In both radio and TV, pubcasters' attention is turning to multiple program streams as distribution goes digital. In this commentary, published last year during Public Radio International's 15th anniversary year, the network's president imagines a coherent set of audio streams for the future, and a collaborative process for creating them.
Originally published in Current, Feb. 8, 1999
Commentary by Stephen L. Salyer
When public radio become a connected, national system in 1970, the telephone lines that brought programs to stations ran in one direction--outward from a single, congressionally established supplier, National Public Radio in Washington. Stations used what was sent their way, or aired local programs. There was no other choice.
With the introduction of the satellite interconnection system in 1980, public radio led the way in providing multiple program channels to stations. For the first time, it became technically feasible to offer several program choices simultaneously, from which stations could select programs that best served the needs of local audiences. Further, regional uplinks were established to feed programs up to the satellite. This encouraged major stations to become national producers and in April 1983 allowed American Public Radio to emerge as a distributor of station-based and independently produced programs.
As we complete the 15th anniversary year of this still young company--now known as Public Radio International--there is much to celebrate in what it has accomplished. From a look around public radio, it is tempting to conclude that the field is on a sure course for the 21st Century, well poised for steady growth and ever stronger contributions to the public interest.
This rosy view, however, obscures changes in how people send and receive information--changes that public radio must address if its reach and significance is to grow. Moreover, as Americans increasingly come to recognize connections with global culture in their daily lives, we must develop a larger, more complete editorial vision if our content is to hold our listeners' attention and allegiance.
How we got this far
Through the 1980s and 1990s, public radio developed a program "marketplace." Strong programs gradually emerged from every region of the country and from important international sources. News programs such as Monitor Radio came from Boston, Marketplace from Los Angeles, the BBC's around-the-clock World Service from London, and As It Happens and Sunday Morning from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in Toronto. From hearing these programs, and others like them, American listeners gained an appreciation for diverse editorial perspectives and presenting styles.
The first program to make a significant mark on the weekend, Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion came from Minnesota Public Radio, and was soon joined by Saint Paul Sunday Morning. Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know? originated from Wisconsin Public Radio and Car Talk was developed and launched by WBUR, Boston. These and many other station-based and independently produced programs helped extend listening to public radio beyond drivetime.
By the early 1990s, successful efforts to strengthen and extend local broadcast signals meant that most Americans had access to more than one public radio station. Indeed by 1996, 71 percent could receive at least two public radio stations, and 50 percent could receive three or more. This allowed stations in the same community to pursue the strategy of differentiation by program appeal and type — e.g., one emphasizing news and talk while another concentrates on classical music or jazz. As more listeners gained access to multiple public radio stations, and as more stations pursued this strategy of differentiation, public radio's audience surged to more than 20 million, a doubling of national weekly listenership in a single decade.
Clearly, room remains for innovation and for higher program quality within the present industry structure. For example, as more public radio stations emphasize news and talk programs, the need increases for fresh material throughout the day. In many communities, stations are attempting to strengthen local reporting capacity and are looking for stronger national programming before and after drivetime and on the weekends.
Yet, it is undeniable that with many markets having only one or two public
radio stations, listener choice is sharply limited. Many fine public
radio programs are not heard even in markets with multiple stations. Unfortunately,
a growing reliance on listener contributions and corporate underwriting
make it difficult for station decision-makers to allocate airtime to
programs
that attract small audiences, even when the programs are well produced
and
the audiences
committed. Public radio's ability to expand its public service within
its current structure may be nearing its limits.
All of this is about to change.
Listeners take charge
We are moving rapidly into an era that will be characterized by much wider access to information of all kinds. The much-heralded conversion of information into digital form means that in the future the same satellites, wires, transmitters and appliances will be able to send and receive audio, video, text and data, and to interact with the information in a host of ways. There will be fierce competition for many years over the best ways to give every person access to the world's information, and over how to pay for this access and for the costs of creating it. But there is no turning back from a future in which abundant information is available when and where we want it.
Significant changes in 1996 in the nation's communication laws have spurred a race to provide consumers with much faster and broader access to information, through wires and through the air.
With ubiquitous appliances like the telephone and television now being linked to the web, Internet use is rapidly gaining mass-market status. If the current pace of innovation continues, in five years the Internet will constitute an unseen grid that enables pursuit of work, entertainment, and communication activities without regard to limitations of time or location. Listening to live radio, archived programs, and specialized audio streams will be among the choices available at home, at work and on the move.
Stations as information agents
At least for the next few years, the net effect of this ferment on public radio is likely to be the wider availability of programming through multiple delivery mechanisms.
Satellite channels will feature news and music programs. On-demand services will allow consumers to play favorite programs at their convenience, and eventually to develop customized news reports or music "playlists" that match the listener's interests.
But what will this do to the relationship that listeners have with local stations? As listeners become more accustomed to getting exactly what they want, when they want it, will they bypass stations altogether?
How these questions are answered will likely depend on how well stations understand and respond to the changing needs of their listeners. As new technologies alter the way people utilize their time, and as competitors vie for the attention of public radio's educated audience, stations will need to respond dynamically in order to thrive.
One possible but highly ambitious response would be for stations to position themselves to serve as "agents" for their listeners, helping them find and access the information they desire. To fulfill this role would require stations to evolve well beyond their traditional role as broadcasters, i.e., one-way transmitters of information to a mass audience. Instead, stations would need to embrace as their mission helping shape the meaning of "community" for listeners, and finding ways to assist individuals to pursue interests that are personally meaningful and rewarding.
Not surprisingly, this course is not uniquely open to public radio stations. In a similar way, Microsoft's Sidewalk.com, local newspapers' websites, and other ventures are attempting to position themselves in communities across the country. They seek support from a combination of subscription fees, banner and classified advertising, and merchandise sales.
If public radio stations embraced the mission of becoming information agents for their listeners, they would enjoy some considerable advantages. First, they have a core audience that includes large numbers of upscale consumers. Recent surveys indicate that these core public radio listeners use the Internet more than twice as much as other adults. They also buy a large proportion of the books, serious music and magazines, cultural admissions, international airline tickets, stocks and bonds sold annually in the United States.
Second, most public radio stations communicate 24-hours a day with their audience. They can provide powerful promotion for everything from a local performance by Garrison Keillor to the release of new CDs to the launch of interesting websites.
Third, public radio stations have access to constantly updated, very high quality national and international news programming. Moreover, stations in most major markets offer local news and are currently investing discretionary funds to enhance this capability.
Finally, leading public radio stations are converting to digital production and transmission systems, operating increasingly sophisticated web sites, and gaining experience with database marketing and local underwriting sales. Many could offer multiple content streams with little additional investment if they had the capacity necessary to deliver them to listeners.
Even with these advantages, no public radio station on its own is likely to make a successful transition to such an ambitious new mission. A central question before producers, stations, distributors and funders is whether this, or other ideas about the future, can be realized within the present industry structure.
If we can agree on the outlines of a future vision for public radio, then we may be better equipped to determine what structures are required to realize it.
One vision for the future
There are four ideas that I believe could constitute the core of a new vision for public radio. Other public broadcasters may have different thoughts. The point is to engage in this discussion now and to seek a shared context within which public radio can develop its future.
1. Every citizen in the nation should have 24-hour a day access to multiple public radio program services — playable as linear streams or as individual program titles. Some possible choices that play to our program and creative strengths and that would serve to broaden and deepen our appeal include:
In all, some 10 to 15 program "services" could be created and launched over a five-year period. Immediately, the question arises: "How on earth would we pay for it?"
The answer, of course, is that a great deal of core material for such channels already exists. PRI alone offers more than 400 hours a week of unduplicated programming. The average station broadcasts only about 10 percent of those hours. Local stations also produce an abundance of material, which could help comprise music and talk channels. In the coming world of abundant bandwidth and radio on-demand, the trick will be to maximize the use and value of all the resources we have available.
2. Consortia of stations, producers, and distributors should be formed to insure that these program services are programmed creatively and efficiently. Good individual programs are not typically produced by consortia. But program streams can be assembled from multiple sources if there is agreement on goals and standards along with a clear designation of management authority.
By expanding public radio's "shelf space," we have the potential to broaden our audience and to involve a wider creative community in our work. To make this work, several principles would need to apply:
Some of these services will be created by stations, perhaps acting in groups that share programming strengths and standards. There may be other instances — perhaps a documentary channel — where independent producers will form a cooperative effort. In other cases, networks in combination with leading producers will have a comparative advantage. However the lead is taken, creative models will need to be developed to share risks and rewards in establishing a family of public radio brands that appeal to a wide range of discriminating audiences.
3. A distribution system is needed that can deliver multiple program streams at low cost to stations, and allow listeners much greater choice. As public radio and television, along with the other broadcasters, convert to digital technologies, a vision of multiple program services and radio on-demand calls for a more radical approach to distribution than is presently on the table. High-quality, low-cost delivery of multiple program streams is essential, as is the means for stations to offer a much wider and more flexible set of services to listeners.
Some starting points seem clear:
These requirements suggest a much broader framework for public radio's future distribution than the current satellite system, or even an enhanced, digital version of this system. It would be wise to explore systems that rely on wires along with satellites, and that take full account of the Internet's future capabilities. This broader framework will be essential if public radio is to achieve connectivity among many, highly dispersed content suppliers and many, highly diverse consumers and participants in our services of the future.
4. Producers, distributors and stations will need to develop value-adding content, products and services to enrich the experience for listeners and increase the preference they demonstrate for our program and station brands.
Already, many producers have established web sites related to their programs, and a number realize modest income from the sale of program transcripts, CDs, mugs and other merchandise. In addition, some stations are moving beyond web sites that feature their schedules and membership information to offer listener forums, news updates, and audio selections.
In a world of multiple audio services, stations as information agents and listener connectivity, the roles played by producers, distributors and local stations will all need to evolve considerably. Producers will need to develop content that can work both as linear, "streamed" audio, and that can be consumed in segments on demand. In addition, ways will need to be found to satisfy the listener looking for additional information after hearing a broadcast or for a more participatory experience.
There are numerous opportunities for listener-driven products and services based on knowledge available in the "communities" that form around popular public radio programs. For example, the Car Talk website currently offers a place for listeners to advise each other on reliable auto mechanics in their areas. In the future, listeners to The Savvy Traveler and The World might pool insights to support travel guides to destinations around the globe, while listeners to public radio's classical music or jazz programs might contribute to a CD rating service.
Stations will have their hands full with catering to listeners as individuals, not just as members of a mass audience. With an overabundance of information and entertainment choices, listeners will want help in identifying worthwhile content that allows them to pursue their interests in new ways or at greater depth. It seems reasonable that listeners would look to public radio stations as they do today, as their "agent" in finding and filtering a wide range of interesting local, national and international material.
In this new environment, station program directors will need to think about creating "sections" and "channels" for sub-groups or communities of interest within their broader audience. Those stations can become "multiple service providers" on the Internet, while maintaining a unique program format as local broadcasters.
The content offered by stations may come in many forms, from linear audio "streams" similar to current broadcast formats to archives of individual programs available on demand. "Surprise me" buttons may provide serendipity within the framework of user-designated interests. For example, music lovers will be able to sample new releases, access information on featured artists, see how others from their "affinity group" as well as critics rate the recording, then order and download any selections they choose to add to their music library.
A station programmer will need to function like a cross between a terrific daily newspaper editor and the music director of a multi-station network. Stations with specialties in different fields may exchange material with each other. In some cases, producers or even qualified listeners may program channels. The ability to draw on many sources and perspectives to create a dynamic experience for the consumer will spell the difference between an average and a highly successful "station."
Distributors will need to evolve as well, becoming adept at locating and aggregating material that keeps public radio ahead of competitors including commercial publishers, software companies and multimedia giants, as well as consolidated national radio companies. The ability to scout material internationally, obtain distribution rights, and coordinate broadcast and non-broadcast promotion will become even more valuable skills. Further, it will be essential to maintain the special acumen, journalistic standards, and storytelling capacity that have set public radio apart from the commercial mainstream--qualities that will continue to attract loyal audiences in an increasingly fractionalized, entertainment-driven market.
Is it feasible?
Unfortunately, not all requisites needed to pursue this vision are plentiful within the public radio industry. Producers have their hands full creating high-quality programs on slim budgets. Most stations are fully absorbed by digital conversion, local programming and professionalizing their fundraising capabilities. Distributors have limited entrepreneurial experience and are constrained by present industry structures and the absence of risk capital.
For these reasons, public radio will need to skillfully invest its scarce resources — human, physical, and financial — if it is to take a leading role in tomorrow's communications marketplace. Moreover, the needed transition will not be achieved through centralized, top-down structures. Rather, institutions must find ways to specialize at what they do best, encourage a much wider role for talented individuals at all levels and in all parts of the enterprise, and get much better at partnering with each other.
The ability to form and manage such partnerships is an area in which PRI has led the way in public radio, and a skill that will become ever more important for our industry in the years to come. Our hope is that we can form partnerships with others inside and outside the industry to accelerate the process of transition, and to help position public radio stations and producers for a robust future.
Agreement on a shared vision of the future would allow all of the participants in public radio to take risks together. Some ideas will succeed, others will fail, as the public radio marketplace increasingly interacts with commercial forces changing the face of American communications. But a framework for moving boldly forward would allow us to marry mission to plausible, competitive business plans.
No one believes that radio broadcasting will soon disappear or that every person will customize every facet of their information and entertainment consumption. But sea changes in the communications field are clearly underway. Over time, they could marginalize public radio or they could allow it to become a much greater force in American life. The question before us is whether we can imagine what might be and then reinvent ourselves to make it possible.
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posted Jan. 22, 2006
Copyright 1999 by Current Publishing Committee
LATER ARTICLES
Salyer announces he'll leave PRI, 2005.
A later commentary: Public radio can take cues from PRI's experience.
