A PUBLIC RADIO COLLABORATION

• Leveraging the Strength and Ideas of Locally Produced Programming

• Planning for One Week of Special Programming in September, 2002

• Building a Framework for Future Collaborative Projects

A PUBLIC RADIO NEWS/TALK PLANNING SUMMIT • Held November 16, 2002, St. Paul, Minnesota • Hosted by Minnesota Public Radio • Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting A NEW PUBLIC RADIO COLLABORATION IS BORN LEONARD WITT, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO

“It’s about leveraging the ideas, the money and the system that are already in place.”

— Rick Madden, Vice President, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Thanks to the work of public radio stations across the coun- try, National Public Radio and Public Radio International, RICK MADDEN public radio has a truly become a national voice and sound • represented everyday on programs such as Morning vice president, Edition®, All Things Considered®, Talk of the Nation®, Corporation for Marketplace™ and Fresh Air®. Public Radio also amplifies Public Broadcasting, nationally the individual sounds of independent producers conceived of the via such entities as American RadioWorks®, Lost & Found idea for the Public Sound and Radio Diaries. Radio Collaboration.

What is not as well represented nationally are local voices They agreed the project would raise the bar for public radio heard each day on individual public radio stations across stations and it would be bigger than the sum of all of its America. The newly conceived collaboration of public radio parts. It would leverage the strength, ideas and programming stations—initially the Public Radio Mega Project—grew from capacities already in place. It would do so in a way that keeps an idea planted by Rick Madden, vice president of radio at the project expenses and infrastructure contained so that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It aims to allow public collaborative concept could be duplicated year after year in radio’s local voices to be heard nationally and for local efforts future projects. and ideas to be leveraged into programming that reaches beyond each station’s regional boundaries. However, they also agreed making this project work would be a challenge. How would public radio rise above the clutter and The project’s first collaborative effort was initially con- the recurring scenes of the World Trade Center Twin Towers ceived to be programming on one topic, owned exclusively crashing to the ground over and over again? by public radio. A public policy issue, such as race or affordable housing, would be covered extensively for one In a sense, these top station program directors, news directors week. Public radio would combine programming bubbling and producers were putting local public radio’s reputation on up from local stations along with a base of major documen- the line. Paul Glickman of KPCC in Los Angeles said, “We say taries and talk radio coming from anchor stations such we want to be a major player—that we want to be mentioned as WBUR in Boston, WNYC in New York, WAMU in in the same breath as CBS or NBC or The New York Times.It’s Washington, DC, Minnesota Public Radio, KQED in San time to step up to the plate and prove that we can do it.” Francisco and KPCC in Los Angeles. This report reflects what was said by the stations gathered in In the end, September 11 delivered the first topic to the part- St. Paul, Minnesota, and provides insight into the develop- ners. The anchor stations felt they had no choice but to go ment of what had been called The Public Radio Mega Project with this story that touched all other stories and to trade off and now is best thought of as a station-to-station collabora- the idea of sole national ownership for this initial collabora- tion. It also builds a conceptual plan for how the September tive effort. The anchor stations’ instincts were re-enforced on 11: One Year Later project will become excellent radio, devel- November 16, 2001, when some 60 news and program direc- ops criteria to ensure that it is in fact great radio, and lays tors, representing the top news/talk public radio stations out a plan to ensure the collaboration will endure and pro- around the country, confirmed that September 11: One Year duce excellent projects in the future. Later was the topic of choice. It would be a look forward and not a look back, it would serve as a prism with which to better understand America and the rest of the world.

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 1 OPENING REMARKS BILL BUZENBERG, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR NEWS, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO

The station-to-station collaboration idea offers all of us Rather, as Dean Cappello of tremendous opportunities: the chance to simultaneously cre- WNYC has said, 9/11 is the ate great programming and build the capacity of individual lens through which we look stations to collaborate and share that programming in new at how this country has ways. This means creating capacity public radio has never had changed, how our society has before. We also have the opportunity to help foster a national changed, how communities conversation and set a national agenda. And, if we succeed have changed, how the world this one time, I hope we can replicate this project, with a dif- has changed. We all know ferent focus, year after year and thus expand public radio’s we’ve been affected by these influence and importance in America. events—the project is the way we catalogue and give per- I want to make sure the credit for the collaboration idea goes spective to these changes in to Rick Madden, vice president for radio at the Corporation our various communities and for Public Broadcasting. Rick conceived of this project because nationally. he wants to “leverage ideas.” According to Rick, “This is not about a big pot of money the CPB is pumping into the sys- BILL BUZENBERG I encourage all those with tem. It’s about leveraging the ideas, the money and the system • ideas for other topics—my that are already in place.” Senior Vice President for News, original idea was about race Minnesota Public Radio in America—to save them for I also want to point out that Rick and others have expressed future collaborative projects. concerns about our proposed focus on the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. While understanding those concerns, I want to stress that although a few core principles have been our challenge is to make coverage of this topic so distinctive— proposed, and some key programming ideas are on the table, to produce such excellent programming locally and through no one should be constrained by the planning that’s already national collaboration—that the project is a great success. This been done. In fact, the door is wide open to everyone’s think- has to be extraordinary coverage to inspire a national dialogue ing about this. This project only succeeds by what each local and set the national agenda. Again, that is our challenge. station conceives and produces in terms of programming, augmenting the programming produced by the six anchor sta- Why 9/11? tions. This is not a case where there is a central network. Each The five other anchor stations I’ve been working with— station really is free to broadcast as little or as much as it WNYC, WBUR, WAMU, KQED and KPCC—have all felt pas- wants. I want each of you to stretch and think about the best sionately that this is really the only story we can do this year; programming you can imagine, as you plan what to do locally. it is the story we want to do this year. It’s simply the most important domestic and international story, and it continues Again, the obvious challenge is to make the collaboration to develop. However, the collaboration is not about 9/11. good enough and unique enough to rise above the saturation coverage that will inevitably occur next September. We all know there’s going to be lots of hype, and lots of noise, Leveraging Station-to-Station Power around this subject next year. Our job is to make all of this something special in what we do and the way we do it, provid- • This project is a multimedia event that will use doc- ing coverage and connections that public radio has never umentaries, commentary, call-in shows, produced done before. pieces and more to tell a story and to challenge the listening audience to learn and participate. Looking Toward the Future • A secondary emphasis will be placed on the building This first collaboration is a way to look forward—to look at of station-to-station and station-to-network partner- this country and where it’s going. What does it mean to be ships and the development of new means of sharing an American now? What does it mean to be a foreigner in work and ideas including, but perhaps not limited America now? What about our American values has changed, to, a virtual archive on the Web. what about our lives has changed? — Bill Anderson, KCUR, Kansas City, Missouri

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 2 OPENING REMARKS • continued

I can imagine a collaborative project with many different types of programming: documentaries, town forums and global call-in shows, wonderful tape, reporter pieces and A Four-step Plan for Excellence commentaries, amazing conversations and cultural events of • Provide public radio audiences with a higher level of all kinds, local and national polls, and shared Web sites reporting and storytelling than would be available which draw from our audiences—all of this linked together from other media. and shared, in a loosely coordinated way, and all of this extensively promoted by all of us. • Find meaningful ways to reflect the diversity of life experiences and voices in today’s America. Of course this is a very lofty goal. And of course this will be • Make it possible for local stations, regardless of size very difficult to make a reality. But we have time to plan, we or resources, to participate in the project beyond air- have great talent and energy, we have public radio’s best minds ing the work of the anchor stations. and producers, so we can work together to make this happen. • Reflect values and assets of public radio—intelli- We can pull together and share and promote and build a local gence, depth, compassion, production prowess, and national community around this programming if we superb use of sound, resonant voices, a respect for want to. We have to believe that we can do this—even though ideas—at all levels of the project. we all worry if we really can. As we all know, great projects are accomplished step by step. Let’s keep going. — Raul Ramirez, KQED, San Francisco

CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS "We’ve got to create lots and lots of driveway moments." From the beginning, the concept has been that each individual — Hawk Mendenhall, KUT, Austin, Texas station could pick and choose its editorial content and ulti- mately decide its individual sound and programming. Some might primarily use anchor developed materials, others might mostly use their own locally produced materials and others • There needs to be civic engagement so citizens regionally might use a combination of each—which means the stations and nationally can help shape the project and the discus- will need a lot of high quality material from which to make sions surrounding it. their ultimate programming decisions. • Programming and marketing should reach beyond local stations’ core audiences. The November 16, 2001, public radio summit participants de- • Local stations should be doing their own public relations vised evaluation criteria for producing and distributing stories: and marketing before next September to build an audience. • Materials should be available in a variety of short and long formats. In short, according to Hawk Mendenhall of KUT in Austin, Texas, “We’ve got to create lots and lots of driveway moments.” • Voices heard should be those of people we are not hearing now, and should go beyond retired generals Dean Cappello of WNYC added, “The idea is to make this a and political flaks. truly local project, to understand the power of the local sta- • Collaboration should have an international perspective; tions. If what we do is recreate the network structure, then we America can no longer be insular. will have lost.” • Project must be forward looking and go beyond simply looking back on the events of September 11, 2001. Finally, Ted Eldridge of WLRN in Miami said, “This has got to be better than anything anybody in the room can do on • Collaboration should have its own sound that differenti- their own.” ates it from other national programming. • Voices of listeners should be a prominent part of the The 60 news/talk participants said they are ready to meet the programming. enormous challenge they have developed for public radio.

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 3 THE ANCHOR STATIONS MAJOR STORY THEMES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

“The idea is to make this a truly local project, to understand the power of the local stations. If what we do is recreate the network structure, then we will have lost.” — Dean Cappello, WNYC, New York

In the collaborative project, six anchor stations provide a spine of programming that stations around the country can use as a base for their own programming. Each anchor station has started formulating the following ideas as of November 16, 2001. Of course, things will change because, as Mark McDonald of WAMU in Washington DC, pointed out, “We are jumping on a fast moving train.”

New York • Everyday Lives Changed For Dean Cappello of WNYC, the question is not whether to produce special programming for the anniversary of the September 11 bombings, but how to make that coverage stand San Francisco • Citizenship in These Dynamic out. He encouraged others to make a similar leap of faith. Times In the wake of the World Trade Center attacks, Cappello said, Three thousand miles west of New York City, the impact of his stations received numerous emails from listeners express- the September 11 bombings was more gradual, said Raul ing gratitude. “We were providing a lot of the same kind of Ramirez, of KQED in San Francisco. But they nevertheless incremental breaking news as everybody else,” he said. “But affected how residents of Northern California view them- there was something that we had that was different—a kind selves, each other and the country. of calm, a sense of context and credibility that other people in the media don’t have.” “We want to look at the process of becoming American,” he added. “We happen to be blessed, in Northern California, with Cappello wants to explore how the bombings changed com- people from all over the world who are coming and exploring munities and individuals in New York, and what people are the possibility of becoming American, trying to find out what doing to rebuild physically and emotionally. What does it it is to be American. The process of becoming a naturalized mean, he asked, to live in the shadow of a great event? “Our citizen in this country is very mechanical. It doesn’t speak to big issue will be the sense of community, and all the dynamics your heart. We want to explore that.” that have to do with living in the most diverse city in America, and being suspicious of the people around you,” he said. Ramirez also thinks it’s important to realize that 9/11 affected different people in very different ways. Thus, while the bomb- Many people in New York say the bombings fundamentally ings may have been some teenagers’ first experience with death changed what they want to do with with their lives, as well as and disaster, others—who live, for example, where homicide is their sense of community. Those changes seem real, a major cause of death—exist in what amounts to a perpetual Cappello said. war zone. Ramirez wants to “tap into that relativity.”

Though he was at first skeptical about the collaboration, Ramirez said he’s now convinced of its worth. “As I look around our community and what has been occurring, I think that something has changed,” he said. “But I don’t think we’ve seen the end of that change.”

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 4 THE ANCHOR STATIONS • continued

“Story selection will be guided by whether or not the story ultimately ANCHOR STATION THEMES AT A GLANCE will have a lasting effect on the United States and the world.” WNYC • Community — Michael Arnold, WUNC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina KQED • Citizenship WAMU • Political Landscape KPCC • Immigrant Rights WBUR • Security Southern California • Immigrants and Civil Minnesota Public Radio • Civil Liberties Liberties KPCC’s Paul Glickman wants his station to contribute to the discussion of national security and civil liberties, and how the Washington, DC • Politics and Civil Liberties balance between them has changed, especially for immigrant communities. As examples of likely stories, Glickman referred Based in Washington DC, WAMU’s Kathy Merritt expects to State Department actions to slow the immigration process her station to focus on the changing landscape of American for young men from Arab and Muslim nations; Justice politics. Department attempts to eavesdrop on attorney-client conver- sations; and the President’s approval of military courts. These Merritt’s colleague, Mark McDonald, conceded that stations issues, he emphasized, might evolve, but they’re not going to would need luck in anticipating what stories will be relevant disappear. Stations across the country can contribute the sort next September. “A lot of the time we’re going to be wrong, of stories that spark a national conversation. and we’re going to have to change course,” he warned. “We are jumping on a fast moving train. There’s a tendency in public radio to say, ‘Let’s wait until the train stops and everybody gets off. Then we’ll interview the passengers and put it togeth- Boston • Threats, Freedom and Security er.’ We can’t do that with this story.” WBUR’s George Boosey called 9/11 “the biggest story of my lifetime”—bigger even than Vietnam, in part because it hap- “It has to be about digging in and pulling out the subjects pened so suddenly. “It’s altered a lot of things in life.” behind the subjects that are not being covered on the 24-hour cable networks, and are not being covered by the TV maga- Since two of the hijacked planes took off from Boston, air zine shows,” he added. security seems a logical issue for WBUR to cover. But, he emphasized, “Security is more than just airport security and McDonald suggested several broad concepts for stories: the guys with guns.” To him, the topic encompasses profound government’s bungling attempts to communicate with the threats, such as bioterrorism, as well as deeply personal issues, public about the dangers of anthrax and other post-9/11 such as the relationship between working parents and chil- threats; whether communication will improve; the rise of dren who need them at home. Boosey also expressed interest John Ashcroft and threats to civil liberties; and the role of in covering clashes between freedom and security. lobbying groups.

“There are ways we can get in and ferret around in the role of Minnesota • The Economy, Civic Liberties and good investigative reporters with a sense of public duty and public mission—to get exclusive stories by being smart, and Religion by looking forward,” McDonald concluded. “And frankly, by Bill Buzenberg listened to Daniel Schorr speak the night before taking a huge risk. It has to be the sort of thing that hasn’t the project summit. He recalled the commentator saying that been done before.” the American Public is, “far ahead of the government—in fact, ready to sacrifice, ready for some sort of call to action, ready to learn something and do something.”

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 5 THE ANCHOR STATIONS • continued SUMMIT THOUGHTS • Break the Mold The mission is to produce programming that will happen only because of this collaborative project and will not happen any- where else. I think that’s very tough, given the topic of September 11. But that’s the goal. And I think it can happen Instead, people are encouraged to go shopping—to pretend not so much in terms of story ideas and specific content—but everything’s just fine. But many have reacted in the opposite in form, format and sound. If the project sounds different from manner, by rejecting materialism. public radio (and of course, the rest of the media) that would Buzenberg called for public radio to step into the void. be a good start—to let listeners know they are hearing some- “What,” he asked, “should we be doing? What could we be thing that breaks the mold. doing? If we focus on people—if we see our job as being to — Joe Richman, Radio Diaries portray what people are saying and doing and thinking, and how they are changing—that’s tremendous coverage.

“The government and ongoing stories are going to be report- ed. Good. We need that. This is a way to look not at the central government but at people.”

Buzenberg suggested four major themes Minnesota Public Lasting Effects of the September 11 Radio is focusing on: Attacks

1) “We want to track what has happened to American civil liberties since 9/11. Using American RadioWorks® docu- The resurgence of patriotism, zero-percent financing and mentary reporters, we expect to have a strong civil liberties neighborly New Yorkers are all short-term effects of the report ready for fall 2002. We know that we need to make September 11 attacks. It is very likely that these short- this different than what either WAMU or KPCC is plan- term reactions to the events will be gone by next year. The ning to do on civil liberties, but we believe there is a way to newspaper flags will be taken down and people on the streets make sure we don’t step on each other’s work so this stands on its own merits.” of Gotham will be looking at their shoes again. In many respects, the commonly held belief that everything will never 2) “We also want to track what has happened to the Ameri- can economy. It may be that next year (spring 2002) will be the same will not ring true. It is obvious already in see the expected up-tick in the economy and there will Congress, where bi-partisanship is back. have been few long-lasting effects of 9/11. In that case, we probably won’t do this. But, if in fact, as many are predict- This series looks at the changes that have happened since ing, the economy is in for a long, rough slide made worse September 11 that will have a long-term effect on American by 9/11, we think that it will be worth doing a report on life. Economic … political … social. Public radio will go how we as a people and an economy have fared. Again, this would be in conjunction with documentary reporters at beyond short-term reactions and look deeply at the long-term American RadioWorks. impact of September 11. Other media will not address many 3) “With help from NPR and WNYC, Daniel Zwerdling at of these issues when they revisit September 11 in 2002. American RadioWorks plans to put together a one—or even two-hour special recalling the events of 9/11 and ana- A project of this sort will help distinguish public radio’s lyzing the aftermath. We see this project as a terrific over- approach by keeping the focus on the big-picture issues. all, one-year-later report. We have been in discussion with Story selection will be guided by whether or not the story NPR about this already and we expect to begin collecting ultimately will have a lasting effect on the United States tape and interview on it after the first of the year. and the world. 4) “Finally, the team of producers led by Marge Ostroushko, — Michael Arnold, WUNC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina which produces a strong new religion program called First Person™, has started work on a special for next fall on the change in people’s attitudes toward religion in the wake of 9/11.”

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 6 LOCAL POWER IS MEGA POWER

"We aren’t CNN. We think differently. We have to trust ourselves, that whatever we do, if we put our best thinking to it, it is going to stand out." — Kat Snow, KUER, Salt Lake City

“The power of this group,” Dean Cappello of WNYC said, “is in the fact that we all represent listeners in different places. Even though they share similar qualities, they are rooted in different places.”A reporter in Dallas would thus tell a different story about how 9/11 affected the local airline economy than a reporter in New York. An important goal of this collaborative project, Cappello suggested, would be to create understanding between listeners in different markets—something networks should not be expected to do. While recording outside the studio is important, Cappello said, invoking a sense of place requires more than a reporter saying he or she’s on a street corner. It’s important to break rules, he added, and to take risks. A talk show, for example, might broadcast from a community center rather than the ture: If a station wants to produce a show about a certain studio. topic, the news director will know who’s responsible, whether it be an editorial team at one station or an independent pro- “What we do well,” Cappello added, “and need to push our- duction company. The goal would be to create a responsive, selves to do even better, is convey a sense of character—really inclusive system while maintaining high editorial standards. flesh out the stories of people that illustrate a larger point.” It’s crucial to find the right people to put on the radio. No big pile of money exists to support this project. Rather, the large stations that have been leading the organizing In response to concerns about quality, Cappello reminded effort—all of which have newsrooms, documentary units and station managers that they won’t have to commit themselves established relationships with independent producers— to broadcasting anything. Each station would be free to air as would likely dedicate some existing resources to the project. much or as little as it wanted. Cappello did express hope that some money could be raised. He also hopes that some acquisition money can be funneled But Cappello did suggest three “rules of the road” to guide to smaller stations to help them acquire locally produced producers: material or pay for in-house reporting. In that respect, the collaborative project might help small stations build produc- 1) All material would adhere to very high editorial standards. tion capacity. 2) Production quality would be as good as possible. Within such a flexible structure, local stations will be able to 3) Stations would use all assets at their disposal, whether that produce as many hours of programming as they want. But means bringing in outside talent or producing cultural the collaborative project isn’t about volume, Cappello empha- programming. Though there might be a natural tendency sized. It’s about producing different and better work. to concentrate on news and information, it’s important to include cultural programming, Cappello said, because it Though others had suggested starting to distribute material both informs and offers insight. soon, Cappello expressed concern that it would take a full 10 But there is no structure in place to help produce such materi- months to produce enough high quality programming to al. And, Cappello emphasized, no one wants to create an elab- justify the collaborative project’s weeklong focus. But if others orate centralized structure. What the anchor stations do owe are interested, he said, it might make sense to begin distribut- the others, he said, is a flexible but very clear editorial struc- ing material that’s already being produced by local stations.

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 7 LOCAL POWER IS MEGA POWER • continued

Done properly, this would, among other things, begin plant- the public agenda,” Tolan said.“There is a reluctance to ask ing seeds in the minds of listeners, so they come to expect some of the tough questions right now. … This could break something new and big and different next fall. through that in a really responsible way.”

Having listened to the concerns and ideas of others at the Kat Snow of KUER in Salt Lake City responded first to Tolan’s meeting, independent producer Sandy Tolan suggested a title suggestion. “We have to trust ourselves,” she urged. “I cannot and focus that appealed to a number of people: “Freedom and imagine this roomful of people doing anything like what Security in the New America.” everyone else is doing even if we tried. We aren’t CNN. We think differently. That is why we’re in public radio. If we Within that rubric, Tolan pointed out, stations could address thought like them, we’d be out there making tons more virtually every topic and theme thus far mentioned, whether it money. We have to trust ourselves, that whatever we do, if we be immigration and citizenship, the effect on local communi- put our best thinking to it, it is going to stand out.” ties, racial profiling, patriotism or anything else. It would be broad enough to include many individual voices, and flexible Sandy Tolan enough to change as necessary. It would allow ample room for • conveying a sense of place, and for a variety of formats, such Independent Producer: as essays. Community-building could be done through com- “We must ask questions that aren’t munity boards and other strategies. now on the public agenda.” Produced and framed with public radio’s unique qualities and perspective, Tolan added, this focus on “Freedom and Security in the New America” would speak to the values that attracted everyone in the room to public radio. And it might truly advance public discourse by addressing topics that have largely been ignored. “It would get at questions few people in the press are asking now—questions that in a sense aren’t even on

IDEAS • THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

An American Scrapbook Morgan Holm of Oregon Public Radio said his station is following three individuals with different takes on the September 11 attacks. If other sta- tions around the country did the same, all the stories could easily be meshed into an American scrapbook of experiences on the Web, which might inspire other listeners to share their experiences online.

John Decker • KPBS, San Diego

SUMMIT THOUGHTS • Get Public Involved Early I propose we focus on working as a collective and provide our communities with multiple opportunities to reflect on 9/11. We might consider, say, a six-month build-up to the one- year anniversary. In other words, get the name of the project out there in national and local programs well ahead of time, culminating with the weeklong ‘uber-reflection.’ — John Decker, KPBS, San Diego

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 8 CIVIC ENGAGEMENT • PUBLIC RADIO COMMUNITIES EXPECT MORE

“We share the concern that, come next September, we’re going to be inundated with media dumping all this one-year anniversary stuff on us.” Still, public radio has an obligation to address the topic “in a way that we uniquely can.” — Kathy Merritt, WAMU, Washington, DC

Listeners Want to Hear, Talk and Learn Leonard Witt of Minnesota Public Radio said public radio has nearly a year to solicit ideas from listeners. “We should be thinking about how we can build them into this project, and make them part of the discussion early on.”

Dean Cappello of WNYC wants to create an editorial center and build momentum to advance dialogue, some of which would take place off the air or on the Internet. “It requires that we focus on people and listeners, and the connection between what we put on the air and what’s going on in the community,” he said. “Which is why I think it’s so powerful to Raul Ramirez • KQED, San Francisco: be locally based. We have the smartest listeners of anybody. “What is the price of citizenship?” They don’t like to be told, necessarily, what to do, but they know a good idea when they hear one, and they like to talk about it, and they like to educate themselves.” Peter Iglinski of WXXI in Rochester, New York, said, “For me the dialogue becomes significant when it’s something Bill Anderson of KCUR in Kansas City said, “I still feel strongly actionable, when the listeners—the citizens—can take this that we should put some effort into exploring ‘civil engage- information and make a difference.” ment’ and the changes, if any, in the way people interact with colleagues, family, neighbors and community. This would Raul Ramirez of KQED in San Francisco suggested that show- be a perfect theme for public radio and would challenge our ing people wrestling with important issues could advance a listeners. It would allow for some great opportunities for national dialogue. What should the price of citizenship be? Is panel discussions and community outreach like forums and it a privilege or a right? He wants to provide the fodder for so forth.” conversations around these kinds of questions.

IDEAS • THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

Looking for Community Partners The Minnesota Historical Society has contacted Minnesota Public Radio Summit Thoughts • Needs International Recognition about the possibility of doing a special project on 9/11 with a multime- dia artist. It’s worth exploring, as might be other possibilities with larger The collaborative project might concentrate too heavily on the institutions like the Smithsonian or book and CD publishers. United States. If that happens, “it doesn’t look at America in the world. It almost isolates us from the world.” A summit participant mentioned working with sister city groups. They could facilitate international exchanges between local audiences and — Dale Harrison, Alaska Public Radio Network other people around the world. The idea is to consider community part- nerships that could leverage what we do.

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 9 THE STRUCTURE • A NEW MODEL FOR STATION COOPERATION

Boosey hopes the project will foster cooperation between and “We’re growing, and getting stronger and smarter, and better at what among stations. “Lord knows we’ve been talking about cooper- we do. I feel like we’re ready to step up to another level.” ation for a long time,” he said. “It doesn’t happen. We have turf — Paul Glickman, KPCC, Los Angeles battles.” A successful experience of cooperation, of course, would make future collaborative projects much easier.

Stepping Up to the Next Level The real strength of this idea is the loose confederation of sta- After working for nine years as NPR’s foreign editor and mov- tions programming around a common theme, highlighting ing to a local station, Paul Glickman of KPCC in Los Angeles local angles of a nationally significant story. The resources of said he had thought a great deal about the different roles of, local stations can be enhanced by consulting with core sta- and the relationship between, national networks and individ- tions and other stations producing stories in particular affinity ual stations. This collaborative project, he suggested, “is part of groups. Another strength of the project is its flexibility, both in a natural evolution for all of us. It’s part of a maturation content selection and in scheduling. A potential benefit to all process, as we start to develop our own capacities at our indi- participants is the payoff from multiple local promotion efforts vidual stations. We’re growing, and getting stronger and that highlight the unusual cooperative nature and goal of this smarter, and better at what we do. I feel like we’re ready to step project. up to another level.” It could also stimulate creation of new models for station cooperation outside of network programming. This is an For Glickman, building system capacity is an important part intriguing concept: Subgroups of stations involved in the over- of the collaboration. “The idea, separate from the content, is all project might choose to partner with one or more that we are raising the bar for everyone. It’s time to step up. stations (but not the entire group of stations involved in the We say we want to be a major player—that we want to be project) for a call-in program, or to trade specific kinds of mentioned in the same breath as CBS or NBC or The New stories for each station’s own locally-produced special. So, York Times. It’s time to step up to the plate and prove that we with a common theme, the participating stations could offer: can do it. I think we can; I know we can.” 1) a brain trust for editorial consultation to anyone, station- It’s also crucial, Glickman added, to include international per- based or independent, seeking assistance, probably spectives from the BBC and NPR. He described 9/11 as “a dividing up responsibility by subject; wake-up call” for Americans—a painful signal that we can no 2) innovative new forms of station partnership; longer live in isolation, “in that very insular American way.” 3) definable underwriting opportunities for local markets. Context Is Strength: 9/11 as a Prism — Morgan Holm, Oregon Public Broadcasting George Boosey of WBUR in Boston emphasized that no one who’s done preliminary work on this collaborative project wants to compete with TV stations that will surely show pic- tures of planes crashing into the World Trade Center. “Because Summit Thoughts • Something for All Stations that’s not our strength,” he said. “Our strength is to tell a story in context.” The project should allow stations of any size to use the stories, the format or participate in anyway. Many public radio stations Before September 11, Boosey added, the anchor stations had which don’t have newsrooms will probably want to air the proj- discussed focusing on a variety of topics, such as immigration, ect stories and programs and should have the freedom to pick the economy and Native Americans. He thinks all of them— and choose what they want to fit into their formats. especially immigration—can be examined through the prism — Mike McCall-Pengra, Minnesota Public Radio of 9/11. He wants the project not only to look at what hap- pened last September, but also to look towards the future.

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 10 THE STRUCTURE • continued

A New York Model for Distribution and The tools to build a vibrant, inter- active Web presence are already in Promotion place, said John Pearson, manager Dean Cappello of WNYC was the first of many to speak about of New Media at Minnesota Public the Execution Tapes, which WNYC distributed, along with Radio. The challenge will be to supporting materials, directly to stations. “That, to us, was a enable people to navigate easily real sign of the power of station-to-station [distribution], through many different pages, and without the bureaucracy of pipeline distribution,” he said. to allow public access throughout “There’s something dramatic there that we need to harness. the project. The idea is to make this a truly local project, to understand the power of the local stations. If what we do is recreate the The Web, Pearson also pointed network structure, then we will have lost.” out, allows stations to communi- cate with audiences and engage John Pearson Promotion is obviously a key to the project’s success. Stations them early on in shaping this • will want to attract press attention as well as audiences— project. including newcomers to public radio. New Media Manager, The Interactive Summit, public Minnesota Public Radio Israel Smith, the collaborative project’s manager, described broadcasting’s online conference The Execution Tapes as a model of how this should be done: in February 2002, offers an opportunity to settle details. WNYC provided on-air and Web-based promotional kits, Pearson hopes to be able to provide individual stations and press packets and information for sales departments, develop- producers with tools that are as unique as they want them ment departments and boards of directors. By the time the to be, while still providing unity of experience for national show was broadcast, everyone was prepared. “WNYC made it audiences. very easy for you to say ‘yes,’” Smith said. During and after the collaborative project, commentators and WNYC even provided stations with background material and the public could use bulletin boards to respond and probe sample letters to help them respond to callers, both pro and more deeply. con, WNYC’s Mikel Ellcessor said. The project received an enormous amount of press attention. Marcia Alvar of the Public Radio Program Directors Association said she wants to see the collaborative project use the Web to its A good name is essential to promoting the project, Jay Allison fullest potential, as “a cultural convener.” To illustrate, she added. And it must be flexible enough to reach beyond the described several Web sites, including one published by a CBC public radio system, and to be used for future projects. Lost & show out of Vancouver that solicited music on the air and even- Found Sound worked, he said, because “It was a name that tually posted thousands of songs from all over Canada. people could attach their own imagination to.” American RadioWorks’ Vietnam Scrapbook invited listeners/ viewers to write and submit images for themselves. Another The Internet example (though not a Web site): After 9/11, people sponta- Intra-net and Internet sites will be essential parts of the proj- neously posted photos on the streets of Soho in New York City. ect. The Intra-net site will allow stations to share information and ideas, to preview each other’s work, to contribute pro- Those Web sites, Alvar said, “stretch your thinking about gramming to the project, to select programming for broadcast what we can do with the Internet, and ways that we can and to gather promotional tools. The Internet site will allow engage listeners and the American public in what we’re the public access to the project’s regional and national pro- doing.” She suggested that people look at these sites: gramming, and will be interactive so listeners can become involved in the project. • www.120seconds.com/index.cfm • www.cbc.ca/onair/shows/belgrade2001/ (Belgrade: Back Morgan Church said Public Interactive is very much interest- from the Brink) ed in working on the collaborative project. The Web presence • www.americanradioworks.org/features/ could be managed locally, with most material hosted on exist- vietnam/scrapbook/index.html ing Web sites operated either by stations or programs.

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 11 AN AMAZON.COM MODEL FOR PUBLIC RADIO DISTRIBUTION

“That’s what we want to see installed at stations around the country— content acquirers. People constantly looking for new talent, new stories, new ways of telling.” — Jay Allison, The Radio Exchange and transom.org

The Radio Exchange Independent producer Jay Allison has spent a lot of time thinking about better ways to share programming. His latest project, The Radio Exchange, could be an important part of the public radio collaboration process.

Tom Thomas and Allison described The Radio Exchange as a way of distributing content that both fits perfectly with and transcends the collaborative project. The Radio Exchange believes that a lot of excellent locally and independently produced programming exists that doesn’t fit on shows cur- rently being distributed by national networks. The Exchange would be a sort of retail space for radio, what Thomas called, Thomas sees the collaborative project as a great way to jump “the commons on which good work can be presented.” start The Radio Exchange. There is no funding yet, though organizers are seeking support from the CPB, NEA and other Allison described amazon.com as a model for how The Radio sources. Thomas said they expect to launch a prototype in Exchange might look to programmers, who would be able to early 2002. search programs based on various criteria, such as popularity, theme and the ratings of evaluators. Jay Allison said as an independent producer, he’s had programs air on many national shows. But some of his work simply does- There have been other experiments with content exchanges. n’t fit into their formats. “There are things in the world that Most, Thomas said, haven’t worked for two reasons: 1) few are beyond All Things Considered and Ira Glass’ sensibilities,” stations had room on their schedules to broadcast programs he added. “Where are they going? I’ve got a few of them right posted on those exchanges; and 2) programs were dumped now on the shelf, dying for homes. They’re too long. They’re onto a Web server, with only brief descriptions, and program- too different. What can I do with this stuff?” mers didn’t have time to wade through massive amounts of material. Allison runs a Web site, transom.org, which aspires to increase the diversity of voices aired on public radio. Many are The collaborative project addresses the first barrier in a power- amateurs. “We turn fans into practitioners,” he explained, ful way, because stations will leave open a weeklong (or longer) providing the tools for them to make radio. Listeners, users window on their schedules. From the perspective of independ- and people who work in public radio critique programs ent producers, Thomas said, that is a huge step: It gives them posted on the site. an opportunity to get their work on the air. “I’m like a curator,” Allison said. “That’s what we want to see Looking beyond this, the organizers of The Radio Exchange installed at stations around the country—content acquirers. want a minimum of two dozen stations to commit at least a People constantly looking for new talent, new stories, new small block of time and one staff person to air what Thomas ways of telling.” called “outstanding radio that just doesn’t quite fit anyplace else.” That, he suggested, would provide the critical mass to make the Exchange viable. Otherwise, he said, it dies.

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 12 A POTPOURRI OF QUESTIONS, IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS

How Will We Be Different? a third might examine how artists have responded to and Jay Allison, independent producer, set the tone by asking: portrayed 9/11; a fourth might be devoted to wisdom. How will this public radio project be different from what • Hawk Mendenhall of KUT wondered what has not Nightline and the radio networks broadcast next September? changed. “Everybody,” he said, “is going to be doing, ‘The Without a plan to set public radio programming apart, “we whole world is different.’ But in so much of the world, don’t have an identity,” he said. “It’s just more.” things haven’t changed.” The poor, in other words, are still poor, the homeless still live on the streets and the disen- Should the project, Allison asked, focus on a single question? franchised still lack power. Are they being forgotten? Could a stylistic convention be used to give the project identity • The project might seek out people Jay Allison called and make it stand out? “To me this is going to turn to mush if “national treasures,” such as Studs Terkel, using national it’s just about September 11,” he said. call-in shows to tie the project together. Others agreed. Joe Richman, creator of Radio Diaries, for • Andrew Morrell of WUOM in Ann Arbor, Michigan, sug- example, expressed concern that the project would become gested starting with a single large question—such as “How mushy and bland—like the “week in review” section of a am I a citizen?”—and building from there. Others elabo- newspaper or magazine. rated, suggesting that local stations might run a national essay contest. Producers could do stories about winners, KUT’s Hawk Mendenhall concurred: “There’s got to be some providing the contest with a narrative background. way that it stands out, it makes people listen. … We’ve got to (Among other virtues, such a contest could be publicized create lots and lots of driveway moments. … It all comes back over a long period of time, building momentum for and to compelling content.” drawing interest to the project.) Yet another suggestion was to have the winning essay read by people with a vari- Members of the group identified two factors that give the ety of accents. project an advantage over commercial broadcasters and • The project could ask artists who work in other media to public radio networks. The first is the ability to devote signifi- do radio. cant airtime to one subject. The second, WAMU’s Kathy Merritt pointed out, is the foundation of local knowledge that leads to • Questions • deeper and more intimate stories. It’s the difference between • Should editorial plans be coordinated with NPR to avoid what a local reporter knows about his or her own backyard overlap? and what a national reporter says about that backyard. • How will material be filtered? Is a full-time staff person The purpose of the daylong summit was not so much to needed to coordinate the project? come up with definite answers as much as it was to lay • How can the audience be expanded beyond the exclusive down a conceptual framework for the project, and then circle of public radio listeners? begin to address some its grand possibilities and some pos- • What is an independent producer’s motivation for bring- sible stumbling blocks. ing a story to the station-to-station project rather than All Things Considered or another established show? More Here is a selection of possibilities and questions raised, but money? More creative freedom? A larger audience? not fleshed out or answered: • Who will pay for content, and how? Will all material be • Possibilities • free to local stations? • Within the 9/11 rubric, this collaborative project might set- tle on a very adventurous focus that is broad yet specific. SUMMIT THOUGHTS • Consciousness Raising Joe Richman cited the example of the entire city of Chicago reading and discussing To Kill A Mockingbird. This project will look at how the events of September 11, 2001, have altered the infrastructure of our communities and changed • Each day of the week might be organized thematically, but our long-held views of ourselves, both as citizens of the United not necessarily according to content. One day might, for States and the world at large. example, be devoted to teenagers and how 9/11 affected their lives; another might look at local effects on the economy; — Michael Rathke, WCAL, Northfield, Minnesota

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 13 MEGA PROJECT MEETING PARTICIPANTS

Name Station/Organization • Location Name Station/Organization • Location

Jay Allison Cape & Islands Public Radio/ Mark McDonald WAMU • Washington, DC Radio Exchange • Woods Hole, MA Kyle McKinnon KCRW/To the Point • Santa Monica, CA Marcia Alvar PRPD/Facilitator • Venice, CA Hawk Mendenhall KUT • Austin, TX Bill Anderson KCUR • Kansas City, MO Kathy Merritt WAMU • Washington, DC Michael Arnold WUNC • Chapel Hill, NC Pete Michaels NPR • Washington, DC Julia Barton WHYY • Philadelphia, PA Ken Mills KMA • Minneapolis, MN Dave Becker WOI • Ames, IA Andrew Morrell WUOM • Ann Arbor, MI Deb Blakeley American RadioWorks • St. Paul, MN Marguerite Nutter NPR • Washington, DC George Boosey WBUR • Boston, MA Marge Ostroushko Minnesota Public Radio • St. Paul, MN Bill Buzenberg Minnesota Public Radio • St. Paul, MN Mike Pengra Minnesota Public Radio • St. Paul, MN Dean Cappello WNYC • New York, NY Jeff Ramirez CPB • Washington, DC Joy Cardine Wisconsin Public Radio • Madison, WI Raul Ramirez KQED • San Francisco, CA Morgan Church Public Interactive • Minneapolis Michael Rathke WCAL • Northfield, MN Frank Clancy Summit Reporter • St. Paul, MN Edmundo Resendez NHPR • Concord, NH Craig Curtis Minnesota Public Radio • St. Paul, MN Joe Richman Independent • New York, NY John Decker KPBS • San Diego, CA Andrew Russell CPB • London, England Ted Eldredge WLRN • Miami, FL Roger Sarow WFAE • Charlotte, NC Mikel Ellcessor WNYC • New York, NY Si Sikes Red River Radio • Shreveport, LA Maria Erana Radio Bilingue • Fresno, CA Israel Smith I.S. Marketing, LLC • Minneapolis, MN Paul Glickman KPCC • Los Angeles, CA Stephen Smith American RadioWorks • St. Paul, MN Abby Goldstein KERA • Dallas, TX Kat Snow KUER • Salt Lake City, UT Jeff Hansen KUOW/News Talk Group • Seattle, WA Dale Spear PRI • Minneapolis, MN Dale Harrison Alaska Public Radio Network Mark Steiner WJHU • Baltimore, MD • Anchorage, AK Tom Thomas SRG/Radio Exchange • Takoma Park, MD Peter Herford PRI • Minneapolis, MN Sandy Tolan Independent • Gloucester, MA Morgan Holm Oregon Public Broadcasting Kay Tuttle CPB • Washington, DC • Portland, OR Al Wallack WNED • Buffalo, NY Peter Iglinski WXXI/PRNDI • Rochester, NY Melinda Ward PRI • Minneapolis, MN Dave Kanzeg WCPN/News Talk Group • Cleveland, OH Scott Williams KJZZ • Phoenix, AZ Rick Madden CPB • Washington, DC Dale Willman Great Lakes Radio Consortium Heather Maclean BBC • New York, NY • Ann Arbor, MI Joyce MacDonald NPR • Washington, DC Leonard Witt Minnesota Public Radio • St. Paul, MN

• A • PUBLIC • RADIO • COLLABORATION • 14 This report is downloadable at www.mpr.org/collaboration

This public radio collaboration is an experimental approach by local stations to leverage their brainpower, creativity and programming capacities to provide audiences with new perspectives on national and international issues. This report documents the development of the conceptual framework for what its architects hope is a seminal point in public broadcasting history.

Leonard Witt, report editor January 11, 2001 SPECIAL THANKS TO • Richard Madden • vice president, radio, CPB • who conceived of the idea of leveraging the programming capacity and brainpower of local stations. Israel Smith • I.S. Marketing • whose vast public radio connections have brought all the right people together and kept the project focused. Marcia Alvar • Public Radio Program Directors Association • for summit facilitation. Peter Iglinski • Public Radio News Directors Incorporated • for supporting this idea and encouraging news directors to get involved. Colleen Davies • Minnesota Public Radio • for summit logistic work. Anchor station participants • for project design and planning: Sam Fleming and George Boosey • WBUR Dean Cappello and Mikel Ellcessor • WNYC Raul Ramirez and Jo Anne Wallace • KQED Mark McDonald and Kathy Merritt • WAMU Paul Glickman • KPCC Bill Buzenberg and Craig Curtis • Minnesota Public Radio Management of Minnesota Public Radio • for providing its employees the time and resources to help move the project from conception to full-blown collaboration. All summit participants • for their ideas.

SUMMIT REPORT • Writer • Frank Clancy Copy Editing and Design Supervisor • Mary Pattock Designer • Sara McDonnell Copy Editor • Steve Anderson

The November 16, 2001, collaborative summit and this report were made possible by funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.