Originally published in Current, Sept. 19, 2005
Commentary by Steve Salyer
Uncertainty about the future has characterized our industry in recent years. From satellite radio and the possibilities of digital broadcasting to the boom in do-it-yourself media and podcasting, the ground under public radio’s feet is rapidly shifting. Add to that the periodic threats to its federal funding, as well as ongoing inquiries into its editorial balance, and the shifting ground can start to feel like the Big One.
How can public radio best navigate its way through this rapidly changing environment? After 17 years at the helm of Public Radio International, I believe our field could benefit from key lessons in PRI’s history. PRI has daily experience as a partner, marketer, distributor, fundraiser, resource aggregator and idea generator. Combining all of these roles, I think of PRI as a nonprofit venture capital programming company with a marketing wing. As this model has evolved, it has repeatedly demonstrated the importance of five principles—vital not just for PRI’s future but for the future of our industry as a whole.
1. Competition makes us all better.
In the face of threatened funding cutbacks and a slow economy, should public radio attempt to conserve resources by centralizing? I say emphatically no. Competition within public radio is good for stations, good for producers and good for distributors. Most importantly, it is good for listeners, borne out by the fact that public radio, virtually alone among media, continues to expand its audience.
Here are two ways this competition has served the public interest. In its earliest years, when it was known as American Public Radio, PRI introduced the then-revolutionary concept of a la carte program pricing. NPR previously had “bundled” its programs for distribution to stations, requiring a single monopoly price that stifled competition. The market suddenly became competitive in 1985 when stations approved a new NPR business plan and CPB reallocated to stations a portion of CPB’s funds that had previously gone directly to NPR. The stations could now select among programs—ultimately determining which ones live and which ones die. At the same time, the market could choose new programs that fit stations’ and viewers’ needs.
In 1996, for instance, PRI launched The World—though nearly all other media outlets were downsizing their global coverage—which spurred NPR to expand its international reporting and led to greater carriage of a truly global voice, the BBC, on U.S. public radio. As a result, public radio became and continues to be the standout leader in bringing global perspectives to American audiences.
2. There is more potential to leverage resources than we might have imagined.
The funding that will drive our future increasingly will come from new sources. I have maintained for several years that traditional foundation and government funding sources together are not sufficient to enable public radio to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of a new media era. So while PRI secured major, long-term underwriting from such companies as Merck, Fannie Mae and General Electric (the last becoming the largest underwriter in public radio history), we also developed a new model of public radio funding—the co-investment model. Involving partners from within and outside the industry, PRI successfully used co-investment to launch such initiatives as Public Interactive and American Public Radio LLC, PRI’s partnership with WGBH and WBEZ to create programming for new distribution platforms. This model aggregates financial resources, spreads risk and shares reward.
3. Strong boards matter.
Strong organizations need strong boards. Strong boards neither micromanage nor strong-arm their executives. Genuinely effective boards are profoundly serious about their responsibilities to hire (and, if need be, fire) the c.e.o., to vigorously support the c.e.o., and to ask hard questions, when necessary, about the organization’s vision and strategy.
From its inception, PRI has had an independent board. We have had the great good fortune to have world-class board members, representing leading arts, education, business and media institutions across the United States and around the world. In an industry in which boards were primarily advisory or membership-based, PRI has set a new standard.
Our earliest board members were pioneers of public radio who believed the industry needed more competition, more entrepreneurial thinking and more willingness to take well-calculated risks. Both the board members from outside public radio and the outstanding station managers who served did so because they believed in building a new model for public radio—and they consistently backed up that commitment with their time, insights and financial support. A strong board that takes its responsibilities seriously, whether at a local station or a national network, can enable an organization to excel. Likewise, a weak board can drag down an organization, crippling its capacity to respond to change. As our industry faces the future, we need to choose strong and mindful governance.
4. No one has a monopoly on good ideas.
Central to the PRI model is the belief that good ideas turn up all over. Neither the large stations nor the networks have a corner on creative thinking. Early in its history, PRI made the strategic decision to invest in ideas, not bricks and mortar. Rather than building studios, PRI has sought to build partnerships — with stations, with independents, with the BBC, with anyone who had the commitment and the vision to create great public radio. In some cases, such as This American Life, producers have come to PRI with well-developed projects. In other cases, such as Capitol News Connection with PRI, we became involved at an earlier stage, helping to develop the business plan and secure nearly $1 million from CPB for its producer, Pundit Productions. In yet other cases, such as The World, PRI proposed the concept, then sought out partners to make it real. In all cases, the partnership model has enabled PRI to cast its net wide, identify new talent and bring to fruition projects that individual stations or producers could not have accomplished on their own.
5. Stations are the heart of public radio.
Public radio’s future, I submit, is inexorably tied to the future of its stations. Stations must re-imagine how they will serve their communities. But I believe just as strongly that stations are the central link in providing public service. More than almost any other media outlet, stations are deeply rooted in local communities. They are what makes public radio public.
The PRI model is built on the centrality of stations. Over the years, PRI has not sought to maximize its own brand but rather to advance the recognition of stations as the go-to source in their communities for information, learning, dialogue and engagement. Projects such as Classical 24 and the Capitol News Connection with PRI are living examples. Moreover, PRI has actively sought out stations as investment and production partners and has created services such as the Global Resource Service and Public Interactive that build station capacity. In the weeks ahead, we will announce new digital radio services, a content-on-demand jukebox for station websites and new content for younger audiences.
Public radio is a business of ideas and of talent. The more we cultivate and encourage good ideas and great talent, the stronger we are. No public radio organization has a right to exist unless it serves these ends in the interest of stations and listeners. We need to embrace competition in our industry as a means to spur new thinking and forms of investment. We need to reach beyond the tried and true for talents who stretch our understanding of what public radio can be. We need to challenge each other to think imaginatively about serving our listeners in new ways. This is where I believe public radio will find its future.
Stephen L. Salyer left PRI in this month, having run the
program distributor since 1988, when it was called American Public Radio. He
was instrumental in
creating Marketplace,
The World, Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen and Public Interactive, among
other projects. His new job is in Austria, where he heads the Salzburg Seminar,
a nonprofit that holds educational workshops on world issues.
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posted Jan. 22, 2006
Copyright 2005 by Current Publishing Committee
