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Research: Mapping Public Radio's Independent Landscape – Siemering Signs On

Public Radio comes together to "Map Public Radio’s Independent Landscape"

Bill Siemering tagged as contributing editor

PRESS UPDATE: December 12, 2003
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In the latest development for the SchardtMEDIA’s Mapping Public Radio’s Independent Landscape , Bill Siemering signed on as contributing editor and will work with Project Director Sue Schardt on the final study, which is slated for completion in Spring 2004. Siemering, as a member of the founding NPR board, wrote the NPR mission and was later hired as the first director of programming. With the staff, he developed public radio’s flagship news program All Things Considered and has for the past ten years been traveling around the world helping develop local radio stations in new democracies from South Africa to Mongolia. While on the NPR board, he proposed the Satellite Development Fund to support independent producers. Later, he was the first executive producer of SOUNDPRINT, designed to showcase the work of independent producers.

SchardtMEDIA recently released the names for the Advisory Team the project which commenced in September 2003. The advisors are: Dolores Brandon/Executive Director of AIR, Dale Spear/Vice-President of Programming and Acquisitions at PRI, Joanna Zorn/Executive Director of the Third Coast International Radio Festival, Peggy Berryhill of Native American Public Radio, Craig Curtis/Director of Research and Station Relations at MPR, Will Lewis/Program Director for KCRW in Los Angeles, Davia Nelson/The Kitchen Sisters, Jake Shapiro/Executive Director of the Public Radio Exchange, Peggy Girshman/Assistant Managing Editor at NPR, and WGBH’s John Voci/Station Director for WCAI/WNAN.

Mapping Public Radio’s Independent Landscape will evaluate 2700 hours of programming and reach out to an estimated 1500 domestic radio producers affiliated with a broad representation of programs and constituencies across public radio including AIR, CPB, Free Speech Radio News/Pacifica, KCRW, Latino USA, Living on Earth, MPR programming, National Native News, Native America Public Radio, NPR, PRI, SoundPrint, The Latino Summit, The Public Radio Exchange, The Third Coast International Radio Festival, The World, and WGBH. Outreach to producers began in early December.

The study is designed to measure, for the first time, the contribution independent producers make to the public radio and will establish economic benchmarks for the system at large with respect to independent programming. A perceptual survey – which goes into Beta testing in mid-December -- will help provide insight into where acquirers and independents converge and diverge on a range of issues.

The project is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in partnership with NPR and project investors KCRW in Los Angeles, Minnesota Public Radio, Public Radio International, and WGBH Radio. SchardtMEDIA’s research partners are George Bailey/Walrus Research, Craig Oliver, and Steve Martin.