There’s a fast-approaching Request for Proposals (RFP) (due February 28!) from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and there’s one particular part of it that is too intriguing to pass up. To make it work we’re looking for a partner who will take the lead and have PRX as a collaborator for an exciting and worthy idea.
Here’s the excerpt from CPB’s RFP (the part we’re focused on is in bold)
Category 2 – Projects that increase public service through the Internet.
Public radio web sites that provide side channels of content serve a growing audience. Such sites are best positioned when they can extend and augment existing broadcast services. For example, they can provide an arena for development of new talent and programming that may benefit broadcast or HD Radio multi-cast channels. CPB seeks proposals for public radio Internet projects that will:
o Increase listening to existing public radio Internet side channels and position them for HD Radio multi-cast distribution.
o Develop new public radio Internet side channels of content, including those that will attract under-served listeners.
o Create models for stations or programs to use to measure public service achieved through Internet content.
With a catalog of thousands of hours of diverse and compelling and relevant radio content from all over the world, all in a digital index with metadata and rights info and other good things in the mix, PRX is primed to partner on creating interesting new streams for Internet radio and ultimately HD or new terrestrial signals (especially as our friends at PRC start getting new stations up and running with a need for new formats).
Just browsing through the PRX list of Formats, Topics, Tones, Generation PRX, or Docs on Demand, can spark a dozen ideas for new streams.
Here’s the basic idea:
- Create a continuous internet side channel radio stream using the PRX catalog, podcasts, and music.
- Partner with a station or other organization who would be lead applicant for CPB.
- Station would provide stream hosting, music catalog and potentially other programming.
- PRX would provide lots of content and tech for assembling the channel.
Main components of the project:
- A Digital Program Director position, assembles a stream/format from the PRX catalog, podcasts, music, custom interstitials & promos.
- Interface for assembling grid (using Campware perhaps), developed by PRX
- Licensing budget for content from PRX, podcasts, music
- Commissioning budget for original promos/interstitials/branding
- Marketing budget to get the word out
Goals:
- Create a compelling internet radio stream
- Demonstrate a cost-efficient and scalable approach to creating new formats
- Define a new sound
- Reach a significant, measurable and currently underserved audience
We’re under no illusions that this is a simple thing to pull off, but the ingredients are in place and if the right partner came along this could be a big deal.
So if you’re a station or an organization with the right configuration to work with PRX on this project, drop me a line and let’s talk. Do it soon, the deadline is coming right up. Even though we wouldn’t be the lead applicant, we’re pretty good grant writers and can help flesh out the concept, put some real numbers on it, and craft the kind of language that will captures what’s important and exciting about this idea right now.
