Jake Shapiro
Jake Shapiro of PRX (Public Radio Exchange) responds to Barrett Golding’s article about independent distribution on the PRX Blog.
Jake said:
“With tens of thousands of programs churning through PRX it is a constant puzzle to get the best stuff up and out. We use a mix of smart humans (PRX editors, curators, commenters) and smart machines (search, metadata, collaborative filtering and recommendations) to do it. We recognized early on that PRX would need to exercise editorial discretion to be valuable and relevant to stations and audiences, and fulfill our mission of surfacing new and compelling voices for public radio.”
Check out the full response here.
Barrett Golding
In regard to marketing a program Barret Golding said:
“Whether you distribute with PRX, PRSS, or on your own, don’t forget about marketing: i.e., making stations aware your series/story exists. Best bet for better carriage is often an experienced marketer. Expect to spend at least 10 percent of your total budget for minimal but effective marketing; 25 percent is not unrealistic for a full-on campaign. And thank your stars you’re not a moviemaker where the marketing budget can be half to twice the size of the film’s production budget.”
Check out the full article here.
Compact Discoveries is a series of one-hour, classical music radio programs, which, true to its title, introduces listeners to some of the most exciting and unusual compositions to be found on compact discs. Award-winning host-producer-writer Fred Flaxman organizes his weekly hour of classical selections thematically: “Brazilian Beats,” “Discs for Dishwashing,” “The Tune that Drove Composers Wild,” “The French Gershwin,” “The Cuban Gershwin,” “Best Music For Backrubs,” “Aaron Copland: The Brooklyn Cowboy,” “Fauré’s Fiascos”…and on and on. Fred’s easy-going manner and wit, combined with his masterful grasp of musicology make him an ideal presenter and guide. Listeners love the show, and broadcasters have nothing but praise for it: “If there is any hope of interesting more radio listeners in classical music, it will be because of programs like Compact Discoveries. The host, Fred Flaxman, makes this music accessible, fascinating and fun. Program directors across the country owe it to their listeners to add this terrific, imaginative, creative series to their schedules.”
– Jerry Carr, President and CEO, WXEL-TV-DT-FM
PRX’S MOST LICENSED PRODUCER AND/OR MOST LICENSED SERIES 3 YEARS RUNNING!
AVAILABLE: PRX, FTP Download, & CDs
Perfect for Black AIDS Awareness Day (February 7th), LiveHopeLove is a one hour special that looks at the universal problems faced by people with HIV/AIDS, through the specific lens of Jamaica, where almost no one is unaffected by the disease. What are the unique realities of this small island nation that set its HIV/AIDS sufferers apart from those in the rest of the world? Poet and writer Kwame Dawes travels to Jamaica to explore the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS and to examine how the disease has shaped their lives. Dawes’ poems, inspired by their stories, take this documentary into deep realms of the heart.
LENGTH: 59 minutes, AVAILABLE: Exclusively on PRX
Creative PR is alive and kicking after Tuesday’s earthquake in Los Angeles. There were no problems; besides the phone line’s “all circuits busy” for about an hour and the rattled nerves of our smallest four-legged employees. To mark this special news, take a listen to some of the SPECIALS that are now available. Schedule them today!
The Story of Lata – A 54 minute radio special that examines a culture reviving ancient traditions as possible solutions to sustain its communities. The forgotten arts of sailing and navigation may be the answer to rising fuel costs for Solomon Islanders in a remote corner of the South Pacific.
Liner Notes: Sand Still in My Shoes - For Labor Day, the 4th installment of the Liner Notes series of specials.
Saving the Sierra - A richly produced one-hour special about how unlikely allies are coming together to preserve rural culture from rapid residential growth, sustain local economies as recreation developments boom, and protect clean water and open space for future generations.
What’s the Word? : Hispanic Heritage Month – For Hispanic Heritage Month (15 Sept. – 15 Oct.), the smart, engaging, and highly produced literary series from the Modern Language Association, presents two half-hour programs celebrating Puerto Rican and Latin American literature.
