Saturday, August 30, 2008
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 |  Getting updated, wired and unwired to enhance public service "Interacting with a radio audience efficiently and thoughtfully requires a tremendous amount of equipment, software and digital technology," says Jon McTaggart, Senior Vice President and COO of Minnesota Public Radio. "Virtually everything we do has a technology hook." The Next Standard includes a significant investment in advanced technology. The new facility will house more studios and edit suites, new digital production equipment, as well as new software, databases and data processing technologies that will serve as foundational building blocks for greater public service, including new cultural programming and Public Insight Journalism. Digitizing the archives is another critical initiative of the campaign. "Our entire archive is analog," states McTaggart. "It's tens of thousands of hours of superb programming that dates back to MPR's inception, including some of the region's best cultural performances, the most compelling news events, and some of the best speeches that public figures have made." The archive is deteriorating because tapes have a limited life-span. Moreover, there's no easy and efficient way to access content. "Someone has to go to the library, pull the tape, and go through it to find required material," says McTaggart. "The vision for the digital archive is to convert the archives into digital form-storage devices that will never be corrupted or lost-then catalog it in ways that will allow staff and, eventually, the public to access it." Converting analog material into digital requires a significant investment in new technology. "Some of these materials are in delicate shape," notes McTaggart. "We've purchased special ovens to 'bake' the tapes. This enables us to pull material from them." Gary Comer, the founder of Lands' End and a long-time supporter of MPR, has made a generous gift for digitizing the archives. While it won't cover the entire process, it will enable many parts of the collection to be completed. "This is a huge opportunity for improving our programming," says McTaggart. "We can bring that material to the public through radio and various levels of online access." The campaign will also enable new ways of delivering programs and services that go beyond radio, including satellite techniques. "One recent study says that 22 million American adults now use either an iPod or an MP3-player," says McTaggart. "As audiences adopt portable and wireless devices, it's important for MPR to decide how to meet audience needs through those technologies." Using the Web in unexpected ways is a huge expansion of service New technology will also enhance MPR's Internet capabilities. The regional online news service is not only among the most rapidly growing activities of MPR, it's one of the areas of greatest potential: more and more Minnesotans are turning to the news site to become informed. "We can put six to eight minutes of a story on air, but we can put the entire 20 to 30 minute interview on our Web site," says McTaggart. "This gives our audience the chance to go even deeper." Mike Bettison, Director, New Media, runs all Web site production for MPR and APM. This includes two regional service Web sites (mpr.org and scpr.org), 22 national program Web sites, and MPR's station services site, apmstations.org. "We create Web pages and work with program and broadcast teams to identify opportunities for the Web sites," says Bettison. "For example, two of our online news editors work directly with newsroom staff to put stories on the sites. And our Web producer for Marketplace in Los Angeles works closely with those reporters and editors to create that program's site." Bettison says the ability to digitize and archive "absolutely everything we do" and offer it back to the audience when and where they want it is an enormous leap in service. "The notion that a story goes onto the Web and is searchable by Google now and five years from now is an incredibly important extension of a story's impact," he says. "One reporter called the Web the medium of record. While radio may be the best expression of a story in the moment, the Web is where a record of that piece will be created and maintained." The new facility will make Web production easier. "Our best opportunity for integrated media-on the Web, on radio, in an event is when we have a working personal relationship with colleagues," says Bettison. "Proximity throws us into the mix. I want the 89.3 Web producer next to 89.3 radio people, the online news editors in the radio newsroom, and so on. The new building will allow us to further break down operational silos and focus on more relevant content for our audiences." McTaggart puts it this way. "Radio is a bridge between communities. It's better than any other media at doing this. New technologies will enable us to make those bridges stronger, to build additional bridges, and to serve audiences better and faster than before." | |
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