Newsrooms research and present information to help create a more informed public. Marketing ‘newsrooms’ create information designed to sell stuff. I’ve got nothing against selling stuff. I like buying stuff. But slapping the name ‘newsroom’ on a corporate public relations office is an Orwellian mockery of journalism. Whew! Got that off my chest. On to the assignment.
I began considering the program 18 months ago out of the concern that the disruption in broadcast media brought about by the Internet would soon engulf public radio. I felt that high-speed Internet access in automobiles would allow listeners to tune into their favorite public radio programs and other audio offerings without listening to public radio stations. This could reduce the audience for stations, hampering on-air and corporate fundraising.
I felt that stations needed to have a strong presence online with easy access to their vast audio archives and use of social media to extend the dialogue about the events, news, politics and culture that we undertake on the air. The challenges are 1 how to maintain public radio station’s strongest asset, the trust of the audience, in a new form of media, 2 how to master the new media.
A year and a half later my goals remain the same but with slightly less urgency. High speed Internet in cars is still a concept rather than a reality. The loyalty and support of public radio station listeners continues to increase. Radio remains a ubiquitous medium. It wakes people in the morning and remains a companion in cars, the kitchen, while jogging and gardening. The simplicity and convenience of radio combined with the unique worldview offered by public broadcasters remains powerful to the audience.
