The Poynter Institute and Public Media Company are launching the Future of Public Media Initiative. The partners are calling it a national effort to “reimagine” a public media system built to serve communities.
Poynter and Public Media Company will head research to identify what’s currently working in public media, what’s missing, and what are the biggest areas of need.
That will develop a set of recommendations, according to a release. The recommendations will include a mission and vision, key principles, structure and funding models, while the partners promise to organize a national effort “to bring them to life.”
Recommendations will be released early next year and will be available for free, according to Tim Isgitt, Public Media Company’s CEO.
The initiative will work with a research partner, City Square Associates, which has conducted research on the needs, sentiments and opinions of approximately 100,000 U.S. adults. That survey will be released later this month, according to Current.
Organizers believe that the effort will form a coalition made up of civic leaders, public media station leaders and staff, as well as listeners. Interested parties and stations can sign up for updates on the Future of Public Media Initiative at the project’s website.
Poynter has worked with around 300 public media stations. It has recently offered advice for stations to increase revenue and audience through digital means.
Public Media Company, meanwhile, has worked with approximately 450 local media organizations, helping to facilitate mergers, acquisitions, operating agreements and content partnerships.
The company also launched the Public Media Bridge Fund to help stations with funding, following the shuttering of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
