337 Resources

Smart partnerships can fill in the cash gap. Experienced public media journalists talk about how working with freelancers, indies and the community can help station leaders extend and diversify their resources.

Reversing a years long trend, public radio news stations have been growing though most of 2016. All that, and peak election listening is still ahead of us if we adopt audience building as an on-going practice.  The Spark project helped set a new normal for promotion, and there’s more to be done to keep the hard won gains, while applying what we’ve learned across platforms.  NPR and stations will discuss some of those lessons, opportunities for sustaining listening through the election and beyond, and what's involved in creating a new culture of optimism.

Is it worth investing precious dollars in a marketing campaign? Hear from stations leaders who have launched campaigns that are building audiences and boosting ratings. This session provides examples of what’s working outdoors and online, and explores the power of clear branding and positioning.

AIR's Localore: Finding America teams of independent producers and public media stations have focused on creating new, multimedia models in markets large and small. We’ll experience what has emerged from 15 local story productions focusing on engagement in neighborhoods where public media struggles to reach. Watch, listen, and be inspired by stories made with and for the community and join the teams in breakout sessions throughout the day.

On Point host Tom Ashbrook comes to Phoenix with his straight-talk style. He’ll dig into what it really means to engage today’s listeners with NPR’s All Things Considered Host Kelly McEvers. Come see the On Point treatment for yourself. Rich, futuristic and full conversation over a full breakfast to energize your day.

You've got your radio signal, your website, NPR One, podcasts, and your community events. So what does "stationality" look like when you're programming more than just a terrestrial radio station? We'll talk about how you consistently communicate what's unique about your service across platforms even when they reach very different audiences.

What sets us apart from all the other content options out there?  Top talent, engaging hosts, unique personalities. How do you develop those personalities? There’s an art to coaching great talent.  In this session learn how to work with talent, gain their trust and nurture their abilities so they can be engaged while they strive to engage your listeners. 

Whether it’s a natural disaster, an active shooter or some other kind of major news event in your local market – more and more public radio newsroom of all sizes are finding themselves in a position to report on breaking news – and fast. This session presents basic strategies program directors and news managers can follow to deliver relevant content that listeners will expect and depend on.

BBC World Service English radio has a growing audience of 66 million worldwide, and the average age of the BBC World Service listener is 34 – much younger than the average public radio listener in the U.S. In her role as controller of BBC World Service English, Mary Hockaday is driving forward a radio and digital strategy to continue reaching new and younger audiences that are hungry for impartial, contemporary, global journalism. Hockaday will give us a dynamic view of what the BBC has learned from recent global research on Millennials and what they are doing to grow younger audiences.

How do you transform a legacy broadcast property into a fresh product that also delights listeners in the digital space?  And how do you motivate your staff and management to chart a new path?  Studio 360 is in the midst of a major transformation.  At several steps along the way, the team has applied strategies used in design thinking (idea generation, analogous inspiration, rapid prototyping, team-building, and more).  In this session, Executive Producer Jenny Lawton presents the show’s work in progress – a case study in how to change course and inspire creativity, while maintaining a production sprint.