Conference Agenda
Saturday, August 24th, 2019
PD Workshop 9am – 6pm
The PD Workshop is a 2-1/2 day intensive that blends philosophy, strategy, skills building, and small groups to hone “hard” skills such as formatics, ratings, break structure, fundraising, brand-building, and emergency planning with essential people skills: creating an inclusive workplace culture of mutual respect, cross-department collaborations, conflict resolution, recognizing and coaching talent, and performance management. The PD Workshop is designed for new and intermediate level programmers, veteran leaders who need updating, and promotion-ready staff who work in the areas of operations, news, music, feature and documentary production and podcasting. Participants receive coaching through the following year from the Workshop’s co-leaders, and grads often remain in close contact throughout their careers, acting as sounding boards for each other's ideas.
Sunday, August 25th, 2019
PD Workshop 9am – 6pm
The PD Workshop is a 2-1/2 day intensive that blends philosophy, strategy, skills building, and small groups to hone “hard” skills such as formatics, ratings, break structure, fundraising, brand-building, and emergency planning with essential people skills: creating an inclusive workplace culture of mutual respect, cross-department collaborations, conflict resolution, recognizing and coaching talent, and performance management. The PD Workshop is designed for new and intermediate level programmers, veteran leaders who need updating, and promotion-ready staff who work in the areas of operations, news, music, feature and documentary production and podcasting. Participants receive coaching through the following year from the Workshop’s co-leaders, and grads often remain in close contact throughout their careers, acting as sounding boards for each other's ideas.
Monday, August 26th, 2019
Breakfast in the Atrium (8 – 9 a.m.)
Grab a hearty, healthy breakfast and meet us in the morning session. PRPD will offer an assortment of breakfast sammies, burritos and granola parfaits along with the usual coffee/tea/juice to wake you up and keep you fueled.
PD Workshop 9am – 2pm
The PD Workshop is a 2-1/2 day intensive that blends philosophy, strategy, skills building, and small groups to hone “hard” skills such as formatics, ratings, break structure, fundraising, brand-building, and emergency planning with essential people skills: creating an inclusive workplace culture of mutual respect, cross-department collaborations, conflict resolution, recognizing and coaching talent, and performance management. The PD Workshop is designed for new and intermediate level programmers, veteran leaders who need updating, and promotion-ready staff who work in the areas of operations, news, music, feature and documentary production and podcasting. Participants receive coaching through the following year from the Workshop’s co-leaders, and grads often remain in close contact throughout their careers, acting as sounding boards for each other's ideas.
Nielsen Audio 101 - RRC Workshop (9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.)
With more and more research becoming available yet no more time to manage it, make this
the day you learn the basics and get up to speed on best practices for tracking your
audience through these rapidly changing times. After all, data directs decisions. Dave
Sullivan and Carl Nelson from the RRC will explain Nielsen Audio and audience
research to cover the basics for both PPM and Diary markets. Sign up here.
RRC Suite (1 - 4 p.m.)
RRC staff will be available for PRPD attendees to drop in and ask more intermediate and
advanced questions of RRC staff.
Now's the Time: Ten Things You Can Do to Foster Inclusion and Diversity -
hosted by PRX and PRPD (3 - 4:30 p.m)
Join us for this dynamic, interactive and highly impactive start to the conference!
We’ll start by hearing from the Bush Foundation about how they set out to make their internal culture more inclusive in order to be more effective externally. From there you’ll move into a speed-dating style rotation to learn about and discuss 10 effective ideas for fostering inclusion and diversity that lead to real results. You’ll talk with stations, program producers and industry leaders about some of the short-and-long-term efforts they’ve made to create impactful changes within their organizations.
We encourage you to read the Bush Foundation paper: Building an Inclusive Culture: Spreading and Embedding An Equity Lens at the Bush Foundation in advance. All attendees will be given a copy, as well as detailed descriptions for each of the 10 ideas discussed.
Location: Ballroom 3
Newcomers Session (3 - 4 p.m.)
Designed especially for those new to the Content Conference to learn how to get the
most of your experience, directly from the PRPD Board of Directors. Learn the ropes
from the pros and meet new colleagues. We’ll be joined by special guest Bill
Siemering, the founder of public radio.
Location: Ballroom 4
Welcome Happy Hour, hosted by WBUR (4:30 - 6 p.m.)
Join your fellow PRPD attendees to kick off this year's Content Conference at the official Welcome Reception, sponsored by WBUR. Enjoy a signature beverage, greet this year's exhibitors and sponsors, and begin your conference networking before the Opening Night Party. Monday, 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Location: Exhibit Area
Opening Night Party (7 - 9 p.m.) -
Join Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media Monday evening for an opening reception to remember. Enjoy a warm Minnesota welcome at Minneapolis’ legendary Orchestra Hall, complete with food, drinks, conversation with public radio colleagues, and incredible local entertainment. Hear Minneapolis street band the Brass Messengers perform globally inspired music, and the acclaimed Laurels String Quartet, whose frequent collaborators include Belle and Sebastian, Jeremy Messersmith, Father John Misty, Dessa, Dan Wilson and more. Enjoy bountiful regional cuisine, delightful desserts, signature cocktails and mocktails, and backstage tours of the newly renovated home of the groundbreaking Minnesota Orchestra.
MPR and APM are rolling out the ‘red carpet’ to welcome you to Minnesota in style. Just look for the friendly faces in red t-shirts, who will escort you on the short walk from the hotel to Orchestra Hall starting at 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Breakfast in the Atrium (8 – 9 a.m.)
Grab a hearty, healthy breakfast and meet us in the morning session. PRPD will offer an assortment of breakfast sammies, burritos and granola parfaits along with the usual coffee/tea/juice to wake you up and keep you fueled.
Conference Welcome & Opening Keynote (9 - 10:30 a.m.)
Speaker: Nancy Lyons
Digital Transformation Isn't Digital After All with Nancy Lyons
Businesses want to keep up, innovate, and optimize. They want to be creative and
efficient, they want to create more with less. They want digital transformation. But
leveraging the immense changes and the vast opportunities that the digital era ushered
in doesn’t start with digital at all. It’s about people: changing outdated
mindsets, behaviors, and processes. In “Digital Transformation Isn’t
Digital After All,” Nancy shares how organizations can tackle these changes.
She’ll explore how to build a case for a people-first approach and drive real
transformation to achieve a digital culture.
Location: Ballroom 1-2
Networking Break (10:30 - 11 a.m.)
Breakout Sessions (11 - 12:30 p.m.)
-
Building a Local, Loyal Digital Audience: Case Studies.
Speakers:
Kristen Muller
Andi McDaniel
Andrew Golis - Chief Content Officer - WNYC
In 2018 WNYC, KPCC and WAMU purchased local news websites with the goal to engage with younger, digital-first audiences. The challenges include integrating cultures, establishing outcomes and metrics, differentiating brands and pursuing diversity. After a year and a half, how are these efforts faring? What lessons have we learned along the way and what are some strategies you can employ to engage that digital-first audience?
Location: Ballroom 4 -
Music Licensing Challenges and Opportunities.
Lauren Onkey - Senior Director - NPR Music
John Riley
We’ll review the current copyright landscape with an attorney from the US Copyright Office and talk about music licensing challenges and what the Music Modernization Act means for public media.
Location: Ballroom 3 -
Truth and Transformation: Changing Racial Narratives in Media.
Speakers: Laura Yuen, Nancy Lebens, Jennifer Dargan, Daniel Bergin, Chao Xiong
A recent survey revealed that Minnesota journalists overwhelmingly believe local media are failing to accurately and fairly represent communities of color. In the case of Indigenous people and Asian Americans, media are ignoring them altogether. In this session, you’ll hear how a coalition of local media and community partners are responding to that challenge. First, you’ll learn what happened when a diverse group of 275 media professionals, educators and students came together to learn from and with community members whose voices or stories are often ignored, marginalized or misrepresented in the news media. More importantly, you’ll learn what impact these conversations had on newsroom leaders in attendance, the changes they are making as a result, and how you can create more accurate, complete and trustworthy narratives by challenging racial bias — for yourself, your work and your communities.
Location: Pine/Cedar/Birch Lake -
How to Talk to Talent: Voice Coaching for Producers and Managers.
Speaker: Jessica Hansen
Sometimes its difficult to talk with on-air talent about things like presentation, style, energy, or nerves. We know how to identify what we need, but sometimes we can't articulate effectively when coaching talent. This session will help you better understand the relationship, will give you language to talk with your on-air staff and will allow you to get immediate results.
Location: Deer/Elk Lake
Lunch with APM - Inclusivity in Content: Diversifying Sources,
Voices and Staff (12:30 - 2:15 p.m.)
Speakers: Angela Davis, Laura Yuen, Kristen Muller, Pooneh Ghoodoosi, Nancy
Farghalli
Diversity and inclusion—everyone is talking about it, but what are we doing, both
on-air and behind-the-scenes? These efforts are arguably the most important work of our
time as we strive to reach new audiences and better reflect our changing communities.
American Public Media and MPR News and their partners at the BBC World Service,
Marketplace and KPCC will help us continue the conversation. They will share
pain-points, success stories, practical implications and complications.
Location: Ballroom 1-2
Breakout Sessions (2:30 - 3:30 p.m.)
-
Building a Podcasting Division from the Ground Up.
Speakers:
Joni Deutsch
Sean Powers - Director of Podcasting - Georgia Public Broadcasting
This session will focus on what it takes for stations to start a podcasting division. In addition to developing and producing podcasts, staff are required to understand music licensing, contracts with external podcast hosts, marketing the shows to get new subscribers, working with digital and art departments, organizing live events, working with underwriting, and cross promoting podcast content on all platforms.
Location: Deer/Elk Lake -
Culture of Journalism: Editorial Integrity and Independence.
Speakers:
Terry Gildea - Executive Director - Public Media Journalists Association
Mark Memmott
Member stations’ newsrooms are increasingly the primary sources of news for their audiences. That means the stations’ reporters, producers and editors are being called upon more often to tackle news that could be sensitive for major donors or the organization that holds the station’s license. One of the most effective ways to protect a newsroom and codify its independence against outside influence is to craft an editorial integrity document. This can also include ethics guidelines for journalists and station staff to follow. Join PMJA’s Terry Gildea and NPR’s Mark Memmott from the Culture of Journalism team as they and others walk participants through the process of getting this effort off the ground at your station. And they’ll talk about how the process can be more important than the final document itself.
Location: Ballroom 3 -
Classical Marketing & Content Partnerships.
Speakers: Julie Amacher, Eva Anderson
Following up on last year's popular and well-received presentation on classical audience insights, MPR Classical will share results on their efforts to date. They'll update their findings on audience insights, and give examples of some highly successful strategies that have driven ratings and digital engagement, created new content and helped Classical MPR find new, younger audiences by using an audience-centric approach.
Location: Pine/Cedar/Birch Lake -
5 Things You Can Do To Make Your Station Sound Better Next Week.
Speakers:
Steve Nelson - Senior Director of Programming - NPR
Jeff Rowe
Kari Anderson
Jonathan Blakley
PDs and GMs are busier now than ever before, and sometimes that means you might run out of time to think about the basics. Take an hour during the conference to learn (or remind yourself) about 5 things that you can do starting Monday to make your station sound better. Along with well-established best practices, we'll talk about how you can be ahead of the curve on smart speaker listening, and hear real-world experiences from your PD colleagues.
Location: Ballroom 4
Networking Break (3:30 - 4 p.m.)
If I Were President of All Public Radio (4 - 5:30 p.m.)
Speakers: Meghna Chakrabarti, Nicholas Quah, Steve Titherington, Bob Garfield
Imagine we woke up one day to find that ALL of public radio was one giant organization
instead of a collection of independently run stations, networks, producers,
distributors and businesses. If YOU were the President of the entire network, how would
you approach the task? In this engaging, provocative session, we ask a group of
courageous and inspired thinkers in our industry to tell us what they would do if they
were "The President of Public Radio." In this TED style session, each speaker has been
given 15 minutes to share their thoughts.
Location: Ballroom 4
The Current Microshow, in partnership with Live From Here - Special PRPD
Edition
Sponsored by New Belgium Brewing. Featuring Son Volt, Chastity Brown and
Chris Thile. Fine Line Music Cafe (doors 7 p.m.)
Just blocks from PRPD HQ, join The Current, Live from Here and New
Belgium Brewing for a very special edition of The Current's Microshow event series,
featuring three extraordinary acts in a once-in-a-lifetime lineup. Chris Thile, host
of Live from Here, performs a special solo acoustic set to start off the evening;
Minnesota's own Chastity Brown beguiles with her soulful acoustic folk; and Jay Farrar
and friends perform in a rare intimate space - just for the PRPD attendees and Twin
Cities fans who sign up for a first-come, first-served experience. Get your
entry badge when you check in at the registration desk.s
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Breakfast in the Atrium (8 – 9 a.m.)
Grab a hearty, healthy breakfast and meet us in the morning session. PRPD will offer an assortment of breakfast sammies, burritos and granola parfaits along with the usual coffee/tea/juice to wake you up and keep you fueled.
Your Digital Stream: Your Station's Future (9 - 10:30 a.m.)
Speakers:
Joel Sucherman - Vice President, New Platform Partnerships - NPR
Stephen Steigman - Chief of Broadcast Operations - KCUR
Ha-Hoa Hamano - Senior Product Manager, Emerging Platforms - NPR
Deborah Clark - SVP and General Manager - Marketplace
A station's digital infrastructure is a vital component in the audience service and
sustainability strategy. Streams, smart speakers, apps, metadata, platform
relationships, a product development strategy and the staff and budget to execute - all
of these elements come together to make your station viable. Join us for a conversation
about how to develop a streaming infrastructure that is as robust as your station's
over-the-air broadcast system.
Location: Ballroom 1-2
Networking Break (10:30 - 11 a.m.)
Breakout Sessions (11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)
Who Are We Making This For? A New Look at Audience for Podcast
Strategy and More.
Speakers: Joel Meyer, Kerry Donahue, Stephanie Kuo, Je-Anne Berry, Brad Turner
Anyone can make a podcast, but not everyone understands their
audience. In this interactive session, you will go beyond market research and audience
analytics and walk away with a road map for content development that holds the listener
at the center of your key decisions. The panel will share real-world stories about how
their stations have served new audiences, retained talent and strengthened their
content development process through their podcasts. This audience-centered, design
thinking will allow you to map key stakeholders and talk to potential listeners.
Location: Ballroom 3
The Philosophy of Music Scheduling.
Speakers:
Jill Sorenson
Mike Sauter - Director of Content and Programming
For most listeners, your
station is only as good as the music they are hearing right now. As a programmer, your
priority is to make sure every time someone tunes in they have a great listening
experience. Scheduling software can help you improve the consistency of your sound,
grow your audience and free up your host's time so they can focus on excellent
presentation. From basic techniques like separation and rest to deeper concepts like
sound or intensity, scheduling software keeps track of these things so you can focus on
what you do best - sharing your insights with your listeners. No matter what music
format you program, The W.I.Z.A.R.D. Jill Sorenson can answer your questions about
music scheduling.
Location: Deer/Elk Lake
Live Events That Strengthen Public Radio.
Speakers:
Amy Macdonald
Candice Springer
Sarah Austin Jenness
Laura Hadden - Executive Producer - Live Wire
Luke Burbank - Host - Live Wire
In a time of
deafening online chatter and digital isolation, live events have become a powerful
force for good. Attending live events makes people feel more connected to each other,
the community, and the world around them. In this session, we'll explore a variety of
different events, from policy discussions to live podcasts to music performances, that
engage with passionate audiences and create positive impressions for your brand.
Location: Pine/Cedar/Birch Lake
Ethics Can Be Fun….Really!
Speakers:
Mike Arnold
Elizabeth Jensen
Mark Memmott
Nancy Cassutt - Executive Editor, News & Programming - Minnesota Public Radio
In stations and newsrooms
across the public radio landscape, challenging ethical decisions are being made every
day and sometimes it’s difficult to know where to draw the line. Ethics can seem
like a dry topic. But this session will be interactive, entertaining and fun, helping
you navigating ethical issues at your station. We’ll be digging into real
situations you’ve faced with our panel of ethics experts. If you have an example
you’d like to share at this session, send an email with the subject line ETHICS
to info@prpd.org. All names and stations will be changed to protect the innocent (or
guilty).
Location: Ballroom 4
Lunch with NPR (12:30 - 2:15 p.m.)
Speakers: Steve Inskeepm, Audie Cornish, Susan Davis
NPR & Elections: A Look from Three Lenses
As the 2020 elections quickly approach, NPR and Member stations around the country are
sharpening strategies for coverage, preparing for the relentless news cycle and diving
into the issues that will shape our political landscape.
Join Audie Cornish, Host of All Things Considered, Steve Inskeep, Host of Morning Edition and Susan Davis, NPR Congressional Correspondent at the NPR lunch for a discussion about how they are preparing for 2020 and what issues they see taking center stage leading up to election day.
Location: Ballroom 1-2
Cohort Meetings (2:30 - 3:30 p.m.)
News/Talk Group – Hosted by Ben Adler, Capital Public Radio and Arvid
Hokansen, KUOW -
Speakers:
Ben Adler
Arvid Hokanson
Nancy Barnes - Senior Vice President for News - NPR
Tom Hjelm - Chief Digital Officer - NPR
Location: Ballroom 3
Triple A Group – Hosted by Jim McGuinn, The Current
Speaker: Jim McGuinn - Program Director - The Current
Location: Ballroom 4
Classical Group – Hosted by Bill Lueth, KDFC/USC Radio Group
Speakers:
Bill Lueth - Vice President - USC Radio
Matt Abramovitz - Program Director - WQXR
Location: Deer/Elk Lake
Jazz Group – Hosted by Michael Rathke, WRTI
Speaker: Michael Rathke - Director of Programming and Content - WRTI
Location: Pine/Cedar/Birch Lake
Independent Producer's Meeting – Hosted by Daren Dortin, Ozark Highlands
Radio
Speakers: Daren Dortin, Kevin Cubbins, Katie Thornton
Location: St. Croix 1
Networking Break (3:30 - 4:00 p.m.)
Concurrent Super Sessions (4:00 - 5:30 p.m.)
Election 2020: Coverage that Matters to our Audience.
Speakers:
Summer Fields - Engagement Strategist and Strategic Partnerships Lead - Hearken
Donna Vestal - Director of Content Strategy - KCUR
With the
2020 election beginning to take shape, now is the time to create a plan for how you
will cover this historic event. In an environment where trust is low in public
institutions, especially media, involving your audience in your coverage can encourage
civic engagement and differentiate your work from all else. In this session,
we’ll discuss how audience engagement creates content that is relevant, unique
and meets the need of your audience — with concrete ideas and tactics for
stations of all sizes and budgets.
Location: St. Croix 1
The Sound of Public Radio Music.
Speakers: Anne Standley, Nick Spitzer, Mike Henry, Brian Newhouse
Music format stations from
classical to americana are beloved and respected cultural institutions in their own
communities and on the national stage. Public radio's celebration of music in all its
forms is vitally important to American cultural life and now its time to showcase the
impact we have on audiences, artists, the music industry and our own local
ecosystems.
Location: Ballroom 3
YP Meetup (5:30 - 6:30 p.m.)
Join your young professional colleagues at a mixer to socialize, network, and plan a YP
takeover of public media! We'll meet at the hotel lobby bar. PRPD will provide drinks;
just find Jessica Frantz to grab a drink ticket.
Fireside Chat, hosted by PRX (8 - 9:30 p.m.)
We have a special night in store for you! Join us for the first-ever PRX Fireside Chat at Brick and Mortar--a quick walk from the hotel.
Don't miss the opportunity for intimate conversations with hosts like Marco Werman, Tanzina Vega, Amy Walter, Al Letson, Luke Burbank, Kara Miller, and Steve Curwood. You'll also get to talk with producers and makers from CBC, The Moth, To The Best of our Knowledge and more.
We'll get started at 8:00 pm with drinks and dessert. Whether you choose to start your rotation on the amazing rooftop deck, or on a comfortable couch in the loft, is up to you. Plus, you'll have a chance to win lunch for your station staff. The more conversations you have, the better your chances!
Brick and Mortar is located at 314 N 1st Avenue. Use the rear entrance through the alley. You'll need your conference badge, or stop by the Digital Help Desk for a special PRX button and invitation.
Don't worry if you're late, you can still jump in, but be aware--space is limited.
PRX party (9:30 - 11:30 p.m.)
Have you heard of the famous PRX parties at PRPD? Have you attended them in the past? Well, imagine a new rendition of the party of the conference, because that’s what we’re throwing!
Swing by Brick and Mortar for a night of hanging out in a beautiful loft, or up on their amazing rooftop patio with 250 of your closest friends. And, if you get there early you’ll be treated to the latest, highly anticipated and hilarious poem by our own John Barth.
Brick and Mortar is located at 314 N 1st Avenue. Use the rear entrance through the alley. Maps are available at PRX’s Digital Help Desk. Space is limited
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Breakfast in the Atrium (8 – 9 a.m.)
Grab a hearty, healthy breakfast and meet us in the morning session. PRPD will offer an assortment of breakfast sammies, burritos and granola parfaits along with the usual coffee/tea/juice to wake you up and keep you fueled.
Run with APM (6:30 - 8:30 a.m.)
APM Running Club
Take a break from the hotel air conditioning, detox from those happy hours and join us
for the third annual APM Running Club at PRPD! Whether you’re up for a brisk run
or a leisurely walk, we’ve created unique routes that explore the sights and
sounds of Minneapolis on the final day of the conference.
Grab a run packet at the APM booth by Wednesday, and meet us in the Marriott lobby Thursday morning. Our 10K run starts at 6:30 a.m.; our 5K run/walk starts at 7 a.m. Water and snacks will be provided in the lobby following each event.
Public Radio Tech Survey 2019 (9 - 10 a.m.)
Speaker: Fred Jacobs
Just completing its 11th year, The Public Radio Tech Survey gathers data about the
relationship our audiences have with technology. This data can help us plan, strategize
and navigate the digital terrain so we can make the best decisions about how to deploy
our operational resources. PRTS 2019 provides a comprehensive survey with over a decade
of trackable data points that illustrates our listeners use of changing digital media
trends.
Location: Ballroom 1-2
Breakout Sessions (10:15 - 11:30 a.m.)
-
PRTS Investors Only Deep Dive.
Speaker: Fred Jacobs
If you participated in this year's PRTS, join Fred Jacobs for a deeper dive into the data. Fred will share information specific to the stations and formats that were part of this year's tech survey.
Location: Pine/Cedar/Birch Lake -
Broadcast to Podcast: Expanding Audience Through Content You’re Already Creating.
IT'S ALL AUDIO RIGHT? BROADCAST TO PODCAST - HOW DOES THAT WORK?
Speakers:
John Barth - Chief Content Officer - PRX
Kevin Sullivan - Executive Producer - Reveal
Zoe Clark - Program Director - Michigan Radio
It makes sense money-wise: just take that great local broadcast show and make it into a podcast. Boom. Done. More audience, right? If it were only that simple...
Digital audience listening habits are different. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to creatively serve your podcast listeners in more personal, engaging and frank ways. Join us to hear from stations and show producers about the lessons they've learned on making broadcast shows succeed as podcasts -- and where they have stumbled, so you don't have to.
Location: Ballroom 3 -
Data Based Editorial Lessons from NPR One.
Speakers:
Emily Barocas - Podcast Lead - NPR One
Tamar Charney - Managing Director, Personalization and Curation - NPR One
Anita Bugg - Vice President of Programming - Nashville Public Radio
Participants will leave this session with specific recommendations to improve the performance of their station’s content on digital and broadcast platforms based on data from their own NPR One Station Analytics dashboard. With the help of the NPR One Editorial team, you will learn to interpret engagement data to find your station’s strengths and weaknesses. Then, using NPR One’s data-based best practices as a guide, you can develop a list of action steps to bring back to your station. To fully participate in this workshop, stations should be actively participating in NPR One and regularly uploading newscast, story segments and podcasts to the platform. Stations that don’t participate in NPR One, but are interested in learning more, are welcome to join as well. If you’re interested in attending, email ebarocas@npr.org so we can have data specific to your station available. This doesn’t lock you into attending, and you are welcome to join without advance notice.
Location: Deer/Elk Lake -
Research, Relevance and Racial Bias: The Case for Culturally Competent Newsrooms.
Speakers:
Cecilia Station-Adams - Director of Culture & Inclusion - Minnesota Public Radio
Linda Miller - DIrector of Network Journalism and Inclusion - American Public Media
Andi Egbert
A recent survey of Minnesota media professionals unearthed a disturbing disconnect. While a majority of journalists say it is necessary to understand racial bias in order to be effective in their jobs, most have never received unconscious bias or similar training. Yet despite this lack of training, the majority of Minnesota journalists feel confident in their ability to report on racial and cultural groups other than their own. This disconnect not only undermines accuracy and fairness in news coverage, it stokes harmful stereotypes and traumatizes people and communities whose narratives are routinely under-represented, misrepresented or absented from coverage. In this session, participants unpack this and other research findings from the 2019 Racial Narratives in Minnesota Media Survey and create the case – and roadmap -- for making cultural competency an essential qualification for anyone working in public media.
Location: Ballroom 4
Accessibility, Inclusion and the Power of Music (11:45 a.m. - 1:15
p.m.)
Speakers: Gaelynn Lea, Andrea Swensson
Gaelynn Lea gained national attention when she won NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest
in 2016. Her unique mix of haunting original songs and traditional fiddle tunes
captivates audiences worldwide and so far she has appeared in 43 states and 7
countries. In addition to performing and recording, Gaelynn speaks passionately about
disability rights, finding inner freedom, and accessibility in the arts. In recent
years, she has used her music as a platform to advocate for people with disabilities
and to promote positive social change. Host of "The Local Show" on the Current Andrea
Swensson interviews Gaelynn Lea about her career, her music and how public radio
changed her life, followed by a short performance.
Location: Ballroom 1-2
