PUBLIC RADIO INTERNATIONAL

'Public Radio International', or 'PRI', is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization with additional offices in Boston, New York and London. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources. Well-known distributed programs include ''This American Life'' and the BBC World Service. Its high profile produced programs include the award-winning global news program ''The World'' which is co produced with the BBC and WGBH Boston. Programs on PRI, sometimes mis-attributed as National Public Radio programs,^[1] are produced by a variety of organizations in the United States and other countries.^[2] PRI, along with NPR and American Public Media, is one of the largest program producers and distributors of public radio programming in the United States. According to the website, "The mission of Public Radio International is to engage listeners with distinctive radio programs that provide information, insights, and cultural experiences essential to understanding a diverse, interdependent world."

Contents

About PRI

History

2007 - A year of multiple program launches and acquisitions

Public radio, PRI, and NPR

Radio programs distributed by PRI

See also

External links

References

About PRI

PRI distributes over 400 hours of programming each week. Approximately 740 radio station affiliates and other audio venues broadcast PRI programs or stream them online. According to 2002 Arbitron ratings, 15.2 million listeners hear PRI programming each week. Although many public radio stations broadcast shows distributed by both by PRI and NPR, the two entities are distinct and competing radio producers and distributors.
PRI programs have won numerous awards for quality and innovation, including the DuPont-Columbia Award^[3], Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Electronic Media/Radio^[4], George Foster Peabody Award - Peadbody Award^[5] and Golden Reel Award ^[6], among many others.
PRI programs are distributed through North America on satellite radio. PRI had its own 24-hour channel on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 136, which was discontinued in September 2006. As a response, XM Radio added more PRI programming to its own public radio channel, XM Public Radio. PRI pursues its satellite radio strategy in concert with public radio stations. In 2002, it formed American Public Radio, LLC, a partnership with Chicago Public Radio, to pursue strategies within the satellite radio realm. Not long after, WGBH Radio Boston joined the partnership and finally, WNYC New York joined about a year later. ^[7]
PRI programming receives funding from station fees, corporate underwriting, and individual and corporate grants. Less than 2% of PRI's operating budget comes directly from the U.S. federal government.
PRI recognizes as its core principles:

★ the central role played by diversity in our nation's past and its importance to our future;

★ the urgent need to understand connections between American life and cultures around the globe;

★ the responsibility of public media to encourage the exchange of ideas and search for common principles fundamental to a civil society; and

★ the power of sound and of the spoken word to engage the mind and nurture the human spirit.^[8]

History

PRI was founded in 1983 as 'American Public Radio' to provide diverse voices and an alternative to NPR for public radio program distribution.^[2] Four stations established American Public Radio, these were: Minnesota Public Radio, WGBH Boston, WNYC New York, and KUSC Los Angeles. The corporation changed its name to Public Radio International in 1994 to reflect its growing interest and involvement in international audio publishing, and many collaborations with the BBC.
In the mid 1990s, PRI began producing programming in addition to distributing programming. This important evolution in the company began with PRI's The World, a co-production between PRI, the BBC World Service, and WGBH Radio Boston. The program was one of the first news-oriented co-productions of the BBC World Service anywhere and is a daily global news program. This was followed by the launch of the weekend program, PRI's Studio 360 in early 2001, a co-production between PRI and WNYC - New York Public Radio, featuring Kurt Andersen. Studio 360 strives to "get inside the creative mind" ^[10] each week as it surveys the best in film, arts, design, entertainment, and culture.

2007 - A year of multiple program launches and acquisitions

The year 2007 has seen numerous program launches, new talents, announcements and acquisitions.
In January 2007, PRI launched Fair Game from PRI, "the strange love child between the Daily Show and Morning Edition." This is the organization's first new owned production since Studio 360. Fair Game (radio) uses humor as a lens to put the days events in perspective and features stand up comedian and Rhodes scholar, Faith Salie. ^[11]. The program was featured in ''The New York Times''in June 2007.^[12]
Also in January, PRI announced that it was acquiring WireTap from the CBC for US distribution. ^[13]The release said that WireTap is a weekly program of intimate and often hilarious telephone conversations between celebrated writer Jonathan Goldstein and people with real or imagined stories to tell.
In March, PRI announced that it intends to co-produce with WNYC New York Public Radio, in collaboration with WGBH Boston, the BBC World Service and The New York Times Radio, a new morning program, to provide choice in public radio mornings and to grow public radio audiences. This program will begin piloting the fall of 2007 and will launch nationally in the winter 2007/8.
Then in June, the company announced another distribution partnership. This time with The Sound of Young America, which features Jesse Thorn. The press release stated, "The Sound of Young America is an irreverent weekly arts and entertainment interview program, described by its creator as 'a public radio show about things that are awesome.'" ^[14]

Public radio, PRI, and NPR

''Public radio'' is a generic term for radio stations or programming that is not funded by advertising — specifically commercials. It is the opposite of ''commercial radio'', the funding setup for most radio stations in the United States. PRI and NPR are the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the United States, and they compete with each other for slots on public radio stations and the attention of listeners. Any given public radio station may be an NPR member and an affiliate of PRI simultaneously. PRI is a not for profit organization that has an independent governing board with independent board of directors. NPR is a membership organization, and its board is comprised of public radio stations which run for seats on the Board.
PRI is a younger organization than NPR and focuses on pushing the sound of public radio forward through edgier programming strategies. NPR was founded 13 years earlier in 1970. Many PRI shows draw a younger overall audience than shows produced by NPR. Some listeners and critics believe that PRI programs feature a wider range of voices than NPR programs.
In recent years, there have been changes among distributors of numerous programs. Some programs that were formerly distributed by PRI, such as ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and ''Marketplace'', and American Routes^[15] are now distributed by American Public Media. In addition, PRI distributed ''World Cafe'' for many years, but in 2005, its distribution was switched to NPR. At the same time, PRI has also picked up distribution of programs that began distribution with NPR, including Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know? and most recently in 2006, Living on Earth, public radio's leading news and information program focused on the environment.

Radio programs distributed by PRI

★ ''America Abroad''

★
★ Host:Ray Suarez

★
★ Produced by John Haas

★ ''Afropop Worldwide''

★
★ Host: Georges Collinet

★
★ Produced by Sean Barlow for World Music Productions

★ ''Ask Dr. Science''

★
★ Host: Dan Coffey

★
★ Produced by Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater

★ ''BBC World Service'' which includes Newshour, World Have Your Say, World Update, among others

★
★ Produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation

★ ''BBC Mundo''

★
★ Proudced by the British Broadcasting Corporation

★ ''Bob Edwards Weekend''

★
★ Host: Bob Edwards

★
★ Produced by XM Satellite Radio and compiled from the XM program, ''The Bob Edwards Show''

★ ''Capitol News Connection with PRI''

★
★ Host: Melinda Wittstock

★
★ Produced by Pundit Productions

★ ''Classical 24''

★
★ Produced in partnership with PRI by American Public Media

★ ''Echoes''

★
★ Host: John Diliberto

★
★ Produced by John Diliberto and Kimberly Haas

★ ''Fair Game''

★
★ Host: Faith Salie

★
★ Produced by Faith Salie and PRI

★ ''Here and Now''

★
★ Host: Robin Young

★
★ Produced by WBUR, Boston, Massachusetts

★ ''Jazz After Hours''

★
★ Host: Jim Wilke

★
★ Produced by Jim Wilke

★ ''Living on Earth''

★
★ Host: Steve Curwood

★
★ Produced by

★ ''Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know?''

★
★ Host: Michael Feldman

★
★ Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio

★ ''Mountain Stage''

★
★ Host: Larry Groce

★
★ Produced by West Virginia Public Radio

★ ''Music from Chautauqua''

★
★ Host: Ed Simone

★
★ Produced by WNED-FM/Buffalo

★ ''National Native News''

★
★ Host: Antonia Gonzales

★
★ Produced by Koahnic Broadcast Corporation

★ ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra''

★
★ Host: Jim Cunningham

★
★ Produced by WQED-FM/Pittsburgh

★ ''The Record Shelf''

★
★ Host: Jim Svejda

★
★ Produced by USC Radio

★ ''Riverwalk Jazz''

★
★ Hosts: David Holt and Jim Cullum

★
★ Produced by Pacific Vista Productions and Jim Cullum for Texas Public Radio

★ ''Sound & Spirit''

★
★ Host: Ellen Kushner

★
★ Produced by WGBH Radio Boston and PRI

★ ''The Sound of Young America''

★
★ Host: Jesse Thorn

★
★ Produced by Maximum Fun.org and Jesse Thorn

★ ''Sounds Eclectic''

★
★ Host: Nic Harcourt

★
★ Produced by KCRW/Santa Monica

★ ''Spoleto Chamber Music Series''

★
★ Host: Charles Wadsworth

★
★ Produced by the South Carolina Educational Radio Network

★ ''Studio 360''

★
★ Host: Kurt Andersen

★
★ Produced by PRI and WNYC, New York Public Radio

★ ''This American Life''

★
★ Host: Ira Glass

★
★ Produced by Chicago Public Radio and Ira Glass

★ ''To the Best of Our Knowledge''

★
★ Host: Jim Fleming

★
★ Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio

★ ''To the Point''

★
★ Host: Warren Olney

★
★ Produced by KCRW/Santa Monica and PRI

★ ''The World''

★
★ Host: Lisa Mullins

★
★ Co-produced by the BBC World Service, PRI, and WGBH Radio Boston

★ ''World Have Your Say''

★
★ Hosts: Ros Atkins,Rabiya Limbada,Peter Dobbie

★
★ Produced by BBC World Service

★ ''Wiretap''

★
★ Host: Jonathan Goldstein

★
★ Produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Company, CBC

★ ''Zorba Paster On Your Health''

★
★ Hosted by Zorba Paster, M.D., and Tom Clark

★
★ Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio

★ Numerous special series, including ''Crossing East''[1]

★
★ Hosted by George Takei and Margaret Cho

★
★ Produced by Dmae Roberts and MediaRites Productions

See also

★ List of United States radio networks

★ National Public Radio

★ American Public Media

★ Public Broadcasting Service

External links

★ Public Radio International

References

1. http://www.mountainpridemedia.com/oitm/issues/2003/05may2003/letters.htm
2. http://www.pri.org/InPRI_FactSheet.html
3. http://www2.pri.org/infosite/networknews/releases/tw_dupont.cfm
4. http://www2.pri.org/infosite/networknews/releases/tw_awards_10th.cfm
5. http://www2.pri.org/infosite/networknews/releases/peabody_awards05.cfm
6. http://www.nfcb.org/awards/goldenreelwinners.jsp
7. http://www2.pri.org/infosite/networknews/releases/pri_cpr.cfm
8. http://www.pri.org/InPRI_Mission.html
9. http://www.pri.org/InPRI_FactSheet.html
10. http://www.studio360.org
11. http://www.morefairgame.org
12. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60A13FA3F540C708CDDAF0894DF404482
13. http://www2.pri.org/infosite/networknews/releases/wiretap_launch.cfm
14. http://www2.pri.org/infosite/networknews/releases/tsoya_premiere.cfm
15. American Public Media Press Release, http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/press/archive/pr_030207.html