Public Radio International Totally Explained

Everything about Public Radio International totally explained

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

PRI distributes such well-known programming as This American Life and the BBC World Service. Among its many high-profile programs is the award-winning global news program The World, which PRI co-produces with the BBC and WGBH Boston. Programs on PRI - sometimes mis-attributed to National Public Radio - are produced by a variety of organizations in the United States and other countries. 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. PRI offers over 400 hours of programming each week to stations and listeners. According to their 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." As a result, PRI's focus on global news/journalism and cultural perspectives programming forms a key point of differentiation from its competitors, both within and outside public broadcasting.
   Approximately 800 radio station affiliates and other audio venues broadcast, stream and download PRI programs. According to the 2002 Arbitron ratings, 15.2 million people listened to PRI programming each week.
   PRI's programs have won numerous awards for quality and innovation, including the DuPont-Columbia Award, Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Electronic Media/Radio, George M. Foster Peabody Award, , Golden Reel Award and the Gabriel Award.
   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 other public radio stations. In 2002, PRI formed American Public Radio, in partnership with Chicago Public Radio, in order to better pursue strategies within the satellite radio realm. Not long after, WGBH Boston joined the partnership. WNYC New York joined about a year later.
   PRI programs are also available via podcast from Itunes, PRI program sites, and at Public Radio International

. PRI's podcasts consistently rate in the iTunes top 100, including This American Life, Selected Shorts, The World's Technology Podcast, the Sound of Young America and Studio 360. PRI was one of the first radio podcasters in the United States, when its program The World launched its popular technology podcast on February 11, 2005, hosted by Clark Boyd. For more, see History of Podcasting.
PRI programming receives funding from station fees, corporate underwriting, and individual and corporate grants. Less than 2% of the overall operating budget comes from United States government agencies.
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.

History

PRI was founded in 1983 as American Public Radio to provide diverse voices and an alternative to NPR for public radio program distribution.
   Also in January 2007, PRI announced its acquisition of WireTap from the CBC for distribution in the United States. According to PRI's press release, 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 2007, PRI announced its intention to co-produce a new morning program, involving WNYC New York, WGBH Boston, the BBC World Service, and the New York Times Radio. The goals of the program are to provide choice in public radio mornings and to foster the growth of public radio audiences. This program launched nationally in April 2008. PRI began developing this idea more than five years ago and began cultivating partners not long-after.
   In June 2007, the company announced another distribution partnership, this time with The Sound of Young America, featuring 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.'"
   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."
   In January 2008, PRI and WNYC announced that the name of their new morning drive news program is The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji. This program's editorial partners include The BBC World Service, The New York Times, and WGBH Radio Boston. The program successfully launched April 28, and full national launch is expected June 30, 2008.
   On May 1, 2008, PRI was the first major public media outlet to use digital cinema; and one of the first mass media companies overall. PRI conceived and spearheaded This American Life Live! in partnership with Ira Glass and WBEZ Chicago. This American Life Live! is presented exclusively in select theatres by National CineMedia's (NCM) Fathom, in partnership with BY Experience and Chicago Public Radio, and in association with Public Radio International.

Public Radio, PRI, NPR

Public radio is a generic term for non-commercial radio stations or programming which receive public funding (either through government grants or through direct donations from listeners). Public radio also receives funding from corporate sponsors, foundation grants and individual donations. Station funds are used for station operations and to purchase programming from producers and distributors PRI, NPR and American Public Media (APM) are the largest providers of public radio programming in the United States. They compete with each other for slots on public radio stations and the attention of listeners. Any given public radio station may be simultaneously both an NPR member, and APM affiliate and an affiliate of PRI . PRI is a not-for-profit organization that has an independent governing board with an independent board of directors. NPR is a membership organization; 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 in 1970 and PRI in 1983.) Many PRI shows draw a younger overall audience than shows produced by NPR. PRI's stated purpose is to offer 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, Marketplace, and American Routes are now distributed by American Public Media. APM was formed by Minnesota Public Radio to distribute programs it owned and produced, thereby moving distribution from PRI to APM.
   In addition, PRI distributed World Cafe for many years, but in 2005, the show's distribution was switched to NPR. At the same time, PRI has also picked up the distribution of programs originally distributed by 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. In September 2007, PRI became the national distributor Selected Shorts which was previously distributed by NPR.

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 from KPLU

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 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

The Takeaway: hosts, John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji; 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 East(External Link

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Hosted by George Takei and Margaret Cho; from Roberts and MediaRites Productions

RSS Feeds

PRI News (External Link

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PRI A&E (External Link

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PRI Election (External Link

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PRI Interview (External Link

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PRI Health, Science, Technology (External Link

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PRI Politics & Society (External Link

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PRI This Week (External Link

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PRI's The World latest edition (External Link

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The Takeaway from PRI and WNYC (External Link

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Video

In the last year, PRI has also begun to provide video clips and content. Its videos are available on its website, www.pri.org, and Youtube. PRI is consistently listed in the top 100 not-for-profit channels for its youtube channel, youtube.com/pri(External Link

Further Information

Get more info on 'Public Radio International'.

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