Public Broadcasting Stations and Digital Media

This is a very thoughtful post from PRPD responding to the appeal from Wyoming Public Radio’s Jon Schwartz on behalf of stations faced with the potential of new platforms, but challenged by the lack of a clear strategy or business model to take advantage of the opportunity.

1. Digital isn’t going to pay for itself – probably for awhile. E.g. Despite increasing its investment in digital, revenues now cover 85% of the expense of the regional MPR service.
2. We still need to invest in digital media for one simple reason, our audience. The shortest path to irrelevance is to ignore what our audiences are telling us, and our audiences are increasingly using digital media.
3. Stations need to add digital media to the list of priority activities, like the news department and the local talk show.
4. Strategies and practices are emerging, but strategies and best practices emerge as a result of doing. It’s testing, experimenting and learning. It is risk and innovation and failure.