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Research: Mapping Public Radio’s Independent Landscape – What is a Public Radio Independent?

Excerpt from application to CPB: September 9, 2002
Written by Sue Schardt, SchardtMEDIA

One of the first critical tasks in developing the Mapping Public Radio’s Independent Landscape initiative is the need to define what an independent producer is. Who is it we’re talking about, exactly, and what are the precise parameters that will guide those of us conducting the research, as well as the respondents who will participate?

In quizzing a number of individuals who have a history of involvement with independent producers in the system, we find that there is some degree of subjectivity in how one defines what an independent producer is. When asked ‘how do you define ‘independent producer’?’ here are a range of responses:

Jay Allison, Independent Producer:

For a production to be truly independent, the producer must have editorial and budgetary control of the project, and must not be producing as a staff member of a broadcast station. Any producer--or citizen, for that matter--can undertake an independent project. The nature of the project can vary widely, from something as basic as a spoken essay to a fully-produced documentary or drama. That would be the simple and pure definition.

Of course, life is seldom simple and pure, and there are many DEGREES of independence between work-for-hire on one hand and autonomous authorship on the other. From an acquirer's point of view, “independent” work might be that which comes from non-staff. Independents might be thought of as any outside contractor.

There's certainly a need for data on public radio work that is acquired or broadcast from non-station, non-network sources, and any statistics should reflect DEGREES of independence, everything along the spectrum from freelance to independent.

Jim Russell, Senior VP and GM of Marketplace Productions:

An independent producer is an individual who produces radio, TV or film without benefit of staff status, employment or benefits but with the freedom to pursue his or her vision providing sufficient resources exist. Independents are usually driven by a passion for their craft or art form, and unwilling to give up control of their creative product or pay obeisance to a bureaucracy and a bureaucratic way of doing things -- as one must do when employed. Or, they may be unable to secure fulltime employment. An independent producer spends much of his or her time marketing him or herself and generally works at a loss, subsidizing his/her work and failing to earn a reasonable living. Independent production is not financially viable for all but a handful of independent producers.

Melinda Ward, Senior VP of PRI Productions:

An independent producer is somebody who is self employed. There are good, creative independent producers and there are bad ones. The definition is value free. One quality they share if they are to make a living at it, they are good at fundraising.

Dmae Robert, Executive Producer of 1stPerson.org:

An independent producer is a radio producer who produces independently from a radio station or network but may have an independent production company. Usually [works] with own grant funding and not dependent on fees or commissions by stations and networks.

Torey Malatia, General Manager at WBEZ/Chicago Public Radio:

I would say that an independent producer is a non-staff, commissioned person or production house (e. g., Kitchen Sisters), creating custom work at the request of a station or network of stations or umbrella production (like Prairie Home or TAL). And no matter how closely you work with them, even if you receive joint credit on the production in question, as long as they operate as an independent contractor and are paid per piece as a free-lancer, they are an independent producer.

Dolores Brandon, Executive Director of the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) answers with a list-poem:

An independent producer
is self-employed, self-sufficient, works in isolation
lives in his/her studio
owns the tools of his/her trade
reads new product catalogs thoroughly, assiduously
is an entrepreneur: autocratic, inventive, multi-talented
has a passion for the craft
thinks of her/himself as an artist
plays day and night with his/her machines
obsesses over an edit
thinks deeply about a subject
does exhaustive research
has a distinctive point of view that gets translated into the work
is often eccentric, a non-conformist, dresses poorly
hates conference calls
owns a telephone against his/her will
is devoted to freedom of speech and expression
is the voice of the voiceless
stands up for the rights of everyone but him/herself.
is a loner
keeps his/her light under a bushel
tends to be
underestimated, undervalued, under compensated by the public radio system
is out of the loop, disenfranchised
has no seat at the decision making table
is treated as a child, not in charge of his/her economic fate
is falsely accused of whining
if often invisible, considered not to exist
is a talent gone to waste
is the brightest, shiniest trophy on the network wall.

In this brief and informal exercise, we find then, that the "independent producer" we seek to study, and who is referred to in this proposal is, among other things, a) in control of the budget and editorial aspects of a project, b) underappreciated, c) admired, d) creative, e) invisible/out of the loop, g) subject to definition on a sliding scale, h) passionate, i) self sufficient, h) righteous.

For the purposes here, we’d ask the reader to hold in their minds a relatively broad definition of who the independent producer is, with the understanding that the first order of business in conducting the research will be, of course, to define and identify the study group, which will be accomplished through a brief query conducted at the start of the telephone survey and, understanding too, that the overall goal of the study is create a precise, as yet elusive, profile of the independent producer in public radio.

All details and ideas outlined in this document are proprietary and confidential and intended only for the recipient. No portion of it may be reproduced or disseminated without the any expressed permission of SchardtMEDIA.