PRNDG → Your Medium

Clearly, the global acceleration of communication is changing newsgathering, news delivery and audience behavior. Certainly, it is drawing us away from our singular dedication to radio (the medium of sound) and encouraging us to consider multimedia news work. And although we’ve always attended to our communities, we now have community-building power like never before. Community too is a medium for public service.

This chapter acknowledges that rapid technological change will render some aspects of the PRNDG obsolete. For a look at how digital media is rapidly changing NPR News — and raising new questions for public radio journalists — see Outside Help → Sound Reporting: Beyond Radio

The thing for News Directors to remember is that despite the technological evolution, our role and relevance comes back to the trusted message and the trusted messenger. Our public radio newsrooms should continue to offer fundamental building blocks of worthwhile communication: facts in context.

We’ll change but we’ll still scrutinize and investigate. We’ll do some things differently but we’ll still do them for the public good.

Sound

Our primary medium is sound. That’s what got us here.

Inside:

  • Terrestrial Radio
  • Satellite Radio
  • Internet Radio

more: Your Medium → Sound

Multimedia

In face of massive change, our public radio industry is in the process of reinventing itself to stay relevant to audiences. Many broadcast stations have stopped referring to themselves as “public radio” and now say “public media.”

Inside:

  • Web Sites
  • Newsletters
  • Mobile Feeds

more: Your Medium → Multimedia

Community Interaction

Public radio with its community service values has traditionally pressed for close connections with listeners — encouraging them as volunteers, inviting their participation in events, and turning to them for membership support. Now this contact can go deeper using social networking and other interactive opportunities. And it should continue to emphasize “offline” contact.

Inside:

  • Social Networking
  • Collaboration Opportunities
  • In Person in the Community

more: Your Medium → Community Interaction

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