
, WGBH (FM)
in Boston, and WNYC
in New York City.
and the BBC World Service
in public radio. Among its many high-profile programs is the award-winning global news program The World
, which PRI co-produces with the BBC
and WGBH
Boston
. Programs on PRI - sometimes mis-attributed to National Public Radio - are produced by a variety of organizations, including PRI in the United States and other countries. PRI, along with NPR
and American Public Media
, is one of the largest program producers and distributors of public radio programming in the United States. PRI offers over 400 hours of programming each week to stations and listeners. According to their website, "the mission of Public Radio International is to engage listeners with distinctive programming that provides information, insights, and cultural experiences essential to understanding a diverse, interdependent world." As a result, PRI's focus on global news/journalism and cultural perspectives programming forms a key point of differentiation from its competitors, both within and outside public broadcasting.
Approximately 800 radio station affiliates and other audio venues broadcast, stream and download PRI programs. According to the 2002 Arbitron
ratings, 15.2 million people listened to PRI programming each week.
PRI's programs have won numerous awards for quality and innovation, including the DuPont-Columbia Award
, Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Electronic Media/Radio, George M. Foster Peabody Award
, Golden Reel Award and the Gabriel Award
.
PRI programs are also available via podcast from PRI.ORG, iTunes and iTunesU, PRI program sites, and via mobile phones including the iPhone. PRI's podcasts consistently rate in the iTunes top 100, including This American Life
, Selected Shorts
, The World's Technology Podcast, the Sound of Young America and Studio 360
. PRI was one of the first radio podcasters in the United States, when its program The World
launched its popular Technology Podcast on February 11, 2005, hosted by Clark Boyd
. PRI programs are also available on its 24.7 programming stream on PRI.ORG, as well as on web simulcast streams of public radio station broadcast signals.
PRI programs are distributed through North America on satellite radio
. PRI had its own 24-hour channel on Sirius Satellite Radio
channel 136, which was discontinued in September 2006. As a response, XM Radio added more PRI programming to its own public radio channel, XM Public Radio
. PRI pursues its satellite radio strategy in concert with other public radio stations. In 2002, PRI formed American Public Radio, in partnership with Chicago Public Radio
, in order to better pursue strategies within the satellite radio realm. Not long after, WGBH
Boston
joined the partnership. WNYC
New York joined about a year later.
PRI programming receives funding from station fees, corporate underwriting, and individual and corporate grants. Less than 2% of the overall operating budget
comes from United States government agencies.
PRI recognizes as its core principles:
for public radio program distribution. Four stations established American Public Radio: the Minnesota Public Radio
network, WGBH
in Boston
, WNYC
in New York City, and KUSC
in Los Angeles. The corporation changed its name to Public Radio International in 1994 to reflect its growing interest and involvement in international audio publishing, as typified by its many collaborations with the BBC
.
In the mid-1990s, PRI began to expand its purpose by producing programming in addition to distributing programming. This important evolution in the company began with PRI's The World
, a co-production among PRI, the BBC World Service
, and WGBH. This daily global news program was one of the first news-oriented co-productions of the BBC World Service
anywhere. The launch of the weekend program, Studio 360
, a co-production between PRI and WNYC (featuring Kurt Andersen
), followed in early 2001. Studio 360 strives to "get inside the creative mind" each week as it surveys events in film, arts, design, entertainment, and culture.
In January 2007, PRI launched Fair Game
, "the strange love child between the The Daily Show
and Morning Edition
." The program aims to experiment with web and audio programming hybrids and reach out to younger listeners. Fair Game uses humor as a lens to put the day's events in perspective, and features stand-up comedian (and Rhodes scholar) Faith Salie
. On May 30, 2008, PRI ceased the broadcast component of the program and apparently has a web-only version of the program in the works.
Also in January 2007, PRI announced its acquisition of WireTap
from the CBC
for distribution in the United States. According to PRI's press release, WireTap is a weekly program of intimate and often hilarious telephone conversations between celebrated writer Jonathan Goldstein
, and people with real or imagined stories to tell.
In March 2007, PRI announced its intention to co-produce a new morning program, involving WNYC New York, WGBH Boston, the BBC World Service, and New York Times Radio. The goals of the program are to provide choice in public radio mornings and to foster the growth of public radio audiences. This program launched nationally in April 2008. PRI began developing this idea more than five years ago and began cultivating partners not long after.
In June 2007, the company announced another distribution partnership, this time with The Sound of Young America
, featuring Jesse Thorn
. The press release stated, "The Sound of Young America is an irreverent weekly arts and entertainment interview program, described by its creator as 'a public radio show about things that are awesome.'"
In September, PRI and Symphony Space
of New York City announced that PRI would become the national distribution partner of Selected Shorts
, which had previously been distributed by National Public Radio. The press release said, "The best public radio features compelling storytelling. Selected Shorts is an excellent example of how the human voice can engage listeners and take them to another place... PRI looks forward to partnering with Selected Shorts to chart an exciting new future for this kind of storytelling in public media."
In January 2008, PRI and WNYC announced that the name of their new morning drive news program is The Takeaway
with John Hockenberry
and Adaora Udoji
. This program's editorial partners include The BBC World Service, The New York Times, and WGBH Radio Boston. The program successfully launched April 28, and full national launch is expected June/July 2008.
On May 1, 2008, PRI was the first major public media outlet to use digital cinema
; and one of the first mass media companies overall. PRI conceived and spearheaded This American Life Live! in partnership with Ira Glass and WBEZ Chicago. This American Life Live! was presented exclusively in select theatres by National CineMedia's (NCM) Fathom, in partnership with BY Experience and Chicago Public Radio, and in association with Public Radio International.
) and private foundation grants as well as donations and gifts from individuals. The mix of revenue differs by station, network and/or producer. PRI, NPR and American Public Media are the largest providers of public radio programming in the United States. They compete with each other for slots on public radio stations and the attention of listeners. Each has distinct missions and emphases in programming—PRI is focused on global journalism, providing diverse voices, and arts and cultural perspectives. Any given public radio station may be simultaneously both an NPR member and an affiliate of PRI and APM. PRI is a not-for-profit organization that has an independent governing board with an independent board of directors. NPR is a membership organization; its board is composed of public radio stations which run for seats on the board.
PRI is a younger organization than NPR, and focuses on pushing the sound of public radio forward through innovative programming strategies and leading media in its areas of focus—global news and cultural perspectives. (NPR was founded in 1970 and PRI in 1983.) Many PRI shows draw a younger overall audience than shows produced by NPR. PRI's stated purpose is to offer a wider range of voices than NPR programs.
In recent years, there have been changes among distributors of numerous programs. Some programs that were formerly distributed by PRI, such as A Prairie Home Companion
, Marketplace
, and American Routes
are now distributed by American Public Media
. APM was formed by Minnesota Public Radio to distribute programs it owned and produced, thereby moving distribution from PRI to APM.
In addition, PRI distributed World Cafe
for many years, but in 2005, the show's distribution was switched to NPR. At the same time, PRI has also picked up the distribution of programs originally distributed by NPR
, including Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?
, and, in 2006, Living on Earth
- public radio's leading news and information program focused on the environment. In September 2007, PRI became the national distributor of Selected Shorts
which was previously distributed by NPR.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources. In public radio, PRI competes with National Public Radio and American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
to provide programming to public radio stations. Additionally, the company is increasingly focused on fulfilling the unmet needs in global news and cultural perspectives, created and curated specifically for relevance for Americans. Therefore its competitive set in the larger media and information landscape consists of organizations focused on creating, partnering and providing global news and cultural perspectives content.
PRI is the "managing partner" of American Public Radio, which provides satellite radio programing via Sirius XM Satellite Radio. APR is composed of PRI, Chicago Public Radio
Chicago Public Radio
WBEZ is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. Financed primarily by listener contributions, the station is affiliated with both National Public Radio and Public Radio International; they also broadcast content from American Public Media...
, WGBH (FM)
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
in Boston, and WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
in New York City.
Background
In the United States, PRI exclusively distributes such well-known programming as This American LifeThis American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
and the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
in public radio. Among its many high-profile programs is the award-winning global news program The World
The World (radio program)
PRI's The World is a global news radio, audio and multi-platform program created by Public Radio International based on the program's congruence with PRI's mission, and in order to fulfill the critical need for more original global news created for and provided to Americans. This was partly a...
, which PRI co-produces with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and WGBH
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Programs on PRI - sometimes mis-attributed to National Public Radio - are produced by a variety of organizations, including PRI in the United States and other countries. PRI, along with NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
, is one of the largest program producers and distributors of public radio programming in the United States. PRI offers over 400 hours of programming each week to stations and listeners. According to their website, "the mission of Public Radio International is to engage listeners with distinctive programming that provides information, insights, and cultural experiences essential to understanding a diverse, interdependent world." As a result, PRI's focus on global news/journalism and cultural perspectives programming forms a key point of differentiation from its competitors, both within and outside public broadcasting.
Approximately 800 radio station affiliates and other audio venues broadcast, stream and download PRI programs. According to the 2002 Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
ratings, 15.2 million people listened to PRI programming each week.
PRI's programs have won numerous awards for quality and innovation, including the DuPont-Columbia Award
DuPont-Columbia Award
The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award is an American award that honors excellence in broadcast journalism. The awards, administered since 1968 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, are considered a broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another...
, Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Electronic Media/Radio, George M. Foster Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
, Golden Reel Award and the Gabriel Award
Gabriel Award
The Gabriel Awards were originated by the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals in 1965. They were designed to honor works of broadcast excellence that have a positive and creative treatment of concerns to mankind....
.
PRI programs are also available via podcast from PRI.ORG, iTunes and iTunesU, PRI program sites, and via mobile phones including the iPhone. PRI's podcasts consistently rate in the iTunes top 100, including This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
, Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts is an event at New York’s Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, in which actors read classic and new short fiction before a live audience. The annual season of the live events at Symphony Space begins in the mid-fall and ends in mid-spring, and a typical episode would include...
, The World's Technology Podcast, the Sound of Young America and Studio 360
Studio 360
Studio 360 is an American weekly public radio program about media, the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by PRI Public Radio International and WNYC in New York City. The program's stated goal is to "Get inside the creative mind" and uses arts and culture as a lens to...
. PRI was one of the first radio podcasters in the United States, when its program The World
The World (radio program)
PRI's The World is a global news radio, audio and multi-platform program created by Public Radio International based on the program's congruence with PRI's mission, and in order to fulfill the critical need for more original global news created for and provided to Americans. This was partly a...
launched its popular Technology Podcast on February 11, 2005, hosted by Clark Boyd
Clark Boyd
Clark Boyd is an American radio journalist. He is the award winning technology correspondent for The World, a daily global news program created by Public Radio International , and co-produced by PRI, the BBC World Service, and WGBH Boston...
. PRI programs are also available on its 24.7 programming stream on PRI.ORG, as well as on web simulcast streams of public radio station broadcast signals.
PRI programs are distributed through North America on satellite radio
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
. PRI had its own 24-hour channel on Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
channel 136, which was discontinued in September 2006. As a response, XM Radio added more PRI programming to its own public radio channel, XM Public Radio
XM Public Radio
XM Public Radio is a 24/7 Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel dedicated to public radio programming. Broadcasting in stereo, XM Public Radio is one of two talk channels on the XM platform which broadcasts 2-channel audio—the other being the ViRUS...
. PRI pursues its satellite radio strategy in concert with other public radio stations. In 2002, PRI formed American Public Radio, in partnership with Chicago Public Radio
Chicago Public Radio
WBEZ is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. Financed primarily by listener contributions, the station is affiliated with both National Public Radio and Public Radio International; they also broadcast content from American Public Media...
, in order to better pursue strategies within the satellite radio realm. Not long after, WGBH
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
joined the partnership. WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
New York joined about a year later.
PRI programming receives funding from station fees, corporate underwriting, and individual and corporate grants. Less than 2% of the overall operating budget
Operating budget
An operating budget is the annual budget of an activity stated in terms of Budget Classification Code, functional/subfunctional categories and cost accounts. It contains estimates of the total value of resources required for the performance of the operation including reimbursable work or services...
comes from United States government agencies.
PRI recognizes as its core principles:
- the central role played by diversity in our nation's past and its importance to our future;
- the urgent need to understand connections between American life and cultures around the globe;
- the responsibility of public media to encourage the exchange of ideas and search for common principles fundamental to a civil society; and
- the power of sound and of the spoken word to engage the mind and nurture the human spirit.
History
PRI was founded in 1983 as American Public Radio to provide diverse voices and an alternative to NPRNPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
for public radio program distribution. Four stations established American Public Radio: the Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
network, WGBH
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
in New York City, and KUSC
KUSC
KUSC is a listener-supported classical music radio station broadcasting from downtown Los Angeles, California, USA. KUSC is owned and operated by the University of Southern California, which also operates student-run KXSC and San Francisco's classical station KDFC...
in Los Angeles. The corporation changed its name to Public Radio International in 1994 to reflect its growing interest and involvement in international audio publishing, as typified by its many collaborations with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In the mid-1990s, PRI began to expand its purpose by producing programming in addition to distributing programming. This important evolution in the company began with PRI's The World
The World (radio program)
PRI's The World is a global news radio, audio and multi-platform program created by Public Radio International based on the program's congruence with PRI's mission, and in order to fulfill the critical need for more original global news created for and provided to Americans. This was partly a...
, a co-production among PRI, the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, and WGBH. This daily global news program was one of the first news-oriented co-productions of the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
anywhere. The launch of the weekend program, Studio 360
Studio 360
Studio 360 is an American weekly public radio program about media, the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by PRI Public Radio International and WNYC in New York City. The program's stated goal is to "Get inside the creative mind" and uses arts and culture as a lens to...
, a co-production between PRI and WNYC (featuring Kurt Andersen
Kurt Andersen
Kurt Andersen is an American novelist who is also host of the Peabody-winning public radio program Studio 360, a co-production between Public Radio International and WNYC. In 1986 with E. Graydon Carter he co-founded Spy magazine, which they sold in 1991; it continued publishing until 1998...
), followed in early 2001. Studio 360 strives to "get inside the creative mind" each week as it surveys events in film, arts, design, entertainment, and culture.
Recent program launches and firsts
The year 2007 was a period of numerous program launches, new talents, announcements and acquisitions.In January 2007, PRI launched Fair Game
Fair Game (radio)
Fair Game from PRI with Faith Salie was an experimental web and audio/radio hybrid daily public radio program which covered the important stories of the day and used humor to tease out what it all meant. The program was produced and distributed nationally by PRI...
, "the strange love child between the The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
and Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
." The program aims to experiment with web and audio programming hybrids and reach out to younger listeners. Fair Game uses humor as a lens to put the day's events in perspective, and features stand-up comedian (and Rhodes scholar) Faith Salie
Faith Salie
Faith Coley Salie is an American actress, comedian, radio host and television personality. She first became known for her role as Sarina Douglas on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and went on to host the Public Radio International program Fair Game with Faith Salie.-Family:Born in Boston,...
. On May 30, 2008, PRI ceased the broadcast component of the program and apparently has a web-only version of the program in the works.
Also in January 2007, PRI announced its acquisition of WireTap
WireTap (radio program)
WireTap is a half-hour long radio show which airs on CBC Radio One Saturday afternoons at 3:30 pm, and Thursday evenings at 11:30 pm. An hour-long version of WireTap is distributed in the United States by Public Radio International and is heard on multiple public radio stations...
from the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
for distribution in the United States. According to PRI's press release, WireTap is a weekly program of intimate and often hilarious telephone conversations between celebrated writer Jonathan Goldstein
Jonathan Goldstein
Jonathan Goldstein may refer to:*Jonathan Goldstein , North American author and radio producer*Jonathan Goldstein , American actor*Jonathan Goldstein , British composer of music for film and television...
, and people with real or imagined stories to tell.
In March 2007, PRI announced its intention to co-produce a new morning program, involving WNYC New York, WGBH Boston, the BBC World Service, and New York Times Radio. The goals of the program are to provide choice in public radio mornings and to foster the growth of public radio audiences. This program launched nationally in April 2008. PRI began developing this idea more than five years ago and began cultivating partners not long after.
In June 2007, the company announced another distribution partnership, this time with The Sound of Young America
The Sound of Young America
The Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...
, featuring Jesse Thorn
Jesse Thorn
Jesse Thorn is an American public radio show host/creator. He is the host and producer of the radio show and podcast The Sound of Young America, which is distributed by Public Radio International to 25 public terrestrial radio stations in 13 states and is also broadcast weekly on XM Radio's "XM...
. The press release stated, "The Sound of Young America is an irreverent weekly arts and entertainment interview program, described by its creator as 'a public radio show about things that are awesome.'"
In September, PRI and Symphony Space
Symphony Space
Symphony Space is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre or the 160-seat Leonard Nimoy Thalia theater. Programs include music, dance, theater, film, and literary readings...
of New York City announced that PRI would become the national distribution partner of Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts is an event at New York’s Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, in which actors read classic and new short fiction before a live audience. The annual season of the live events at Symphony Space begins in the mid-fall and ends in mid-spring, and a typical episode would include...
, which had previously been distributed by National Public Radio. The press release said, "The best public radio features compelling storytelling. Selected Shorts is an excellent example of how the human voice can engage listeners and take them to another place... PRI looks forward to partnering with Selected Shorts to chart an exciting new future for this kind of storytelling in public media."
In January 2008, PRI and WNYC announced that the name of their new morning drive news program is The Takeaway
The Takeaway
The Takeaway is a morning radio news program co-created and co-produced by Public Radio International and WNYC-New York Public Radio with editorial partners the BBC World Service of the United Kingdom, The New York Times, and WGBH Radio Boston of the United States...
with John Hockenberry
John Hockenberry
John Charles Hockenberry is an American journalist and author. A four-time Emmy Award winner and three-time Peabody Award winner, Hockenberry has worked in media since 1980....
and Adaora Udoji
Adaora Udoji
Adaora Elizabeth Udoji is a Nigerian American and was the co-host of The Takeaway with John Hockenberry until May 2009. Previously, she was a host on Court TV. She is a former correspondent for CNN and a former foreign correspondent for ABC News based in London...
. This program's editorial partners include The BBC World Service, The New York Times, and WGBH Radio Boston. The program successfully launched April 28, and full national launch is expected June/July 2008.
On May 1, 2008, PRI was the first major public media outlet to use digital cinema
Digital cinema
Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector...
; and one of the first mass media companies overall. PRI conceived and spearheaded This American Life Live! in partnership with Ira Glass and WBEZ Chicago. This American Life Live! was presented exclusively in select theatres by National CineMedia's (NCM) Fathom, in partnership with BY Experience and Chicago Public Radio, and in association with Public Radio International.
Public Radio, PRI, NPR
Public radio is a generic term for non-commercial radio stations or programming that are covered under the Public Broadcasting Act. Public radio organizations receive funding from corporate sponsors, public (e.g. Corporation for Public BroadcastingCorporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
) and private foundation grants as well as donations and gifts from individuals. The mix of revenue differs by station, network and/or producer. PRI, NPR and American Public Media are the largest providers of public radio programming in the United States. They compete with each other for slots on public radio stations and the attention of listeners. Each has distinct missions and emphases in programming—PRI is focused on global journalism, providing diverse voices, and arts and cultural perspectives. Any given public radio station may be simultaneously both an NPR member and an affiliate of PRI and APM. PRI is a not-for-profit organization that has an independent governing board with an independent board of directors. NPR is a membership organization; its board is composed of public radio stations which run for seats on the board.
PRI is a younger organization than NPR, and focuses on pushing the sound of public radio forward through innovative programming strategies and leading media in its areas of focus—global news and cultural perspectives. (NPR was founded in 1970 and PRI in 1983.) Many PRI shows draw a younger overall audience than shows produced by NPR. PRI's stated purpose is to offer a wider range of voices than NPR programs.
In recent years, there have been changes among distributors of numerous programs. Some programs that were formerly distributed by PRI, such as A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
, Marketplace
Marketplace (radio program)
Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
, and American Routes
American Routes
American Routes is a weekly two-hour public radio program that presents the breadth and depth of the American musical and cultural landscape. Hosted by Nick Spitzer, American Routes is syndicated by 225 stations, with over half a million listeners. It is produced out of New Orleans and distributed...
are now distributed by American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
. APM was formed by Minnesota Public Radio to distribute programs it owned and produced, thereby moving distribution from PRI to APM.
In addition, PRI distributed World Cafe
World Cafe
World Cafe is a two-hour long, nationally syndicated music radio program that originates from WXPN, a non-commercial station licensed to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The program began in 1991 and was originally distributed by Public Radio...
for many years, but in 2005, the show's distribution was switched to NPR. At the same time, PRI has also picked up the distribution of programs originally distributed by NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, including Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?
Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?
Whad'Ya Know? is an American comedy, interview, and quiz radio show. Hosted by Michael Feldman, it was created in 1985. It is produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed weekly by Public Radio International...
, and, in 2006, Living on Earth
Living on Earth
Living on Earth is a weekly, hour-long and award-winning environmental news program distributed by Public Radio International.Hosted by Steve Curwood, the program features interviews and commentary on a broad range of ecological issues, exploring how humans interact with their landscape. The show...
- public radio's leading news and information program focused on the environment. In September 2007, PRI became the national distributor of Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts
Selected Shorts is an event at New York’s Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, in which actors read classic and new short fiction before a live audience. The annual season of the live events at Symphony Space begins in the mid-fall and ends in mid-spring, and a typical episode would include...
which was previously distributed by NPR.
See also
- American Public MediaAmerican Public MediaAmerican Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
- National Public Radio
- Public Broadcasting ServicePublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
- List of United States radio networks