Creative PR is attending the 2009 Public Media Conference.

The sixth Public Media Conference takes place in a period of accelerating media transformation.

Online video is exploding, although no one has figured out how to “monitize it” effectively. Daily usage of online video rose by 56 percent over the last year. (Frank Magid Associates research report, June 2009). At the same time, Current, the public broadcasting newspaper tells us: “[P]ublic TV ratings have dropped 37 percent in the past decade, from 1.9 in 1998-99 to 1.2 in 2007-08. The biggest factor is a surge in audience fragmentation.”

Newspapers are facing a near perfect storm: loss of readership, loss of critical ad revenue, competition from new media. The Chicago Tribune Company is in bankruptcy. The Detroit Free Press will stop sending subscriptions to homes–and instead offer a virtual facsimile of a newspaper online because online newspaper readership is rising at twice the rate of the general internet audience (according to research by Nielsen//NetRatings for the Newspaper Association of America.)

While radio listening remained fairly stable–and public radio continues to be remarkably competitive–commercial radio is sagging from a poor ad sales, a lack of creative offers and savage competition from downloads, iPods and other forms of “personal media.”

And, of course, American itself is changing. The Boomers who dominated its culture since the mid-60′s are being pushed aside by a variety of cohorts, including a new generation of “digital natives.” The election of Barack Obama has been interpreted as symbolic of a change in the self-image of America: This new America is more “multi-medial” and multi-cultural. Meanwhle public broadcasting, to be honest, is struggling to reflect this shift in media use and audience diversity.

In this conference, we will do our best to offer positive solutions to the challenges public broadcasters face as we grapple with “multi platform competition in the next two to five years.

Provide your listeners with new and engaging content with these free 90 second modules!

Discovery Now – For your listeners who are fascinated with space and all of its implications in today’s world, Discovery Now brings must-have information from the world of extra-terrestrial aeronautics.  Hosted by Jennifer Pulley and produced by the National Institute of Aerospace, this daily 90-second information dynamo covers all kinds of space-related topics.  Produced to air daily at the top of the hour or as a drop in to fill those unexpected holes in your programming.  AVAILABLE:  CD, Downloads, Podcast

The Loh Down on Science - Science with a Sense of Humor! Each weekday, Sandra Tsing Loh — irrepressible humorist, pub-radio celebrity (Marketplace, This American Life), and Caltech alumna–delivers the 90-second modules as only she can, with her own unique brand of “smarts and sass.”  Available: CD, ContentDepot(coming soon), FTP, DOWNLOAD

Isla Earth – A radio series that explores today’s most important challenges to the environment and impressive successes in conservation. These  modules encourage ecological awareness, deepen understanding of our natural world, and encourage environmentally sustainable choices. Produced by the Catalina Island Conservancy.  AVAILABLE: CD, mp2,  Podcast

The Plant Detective – Botanical gumshoe Flora Delaterre, aka The Plant Detective, takes listeners around the globe as she explores the uses, benefits, efficacy, history, and conservation issues of medicinal plants. This delightfully informative module is produced by Beth Judy for Montana Public Radio, with content review by the Botanical Medicine faculty of Bastyr University.  AVAILABLE: CD, PRX

The Shambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles will present a Level 1 & 2 Qigong program featuring Master Eva Wong at Center For The Arts in Eagle Rock on March 7th & 8th.  Ms Wong is a 19th generation master of this ancient practice of physical fitness, which has been used for thousands of years in China to balance and retain youthfulness in the body.

The healing Taoist practice of Qigong cultivates strength of body and calmness of mind through an integration of physical postures, breathing techniques, and focused intentions. Its gentle, rhythmic movements have been proven to reduce stress, build stamina, increase vitality, and enhance the immune system. It has also been found to improve cardiovascular, respiratory, circulatory, lymphatic and digestive functions.
According to Ms. Wong, those who maintain a consistent practice of Qigong find that it helps one regain a youthful vitality. In more than thirty research studies, Qigong has been found to reverse the effects of aging.

The program will provide a rare opportunity to receive instruction in two unique lineages: the Pre-celestial Limitless Gate School (Xiantianwujimen) and the Yiquan School, neither of which have previously been fully transmitted to students in the West. (more…)