Am I The Only One Not Interested In The “Public Radio” Quest? Why Is Podshow The Only One That Gets Called Evil?

by Paul Colligan on March 24, 2007

Bandwagon jumping alert …

UPDATE: More comments from me here.

So, public radio is going American Idol on us and looking for their “Public Radio Talent Quest.”

Yawn.

That’s right, you the Podcaster can give up the ability to control what you say, when you say it, how you say it, etc. for the life of the show that “the public” owns. You might even get to move. Yay!

Something tells me this won’t be a show you produce from your own studio.

Underwritten by oil, mutual fund, and drug companies of course.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for CPB, and I’m glad they’re there, it’s just that us Podcasters have gone the path we have not because we’re frustrated radio DJs, but because we are frustrated with the radio DJ scene.

I guess there is a “beat ‘em by joining them” angle here that some might want to take – but not me.

Simply said, I’m not conviced that there is a Podcasting soul out there with “talent to win” who couldn’t take the same effort they put into bringing clicks to CPB and producing great content for CPB, who couldn’t do the same for themselves. They’d also be MUCH better off in the end.

And, by the way, after you’ve done all that, you’d own the content, not CPB.

At least the winner of Idol gets a record contract (and possibly lipo). Here you’ll get some cash, no guarantees, and you just gave public radio a lot of your hard effort. You also spent a great deal of time producing content for them and sending audience share their way.

Do you really think they’re going to give a “newbie” a show? This is just positioning.

Important: As of publication, CPB hasn’t even published the rules for this program (and the page has been up for more than two months now). That’s right, they’re asking you to join without telling you what the rules are.

That, dear friends, should scream loud and clear that they’re cashing in on our buzz. And several Podcasters are looking to let them.

Why is is that CPB can get away with doing the very thing everyone says Podshow is “evil” for doing?

At least Podshow at least tells you the rules and let’s you negotiate accordingly.

If you want to hand over the “business stuff” to someone else, I can point you to a number of options far better.

And, dear friends, I dare say Podshow would be one of them.

In addition, I bet this audience has a higher goal than winning “the American Idol of Podcasting For Public Radio.”

As the old joke goes, second prize is two shows on public radio.

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  • bob54656
    There’s a new face on the Grand Rapids Public Radio scene. Has anyone heard the new 1680 AM? It used to be Radio Disney, but now bills itself as WPRR, Public Reality Radio. They do progressive, educational broadcasting. They also have a live stream right off of their website at http://www.publicrealityradio.org. Take a look at their catalogue of shows. One of my personal favorites is The Thomas Jefferson Hour. Humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson speaks on a variety of historical and contemporary issues in the character of Thomas Jefferson. It’s unlike any show I’ve ever heard before and is extremely interesting. Other new content that they have is as equally captivating. Shows like “Dogma Free America” and “Freethought Radio” and other Pacifica Radio content will more than likely make some waves in conservative West Michigan, but I for one am pleasantly surprised that there is some refreshing new content being offered to the Grand Rapids community.
  • I think public radio has a great track record of embracing new media.

    If you look at the top podcasts on iTunes, a huge percentage of them are public radio shows. Public radio had no business model for this, and it was very tough on local stations, but they knew that the public interest was served by giving away the show however they could. So they, with very few exceptions, did just that.

    Again, this is about an embrace of the community and an opening of the doors.

    You're talking about all this attention and ten ad buys and whatnot... what are they adveritising here? The CPB? That honestly doesn't make any sense at all.

    Listen: this is a really exciting extension of the mandate and values of public media. And it's for people who share those values.

    If your goal is to serve the public, having a potential audience of 250 million rather than 10 million is a HUGE difference.

    And again -- I'm a community broadcast AND a podcaster. I host one show that's on the radio in big places (it got on the radio thanks to the podcast), and I produce several others that are podcast only. I am of both worlds.

    But I know personally the folks who are running this, and they are the most progressive minded folks in public radio, and that's a community that I think is doing the best of any major media community to embrace new media. And that's because they're motivated by the public's interests, not their own.
  • People seem to think that the end goal of podcasting is getting yourself into mainstream media - as if podcasting is the training camp for bid media. I don't see it that way. I have a larger audince than most radio station in small-medium markets, plus my show is broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio each week. I get to do and say what I want. Additionally, I make a nice chunk of change each month. There are no restrictions. I will grant you that public radio is 100 times better than most traditional media, but still, it's naive to think that you'd ever get the freedom and autonomy to do the same type of show you do in a podcast on FM or AM radio.

    Scott Parent
    AmericanCliche.net
  • Well to be fair, no one has given them anything yet. They are also stating that rules will be posted before the first round begins on the 16 of April.

    I imagine that yes, they are working on driving traffic and interest in the contest, which is why the big online media push happened. I see no harm in that. Heck really it isn't costing anyone a dime, just perhaps some time. Time that we're spending online anyway. :-)

    So, I'm willing to stick it out and see what happens. I do agree in the hope that it doesn't backfire on them, because although I have no big starry-eyed dreams of getting the show prize out of this, I know there are probably many who do.

    It will be quite interesting to see how it all plays out!
    ~D
  • Dani,

    I don't know if it is "shady" as much as it is simply bandwagon jumping with no real effort behind it. I mean, really, give us your stuff, join us now, and we'll make up the rules later? Someone didn't think this all the way through.

    And, of course, I'll bet you when they think it all the way through they'll realize that don't really want what they're asking for.

    Jesse,

    There is, of course, value in being associated with a big brand.

    That is, of course, if the big brand would lt you benefit from the association.

    I'm met radio types who are FORBIDDEN to mention their Podcast on the air out of nothing but complete and total fear from the radio stations.

    Fear.

    Remember, non-profit only means that at the end of the year, there's nothing left in the bank account. We have a non profit director here in town who made $650k last year. That's plenty of "profit" for me.

    I know how much companies pay to be on non-profit radio. I used to pay those bills myself.

    If it was about bringing new voices to public radio they would explain the shows that these new voices would bring. If it was about mutual respect, they would post rules that show mutual respect.

    It is about grabbing some major Podcast mind and time share for less than 10 decent ad inserts.

    It's brilliant on their part, but to make some Podcaster think this contest is going to lead to a show is just wrong.

    Paul
  • You're waaaaay off base here. This is about bringing new voices to public radio, not about generating clicks or stealing content.

    Some people (including myself) believe in the values of public radio, and the contest was created in that spirit.

    "Simply said, I’m not conviced that there is a Podcasting soul out there with “talent to win” who couldn’t take the same effort they put into bringing clicks to CPB and producing great content for CPB, who couldn’t do the same for themselves. They’d also be MUCH better off in the end."

    Perhaps you don't see any value in being associated with public radio, which is one of the most esteemed media "brands" in the US, or in being on the airwaves, with access to 99.9% of Americans, rather than 5%. But I certainly do.

    I've been podcasting since 2004, and have been a public radio producer since 1999.

    Has it ever occured to you that the CPB (and PRX, which is running this contest) are non-profit entities? That, plus a 35-year track record of operating in the public interest, might be why people are willing to cut them some slack on not posting rules fast enough.

    Sheesh.
  • I don't know, I guess I am participating in it because I still believe in the concept of public radio.

    For me, I am looking at getting the message of my current cast out to a wider range of people. The news on public radio has always been more liberal. No, I have no clue of the rules, but I do know what is required for the first round. I'm also cutting them some slack because it's the first year they have ever tried this.

    I have no illusions, or stars in my eyes at this either. I'm just going to do what I love to do- talk and bring some truth to listeners.

    If we want the concept of public radio to remain where it should be- in the publics control- then wouldn't this perhaps be a good thing? Besides, if it doesn't work, and it's somehow shady on the part of CPB, I'd be the first and the loudest in calling the bluff.

    So what's the harm? :)
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