PUBLIC RADIO PROGRAM DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION

The Public Radio Talk Show Handbook is public radio’s first comprehensive online guide to creating and producing local news/information/talk programming. A joint project of PRPD and the NPR Local News Initiative, the handbook identifies a broad array of best practices and tools to help stations deliver high quality local shows on a consistent basis.

Click here to see the handbook’s Table of Contents.

The guide provides sound advice covering all aspects of local show production – from that first idea for doing a show to the demands and details of day-to-day production;

* The Listener Service Foundation - What we know about public radio listeners; who they are, what draws them to us and what they expect when they tune in.
* Building a Strong Infrastructure – A checklist for planning your program’s mission, format, staffing, funding and sustainability.
* Editorial Planning - Proven practices, tips and tools for selecting and shaping your show’s content.
* On the Air - Hosting and interviewing, caller screening, handling and the craft and formatic details and promotion and marketing that go into making great shows.
* A growing collection of Tools and examples is also provided.
 
We also presented a Webinar reviewing the content and showing how to use the Handbook.

PRPD and the LNI want to add even more tools and resources so if you’ve got something to share with your public radio colleagues, we invite you to email it to us at info@prpd.org.

   For a small investment of $500 or $600, your station can have your audience included in the 2009 Public Radio Technology Survey.  Participating stations will receive private, customized data on the technology use of your audience.  Click here for more information.

Sponsored by PRPD, iMA and NPR, designed and conducted by Jacobs Media, the 2008 Public Radio Technology Survey last year's survey queried over 30,000 public radio listeners from 70 stations on their use of a wide range of technology. In the largest survey ever conducted for Public Radio, powerful insights emerged.  

Click the links below for extensive reviews of 2008 results.

Results in PDF Files (with graphs)      View Webinar: (PRPD members only) 

Summary of Findings

To tweet or not to tweet, that is the question PRPD posed in our most recent webinar. Master tweeter Bruce Warren of WXPN provided an overview of Twitter, and why it’s exploding as a social media platform along with Facebook as a way to connect with your communities. We’ll examine how stations are using Twitter for programming, marketing and fundraising.  View the Webinar.

In the previous webinar, Todd Mundt of Louisville Public Media and Betsy Harman (Harman Interactive) explored the current Facebook landscape and provided thoughts about how to best use Facebook.  PRPD members can now view and download their presentations.  You might also want to check our new page of links to many of our members' Facebook pages.

Listen to how stations have put the research into practice in midday music selection.

Listen to the sounds that most polarized listeners in our Midday Classical Testing Project.  While Serious listeners like them, they were rated extremely Negative by Casual listeners.

See our webinar on Applying the PRPD Midday Classical Research.