Local Social- How WBUR Gets the Public in Public Radio

Nice post. Good shout out to NPR. Clearly, they do get it. Check out the “Interact” tab. They are reaching out in a way few organizations do, non or for-profit. I’ll be taking some of their ideas on new media and implementing them. Thanks for shining a light their way.

Chris, I love this post and it hits closeto home for me. As a Freshman in college my Radio Broadcasting prof madeus listen to over 100 hours of NPR. His opinion in 1994 was they do radio right. Years later-they still do radio right and are smart enough to reach out and create channels of not only communications, but also revenue to stay funded. NPR will always be relevant due to great content, but also the ability to adapt with the times….

Chris, I love this post and it hits closeto home for me. As a Freshman in college my Radio Broadcasting prof madeus listen to over 100 hours of NPR. His opinion in 1994 was they do radio right. Years later-they still do radio right and are smart enough to reach out and create channels of not only communications, but also revenue to stay funded. NPR will always be relevant due to great content, but also the ability to adapt with the times….

Chris,
I have been a supporter of Public Radio because of the fine programming it offers, it spite of its left leaning editorials and commentators…!!! Thanks, Fran

So glad to hear this. Cultural initiatives are stimulus packages that are sustainable…. and so much more fun. Bravo Boston.

So glad to hear this. Cultural initiatives are stimulus packages that are sustainable…. and so much more fun. Bravo Boston.

Hey Chris, first off thanks for the shout out. This was my 4th or 5th WBUR TweetUp I’ve been to and they continue to grow in size but still leave me feeling energized by the conversations we have there. The coolest thing about the people that go to the WBUR TweetUps is they are from all walks of life but all have a love of NPR and more specifically of WBUR. So when Ken brings up these topics for discussion he is truly keeping public radio…PUBLIC. They are asking how they can do things better, how they can engage people more. The mix of people in the audience leads to the start of any amazing conversation. Everyone from traditional librarians to computer programmers go and talk together about a variety of conversation starters. That’s why we’re all on Twitter right? For great conversations. It’s amazing to actually get together in person and meet some of the people I converse with online as well as meet some new people at these events.

I recently did a 5 question interview with Ken George about WBUR’s activity in social media if anyone is interested. As always, I’ll be looking forward to the next event.

Chris, I share your enthusiasm for public radio and for WBUR in particular. Great post. And @EricGuerin, it was great to meet you in person.

I grew up listening to WHYY in Philadelphia and then WMEW in Maine. It was part of the rhythms of my family’s daily life during commutes, cooking meals or on weekend errands. It wasn’t until I moved to Boston, however, that NPR became much more closely woven into the fabric of my daily life. For the past decade, WBUR has consistently demonstrated over and over again how good public radio can be at reporting on a community and telling deep, compelling stories about the what’s happening on the streets, in the cafes and around the boardroom table. (The station has won some well-deserved awards along the way.) I’m hesitant to call WBUR the best public radio station in the country but I’m certain there isn’t a better one.

Clearly, I’m a fan. As you say, they get it. Robin Lubbock and Ken George are quietly setting a new standard for social engagement through social media outreach. Just follow WBUR on Twitter so see what I mean. Keith Hopper

They’re all using the same social software and platforms that businesses and other organizations are leveraging on the Web now to interact with their listeners and audience. I heard Andy Carvin on Morning Edition today; his conversation with Scott Simon demonstrated exactly how well much NPR’s social media strategist ‘gets it.’

What’s exciting to me as both a long-time listener of public radio and citizen is how perfect the fit between NPR and social technologies like blogs, podcasts, microblogging and virtual worlds. NPR has been at the forefront of podcasting, a natural evolution given their rich, deep catalog of syndicated shows. The challenge as they move more into this space is how to support the considerable expense of supporting the news coverage around the clock.

I hope that the technology for fundraising and direct electronic donations will catch up to the lightning-quick pace that communication platforms have seen in recent years. Chipin widgets for blogs and microgiving campaigns using Twitter using services like Tipjoy hold some immediate promise in 2009. For instance, Web listeners streaming WBUR or other NPR news stations could immediately give a micropayment at the point of contact, replying to a tweet containing a story or clicking on a button below the “listen here” link on WBUR.org.

I’ve heard similar cases being made for micropayments used for readers of the NYT, WSJ or Economist on a Kindle. It’s not a stretch to imagine an NPR application for the iPhone or G1 that has a similar “click to give” function during fundaisers. I dream about the day when I can donate and then be able to listen to programming free of the earnest pleas of the pledge drive — except, perhaps, for Ira Glass. His requests for money are always hilarious.

The WBUR tweetup on Thursday is an experience that will stick with me for some time. The conversation you led was as you described it “all over the place. When we talked about ‘business models for displaced journalists,’ is was in the context of Adam Gaffin of “Universal Hub, one of the best hyperlocal blogs around, who joined their ranks this past week. Questions about how newspapers, magazines and radio stations will make the transition through the massive disruption to their business models aren’t a matter of speculative fiction. As William Gibson has said,”The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.”

He’s right; it’s happening right now, here in Boston. Time to go do some dishes while I stream to Morning Edition through my iPhone. :)

Chris, I share your enthusiasm for public radio and for WBUR in particular. Great post. And @EricGuerin, it was great to meet you in person.

I grew up listening to WHYY in Philadelphia and then WMEW in Maine. It was part of the rhythms of my family’s daily life during commutes, cooking meals or on weekend errands. It wasn’t until I moved to Boston, however, that NPR became much more closely woven into the fabric of my daily life. For the past decade, WBUR has consistently demonstrated over and over again how good public radio can be at reporting on a community and telling deep, compelling stories about the what’s happening on the streets, in the cafes and around the boardroom table. (The station has won some well-deserved awards along the way.) I’m hesitant to call WBUR the best public radio station in the country but I’m certain there isn’t a better one.

Clearly, I’m a fan. As you say, they get it. Robin Lubbock and Ken George are quietly setting a new standard for social engagement through social media outreach. Just follow WBUR on Twitter so see what I mean. Keith Hopper

They’re all using the same social software and platforms that businesses and other organizations are leveraging on the Web now to interact with their listeners and audience. I heard Andy Carvin on Morning Edition today; his conversation with Scott Simon demonstrated exactly how well much NPR’s social media strategist ‘gets it.’

What’s exciting to me as both a long-time listener of public radio and citizen is how perfect the fit between NPR and social technologies like blogs, podcasts, microblogging and virtual worlds. NPR has been at the forefront of podcasting, a natural evolution given their rich, deep catalog of syndicated shows. The challenge as they move more into this space is how to support the considerable expense of supporting the news coverage around the clock.

I hope that the technology for fundraising and direct electronic donations will catch up to the lightning-quick pace that communication platforms have seen in recent years. Chipin widgets for blogs and microgiving campaigns using Twitter using services like Tipjoy hold some immediate promise in 2009. For instance, Web listeners streaming WBUR or other NPR news stations could immediately give a micropayment at the point of contact, replying to a tweet containing a story or clicking on a button below the “listen here” link on WBUR.org.

I’ve heard similar cases being made for micropayments used for readers of the NYT, WSJ or Economist on a Kindle. It’s not a stretch to imagine an NPR application for the iPhone or G1 that has a similar “click to give” function during fundaisers. I dream about the day when I can donate and then be able to listen to programming free of the earnest pleas of the pledge drive — except, perhaps, for Ira Glass. His requests for money are always hilarious.

The WBUR tweetup on Thursday is an experience that will stick with me for some time. The conversation you led was as you described it “all over the place. When we talked about ‘business models for displaced journalists,’ is was in the context of Adam Gaffin of “Universal Hub, one of the best hyperlocal blogs around, who joined their ranks this past week. Questions about how newspapers, magazines and radio stations will make the transition through the massive disruption to their business models aren’t a matter of speculative fiction. As William Gibson has said,”The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.”

He’s right; it’s happening right now, here in Boston. Time to go do some dishes while I stream to Morning Edition through my iPhone. :)

Thanks for the post Chris – Ted and I missed it because of me…I thought Wednesday was Thursday, dragged Ted out of work early…and showed up a little early for the event :) Sigh, the downside of not going into the office every day.

Glad there was so much content like yours from the event to catch us up – looks like it was a really interesting conversation!

Chris,

It’s so interesting to learn about some public radio stations that “get it” while others clearly do not. I live in Orlando, and our NPR affiliate is WMFE 90.7. The station has found itself in a dire situation. During the day, the station plays classical music — all day, every day. While that provides a genre not found anywhere else in Central Florida, it clearly limits the audience who will listen to the station and, in turn, donate. That combined with the economic downturn, has forced WMFE to layoff a significant number of staff — including, this week, reporters who cover local news. Instead of taking a “micro” approach, WMFE is sadly going in the opposite direction. Unable to fund local reporters, they are going to have to rely more heavily on national programming. But, doesn’t that eliminate the motivation for local listeners to support local programming? Speaking from personal experience, I’m considering donating to NPR (at a national level) instead of supporting the local station. I love the podcasts and get more from that than I do from the local station. However, if the local station took any initiative to develop stronger local programming — or to engage local listeners via social media — that might make me rethink my decision. I hope that WMFE can learn from the example set by WBUR and other NPR affiliates. Otherwise, I don’t see how the station can survive if it continues down it’s current path.

Thanks for opening my eyes to the potential for a public radio station to engage in social media.

Heather (@prtini)

Chris,

It’s so interesting to learn about some public radio stations that “get it” while others clearly do not. I live in Orlando, and our NPR affiliate is WMFE 90.7. The station has found itself in a dire situation. During the day, the station plays classical music — all day, every day. While that provides a genre not found anywhere else in Central Florida, it clearly limits the audience who will listen to the station and, in turn, donate. That combined with the economic downturn, has forced WMFE to layoff a significant number of staff — including, this week, reporters who cover local news. Instead of taking a “micro” approach, WMFE is sadly going in the opposite direction. Unable to fund local reporters, they are going to have to rely more heavily on national programming. But, doesn’t that eliminate the motivation for local listeners to support local programming? Speaking from personal experience, I’m considering donating to NPR (at a national level) instead of supporting the local station. I love the podcasts and get more from that than I do from the local station. However, if the local station took any initiative to develop stronger local programming — or to engage local listeners via social media — that might make me rethink my decision. I hope that WMFE can learn from the example set by WBUR and other NPR affiliates. Otherwise, I don’t see how the station can survive if it continues down it’s current path.

Thanks for opening my eyes to the potential for a public radio station to engage in social media.

Heather (@prtini)

Chris,

Thanks for kicking off the conversation the other night. I enjoyed the insight from the actual journalists and writers in our breakout session. I’m amazed at how many smart people we are fortunate to connect with at WBUR events.

If you or your readers missed the video we shot at the Sunset Cantina on “Conversational Web” you’re welcome to check it out on the Tweetworks blog, episode 27. There was some great thoughts on how and why people are using tools like Twitter to connect.

Chris, Nice post, I was happy to finally make one of these events and what a crowd we were! I was a bit too fried to contribute to the conversations, but the energy in the room was amazing.

As a former radio guy (and as I mad no secret of it there, I worked at WBUR for most of a decade), I’d have to agree about the intimacy of audio- the pictures it can draw with the mind, and especially the audiences it can grab that video often can’t. I’m grateful that podcasting has drawn me back to my radio roots to an extent; I just wish I were doing more.

By the way, Margaret’s last name is Evans- and she is a longtime extremely talented radio pro. I had the pleasure of working with her way too many years ago.

Chris, Nice post, I was happy to finally make one of these events and what a crowd we were! I was a bit too fried to contribute to the conversations, but the energy in the room was amazing.

As a former radio guy (and as I mad no secret of it there, I worked at WBUR for most of a decade), I’d have to agree about the intimacy of audio- the pictures it can draw with the mind, and especially the audiences it can grab that video often can’t. I’m grateful that podcasting has drawn me back to my radio roots to an extent; I just wish I were doing more.

By the way, Margaret’s last name is Evans- and she is a longtime extremely talented radio pro. I had the pleasure of working with her way too many years ago.

It is very edifying, yet humbling to discover not one, but two very insightful posts concerning 90.9′s modest social media efforts. Thank you Chris. Thank you Alex.

And what gems among the comments. Wow.

And Chris, I am very much indebted to you for letting me press you into last minute hosting duties. That conversation on participatory media you facilitated had them buzzing. Thank you. (Those that took a pass on the event are now likely kicking themselves that they did so).

Two points of yours that especially captured my attention and imagination:

“…once we know the face behind the voice, it’s a lot harder not to want to see the institution survive and thrive.”

And

“Will the walls of public radio become porous and let in more two-way experiences? I believe that’s where lots of media experiences will shift.”

Amen. Both should be chiseled above the lobby entrance.

“Your, our listeners” literally own the airwaves. You pay the bills. Your stake in this institution should be no less meaningful than that of the public radio employee typing this post. So let’s keep the conversation going!

Oh, and by the way, the “Margaret” Chris refers to is the estimable Margaret Evans, senior editor extraordinaire and one of the unsung heroes at WBUR.

Thank you everyone. See you in March?

Thanks for the shout out, you guys. Doug, how is it that you haven’t aged at all since our days together at Monitor Radio?!

Chris, it was such a pleasure meeting you too. You’re welcome anytime, for an interview or just a chat about public radio and social media.

I’m so proud of what my workmate Ken George is doing, putting WBUR into the social media fray. Great synergy, great energy.

See you all at the next Tweetup…if I can leave my edit booth for a few mins!

Thanks for the shout out, you guys. Doug, how is it that you haven’t aged at all since our days together at Monitor Radio?!

Chris, it was such a pleasure meeting you too. You’re welcome anytime, for an interview or just a chat about public radio and social media.

I’m so proud of what my workmate Ken George is doing, putting WBUR into the social media fray. Great synergy, great energy.

See you all at the next Tweetup…if I can leave my edit booth for a few mins!