Public Radio / Community Engagement

Some public radio stations are reaching out and trying to engage the community. It's an altruistic effort that is making these radio stations a valued member in their communities.
As a public media manager  are you wondering why you should care? Check out the National Center for Media Engagement. In their website are The Top Ten Reasons to Engage Your Community Beyond Broadcast.

Montana Public Radio will offer a free workshop, “Your Mission, Message and the Media." Christine Dascenzo, MTPR’s outreach coordinator, will lead the workshop, which aims to provide tactics to improve communication that nonprofits can implement on their own, such as how to create strategic messages, maintain their brand and network online. 

Read more in the Clark Fork Chronicle.

WMPG, Portland, Maine teams up with Blunt Youth Radio to create radio and community ties. 

Since 1994, Blunt Youth Radio Project has brought together up to 50 teenagers from a variety of schools to produce a weekly, call-in, public affairs radio show on WMPG-FM, 90.9 and 104.1, the non-profit, community radio station of the University of Southern Maine. The hour-long show features two teen hosts who interview guests on topical issues, interspersed with public radio-style feature reports, produced by the team's reporters.

There's more at Seacoastonline.com

WWOZ, New Orleans has been involved in Gulf Aid. Gulf Aid was a concert to benefit to help with the clean-up and those affected by the spill. The concert was in May. Gulf Aid continues with updates on the station's Website.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did apply for a position at NCME. It's been about a month since I last heard from them which leads me to believe they've moved on. Despite this turn, I think what they propose about public media engagement makes a lot of sense. This is an idea worth any station's consideration, and something I hope to bring with me wherever I land.

Oil Spill Coverage Varies for Public Radio on the Gulf

I took a trip around the Gulf of Mexico (a virtual trip) to find out what some of the local public radio stations are doing on their websites to highlight coverage of the gulf oil spill. I thought the oil spill might be an opportunity for public broadcasters to draw their communities together.
Below are the sites that stood out.


KUHF Houston, TX has a feature on how the hurricane forecast complicates issues and anxieties surrounding the spill.
Oil Spill Adds New Anxiety to Hurricane Season

"Hurricane season begins tomorrow.  The federal government expects 8 to 14 hurricanes this summer, when the average is only 6. Adding to the anxiety is the question of what happens if a hurricane hits the oil spill? Carrie Feibel takes a look into what might happen when a natural disaster crosses paths with a man-made disaster.


The webpage for the feature includes a hurricane and oil spill fact sheet.
There's more coverage inside from the Health, Science and Technology Desk.
I could not find a way for the audience or the community to interact with the station about this issue.


WWOZ New Orleans, LA (a station with a heritage music format) offers an impressive presence on the web. WWOZ engaged its listeners. The fundraiser raised over $1 million. There was an easy to find link on the front page.           
WWOZ Others Respond to BP Oil Disaster

On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig (leased by British Petroleum) set off an historic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the Louisiana coast. Efforts to stop the leak and keep oil out of our wetlands and bayous are ongoing, but the effects on fishing and wildlife on the Gulf Coast and beyond could be profound. Read on to find out what 'OZ is doing about it—and what you can do to help combat this growing ecologicaul and environmental crisis

WWNO, New Orleans has a box on their site dealing with the spill. WWNO is offering extensive local news coverage. The only weakness - I could not find a way for listeners to become involved and engaged on the website.  


Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Center

WWNO's Local Coverage NPR's National Coverage NOAA Incident Response Central

WHIL, Mobile offers a link on the front page and an oil spill drop down on the Home Tab.
There is information on how listeners can become involved and volunteer inside the website.


http://www.whil.org/subpage.asp?pageID=126


As I moved around the Gulf Coast I noticed that stations in Texas had little to offer on their websites with the exception of KUHF. Florida stations relied on their news coverage. WUSF has some local coverage through their news department. WLRN is covering the issue with their talk show Florida Roundup. I had to dig to find this information. The sites from these stations did not offer a way for the stations' listeners and website users to become involved and engaged with the station. Stations in areas most likely to be affected seemed to be most engaged at this time.