12 Aug 2008
US public radio and television broadcasters, like their commercial counterparts and the BBC, face formidable challenges resulting from rapid technological change, audience fragmentation and declining viewership. Old media models are breaking down in the new environment characterized by user generated content, collaborative production and filtering, and peer-to-peer distribution. Younger people, especially, live in a media world centered on participatory communication platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia.
Public media can (and must) learn from others’ successes and mistakes – both ‘new media’ born in the networked world, and ‘old media’ that are successfully making the transition. This seminar will describe some innovative efforts underway in the US that may help public media organizations embrace participatory models and practices.