One attempt to meld Web, public radio sputters

In many ways, marrying the Internet and public radio seems like a no-brainer. Our radio audience typically ranks high on measures of engagement. The Web provides a wide open, two-way communication channel that can foster interaction in a way that the traditional broadcast-only model never could.

Here at MPR we've tried to take advantage of that opportunity in a number of ways - Public Insight Journalism is one such attempt, the In the Loop show is another.

Public radio veteran Christopher Lydon has been trying to achieve a similar Web/radio union with his Open Source program/blog enterprise. It's been a tough go, though, and last week Lydon announced he's pulling the plug on the radio component, at least temporarily, and hopes to regroup by fall.