Public Radio International
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Public Radio International, or PRI, is a not-for-profit corporation based in the United States founded in 1983 to develop non-commercial audio programming for public radio and other audio venues. It is the United States' largest distributor of non-commercial radio programming. "PRI" produces or co-produces some of the programs it distributes, but most of them are produced by other entities.
PRI distributes over 400 hours of programming each week. Topics include news, classical music, and contemporary culture. Approximately 740 radio stations and other audio venues broadcast PRI programs or stream them online. According to 2002 Arbitron ratings, 15.2 million listeners hear PRI programming each week.
Although many National Public Radio (NPR) stations broadcast shows distributed by PRI, NPR and PRI are distinct, competing radio producers and distributors. Many listeners associate popular shows such as This American Life with NPR, but these shows and many more are actually distributed by PRI.
When it was founded, PRI was known as the American Public Radio Network. The corporation changed its name to Public Radio International in 1994 to reflect its growing interest and involvement in international audio publishing, and many collaborations with the BBC.
PRI programming receives funding from station fees, corporate underwriting, and individual and corporate grants. Less than 2% of PRI's operating budget comes from the US federal government.
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Mission
- The mission of Public Radio International is to engage listeners with distinctive radio programs that provide information, insights, and cultural experiences essential to understanding a diverse, interdependent world. (From the PRI website (http://www.pri.org/PublicSite/inside/text_mission.html))
Public radio, PRI and NPR
Public radio is a generic term for radio stations or programming that is not funded by advertising—specifically commercials. It is the opposite of commercial radio, the funding setup for most radio stations in the United States.
PRI and NPR are the two largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the United States, and they compete with each other for slots on public radio stations and the attention of listeners.
Any given public radio station may be an NPR member and an affiliate of PRI simultaneously. Nationwide, about 25% of the typical public radio station's programming is produced by NPR. PRI produces about 20%, and the remaining 55% is produced by the local radio station itself.
PRI is a younger organization than NPR, which was founded 13 years earlier in 1970. Many PRI shows draw a younger overall audience than shows produced by NPR. Some listeners and critics believe that PRI programs feature a wider range of voices than NPR programs.
Radio programs distributed by PRI
- Afropop Worldwide
- Host: Georges Collinet
- Produced by Sean Barlow for World Music Productions
- American Routes
- Host: Nick Spitzer
- Produced by MBK Productions
- Ask Dr. Science
- Host: Dan Coffey
- Produced by Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater
- BBC World Service
- Produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation
- Brain Brew
- Hosts: Doug Hall and David Wecker
- Produced by Mark Perzel and WGUC/Cincinnati
- Capitol Hill Bureau from PRI
- Host: Melinda Wittstock
- Produced by PRI
- The World
- Host: Lisa Mullins
- Produced by BBC World Service
- Conversations from the World Cafe
- Host: David Dye
- Produced by WXPN/Philadelphia
- Echoes
- Host: John Diliberto
- Produced by John Diliberto and Kimberly Haas
- From the Top
- Host: Christopher O'Riley
- Produced by Tom Voegeli for Concert Productions, Inc., in association with WGBH/Boston and New England Conservatory of Music
- Jazz After Hours
- Host: Jim Wilke
- Produced by Jim Wilke
- Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know?
- Host: Michael Feldman
- Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio
- Mountain Stage
- Host: Larry Groce
- Produced by West Virginia Public Radio
- Music from Chautauqua
- National Native News
- Host: Bernadette Chato
- Produced by Koahnic Broadcast Corporation
- The Next Big Thing
- Host: Dean Olsher
- Produced by WNYC, New York Public Radio
- Pipedreams
- Host: Michael Barone
- Produced by Minnesota Public Radio
- Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
- Host: Jim Cunningham
- Produced by WQED-FM/Pittsburgh
- The Record Shelf
- Host: Jim Svejda
- Produced by USC Radio
- Riverwalk, Live From The Landing
- Hosts: David Holt and Jim Cullum
- Produced by Pacific Vista Productions and Jim Cullum for Texas Public Radio
- Schickele Mix
- Host: Peter Schickele
- Produced by Tom Voegeli Productions
- Sound & Spirit
- Host: Ellen Kushner
- Produced by WGBH Radio Boston and PRI
- Sounds Eclectic
- Host: Nic Harcourt
- Produced by KCRW/Santa Monica
- Spoleto Chamber Music Series
- Host: Charles Wadsworth
- Produced by the South Carolina Educational Radio Network
- Studio 360
- Host: Kurt Andersen
- Produced by PRI and WNYC, New York Public Radio
- This American Life
- Host: Ira Glass
- Produced by Chicago Public Radio and Ira Glass
- To the Best of Our Knowledge
- Host: Jim Fleming
- Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio
- To the Point
- Host: Warren Olney
- Produced by KCRW/Santa Monica and PRI
- The World
- Host: Lisa Mullins
- Co-produced by the BBC World Service, PRI, and WGBH Radio Boston
- World Cafe
- Host: David Dye
- Produced by WXPN/Philadelphia
- Zorba Paster On Your Health
- Hosted by Zorba Paster, M.D., and Tom Clark
- Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio
See also
External Links
- Official site (http://www.pri.org)