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.

Each spring the Public Radio Exchange releases the results of the “mostiest” stations, producers, and listeners for the previous calendar year. It’s like a zeitgeist — only funkier! And once again many of our clients won ‘prestigeous’ Zeitfunk Awards!

For the second year in a row, The Vinyl Cafe was the Most Licensed Series, and Most Licensed Group.

The highly popular Canadian program hosted by master storyteller Stuart McLean has been steadily gaining carriage in the states and is now heard on over 100 stations across the U.S.

Fred Flaxman, the creator, writer, producer, editor and host of the classical music series Compact Discoveries was the 2nd most licensed producer for the year.

Aaron Schwartz’s one-hour documentary special, Chasing the Crescent Moon: The Story of Dr. Frempong and Sickle Cell Disease, an inspiring story of one physician and the lives he has touched, was the Most Licensed Youth-Produced Piece for the second year in a row.

Congratulations to all of our winners!

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

Many of our shows won awards at the 2008 Zeitfunk Awards from PRX. Each spring PRX release the results of the “mostiest” stations, producers, and listeners for the previous calendar year. It’s like a zeitgeist — only funkier!

The Vinyl Cafe walked away with two 1st Place Awards; Most Licensed Group & Most Licensed Series!

One of Canada’s most popular radio programs, with over 750,000 North American listeners. Host and story-teller Stuart McLean is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist and humorist. The show features the music of up and coming Canadians — both live and recorded — and the misadventures of Dave — owner of the “Vinyl Cafe”, the world’s smallest record store (motto: “We may not be big, but we’re small”). Dave’s fictional milieu includes wife, Morley, their two children, Sam and Stephanie, and assorted friends, neighbors, and customers. Since 1998, Stuart has taken the show on the road to large and small towns across Canada from Newfoundland to the Yukon.

Liner Notes won for Most Licensed Debut Group.

Unlike any travel show on public radio, LINER NOTES is a journey in itself. A not-to-be-missed celebration of wit, wisdom and wanderlust.
Recorded over lunch at the Captain’s table aboard the legendary Queen Mary 2®, destinations as they are and as they exist in literature, painting, film, music and myth are discovered in monthly, hour-long “Algonquin Roundtable” gatherings of notable and award-winning authors, artists, journalists and musicians. Each conversation will raise themes relating to travel, such as “Falling in Love with a Place”, “The Benefits of Wandering,” “Lost in Translation,” or “Ex-Patriot Dreams.”

FIVE of our shows were in the TOP TEN for Most Licensed Piece from PRX.

• 3rd Most Licensed Piece – Picking Up the Pieces from Prime Time Radio

• 4th Most Licensed Piece – War and Place from Liner Notes

• 5th Most Licensed Piece – Peace Talks Radio: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Path To Nonviolence

• 8th Most Licensed Piece – Saving The Sierra

• 10th Most Licensed Piece – Sand, Still in My Shoes from Liner Notes

Chasing the Crescent Moon: The Story of Dr. Frempong and Sickle Cell Disease from Aaron Schwartz won Most Licensed Youth-Produced Piece.

Congratulations to all of our winners!