(Community Matters) NPR’s average listener is 52yo; I think the average age for donors even higher. They’ve launched an initiative termed Generation Listeners, which according to the NYT is “a campaign to make public radio cool in the minds and ears of young people.” My interpretation is that they are discovering – listening to learn what type of programming and features appeals to a generation of listeners more accustomed to Pandora, the radio service which plays musical selections of a certain genre based on the user’s artist selection, further customizing the stream basked on user feedback.
I attended a dinner Sunday night for this group and about 40 20- & 30-somethings organized by Will Meredith, Mike Kellerman & Nick Ashburn at Lynn & Tom’s abode. We had a robust discussion on four topics Sunday: 1) the two-way street (transparency & crowd sourced content), 2) Curation & Syndication, 3) Information Overdose and 4) Personalization.
At my table we discussed three content generation models 1) Authoritative Content, 2) Curated Content and 3) Crowd Sourced Content (I don’t think 1 & 2 are mutually exclusive), looking for ways to increase the “two-way street.” There was an assumption that younger listeners require an opportunity to be heard as well as to listen. Not sure I buy the assumption in this context. Afterward, Guy Ross, All Things Considered host, seemed to strongly favor the first content model, acknowledging it is simultaneously the second.
A notable quote from the evening: Is the intention to create a thought or to create thought? And, a notable term I like: Car Seat NPR Listener – analogous to a cradle Episcopalian
Community Matters 