JMS

Boston Herald on Talent Quest. This pass mostly gets it right:

Public radio is jumping on the reality talent search bandwagon - launching its own version of the TV megahit “American Idol” as it scours the country for its next big radio star.

With an eye on the Web-savvy and Generations X and Y, the contest is being held online by the Public Radio Exchange in Cambridge, a nonprofit Web site that links producers of radio programs with public radio stations.

“We wanted to use the Web as a way to cast a really wide net to find new talent for public radio,” said Jake Shapiro, executive director of the Public Radio Exchange.

Shapiro said public radio is trying to “broaden its appeal to new audiences.”

“It needs to grow like any other industry,” Shapiro said yesterday. “It needs to reflect a much more diverse public that’s grown up around the country and that, in many ways, isn’t yet tuning into public radio.”

Would-be hosts should create a two-minute, personality-driven audio demo of talk, entertainment or music and then upload it to www.publicradioquest starting April 16.

“In the first round, we really just want to learn who you are - it’s about your personality,” said Shapiro, who said contestants will undergo four rounds.

The public can vote and contestants will be critiqued by a panel of judges that include Jay Allison, producer of National Public Radio’s “This I Believe” series.

Three winners will be paired with a producer who will help them create a pilot program for public radio.

While baby boomers have been public radio’s core audience, Shapiro said more and more Gen X-ers are tuning in and will eventually make up the majority of public radio’s listeners.

“It’s a continual challenge to figure out how to bring in the next generation of listeners,” Shapiro said.

Compared to commercial radio, public radio’s audience has doubled over the past two decades and grew tremendously after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but has hit a plateau in the past couple years, Shapiro said.

“It’s just a question of, is the growth going to continue and if so, where is it coming from?” Shapiro said.