Information about Public Radio International

Public Radio International
Type	Public radio network
Country	United States
Availability	Global
Founded	1983
Slogan	Hear a different voice
Owner	Public Radio International Inc.
Key people	Douglas Carlston, Chairman Alisa Miller, President and CEO
Past names	American Public Radio
Affiliations	BBC World Service XM Public Radio
Website	www.pri.org

Public Radio International (PRI) is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization with locations 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.

Background

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 PRI co-produces with the BBC and WGBH Boston. Programs on PRI, sometimes mis-attributed as National Public Radio programs, are produced by a variety of organizations in the United States and other countries.^[1] 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 programming that provides information, insights, and cultural experiences essential to understanding a diverse, interdependent world."

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. 2002 Arbitron ratings report 15.2 million listeners to 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,^[2] Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Electronic Media/Radio,^[3] George M. Foster Peabody Award,^[4] and Golden Reel Award.^[5]

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.^[6]

PRI programming receives funding from station fees, corporate underwriting, and individual and corporate grants with less than 2% of the overall operating budget from United States governmental agencies.

PRI recognizes as its core principles:^[7]

• 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.

History

PRI was founded in 1983 as American Public Radio to provide diverse voices and an alternative to NPR for public radio program distribution.^[1] 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" each week as it surveys the best in film, arts, design, entertainment, and culture.

Program launches

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 uses humor as a lens to put the days events in perspective and features stand up comedian and Rhodes scholar, Faith Salie.^[8]

Also in January, PRI announced its acquisition of WireTap from the CBC for distribution in the United States. 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.^[9]

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 winter 2007.

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.'"^[10]

In September, PRI and Symphony Space of New York City, announced that PRI would become the national distribution partner of Selected Shorts, which had previously been distributed by National Public Radio. The press release said, "The best public radio features compelling storytelling. 'Selected Shorts' is an excellent example of how the human voice can engage listeners and take them to another place... PRI looks forward to partnering with Selected Shorts to chart an exciting new future for this kind of storytelling in public media."^[11]

Public radio

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 are now distributed by American Public Media.^[12] 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 in 2006, Living on Earth, public radio's leading news and information program focused on the environment. And in September 2007, PRI picked up national distribution of Selected Shorts.

Programming

• America Abroad: host, Ray Suarez, from America Abroad Media
• Afropop Worldwide: host, Georges Collinet, from World Music Productions
• Ask Dr. Science: host, Dan Coffey; from Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater
• BBC World Service (Newshour, World Have Your Say, World Update); from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• BBC Mundo from the BBC
• Bob Edwards Weekend: host, Bob Edwards; by compiled from the XM Satellite Radio program The Bob Edwards Show
• Capitol News Connection with PRI: host, Melinda Wittstock; from Pundit Productions
• Classical 24 from PRI and American Public Media
• Echoes: host, John Diliberto;
• Fair Game: host, Faith Salie; from PRI
• Here and Now: host, Robin Young; from WBUR
• Jazz After Hours: host, Jim Wilke;
• Living on Earth: host, Steve Curwood;
• Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know?: host, Michael Feldman; from Wisconsin Public Radio
• Mountain Stage: host, Larry Groce; from West Virginia Public Radio
• Music from Chautauqua: host, Ed Simone; from WNED-FM
• National Native News: host, Antonia Gonzales; from Koahnic Broadcast Corporation
• Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: host, Jim Cunningham; from WQED-FM
• The Record Shelf: host, Jim Svejda; from USC Radio
• Riverwalk Jazz: hosts: David Holt and Jim Cullum; from Pacific Vista Productions and Texas Public Radio
• Selected Shorts: host, Isaiah Sheffer ; from Symphony Space
• Sound & Spirit: host, Ellen Kushner; from WGBH Radio Boston and PRI
• The Sound of Young America: host, Jesse Thorn; from MaximumFun.org
• Sounds Eclectic: host, Nic Harcourt; from KCRW
• Spoleto Chamber Music Series: host, Charles Wadsworth; from the South Carolina Educational Radio Network
• Studio 360: host, Kurt Andersen; from PRI and WNYC
• This American Life: host, Ira Glass; from Chicago Public Radio
• To the Best of Our Knowledge: host, Jim Fleming; from Wisconsin Public Radio
• To the Point: host, Warren Olney; from KCRW and PRI
• The World: host, Lisa Mullins from PRI, BBC World Service, and WGBH
• World Have Your Say: hosts, Ros Atkins, Rabiya Limbada, Peter Dobbie; from BBC World Service
• Wiretap: host, Jonathan Goldstein; from the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC)
• Zorba Paster On Your Health: host, Zorba Paster, M.D., and Tom Clark; from the Wisconsin Public Radio
• Numerous special series, including Crossing Easthttp://www.pri.org/crosseast.html
• Hosted by George Takei and Margaret Cho; from Roberts and MediaRites Productions

See also

• American Public Media
• National Public Radio
• Public Broadcasting Service
• List of United States radio networks

References

External links

• Public Radio International