Vivian Schiller, the new NPR CEO, spoke at a luncheon today at the National Press Club. In the past she worked for organizations such as the New York Times and CNN, and she used her experience in both pubic and commercial media to share what each entity does well, and what can be improved. In her speech, she outlined five points for each category, and concluded with the steps NPR will be taking to improve its business model in difficult economic times.
What NPR can learn from commercial media: 1) More bottom line thinking. Schiller stated that commercial media keeps “Rigorous, ongoing evaluation of the business and its returns.” 2) A sense of urgency facing digital media. 3) Focus on audience. Serving the audience what they want and expect. 4) Do a better job at reaching diverse audiences, “not purely out of public service but because it’s good business.” 5) Not to be shy about publicizing, promoting, and marketing. “You know what, we do this really well, our audience appreciates it... Promoting and marketing yourself is not purely self-serving,” Schiller concluded.
What commercial media can learn from NPR: 1) Audience. NPR listeners have a very personal connection and ownership with their experience. Schiller said listeners feel, “NPR is mine, it belongs to me.” 2) Brands. Schiller believes NPR evokes brand loyalty as an entity better than any other media organization. In television, people have loyalty to shows, not networks. 3) Dedication of the workforce. “There are 8000 people that work in public radio... Nobody in public media is there because they think they’re going to get rich fast, or even slow. They’re all motivated by the mission.” 4) Business model. Schiller described NPR’s business: 60% revenue comes from programming fees and membership; 25% from endowment, philanthropists, and institutional foundations; and the rest from underwriting and sponsorship. Less than 1% from comes from the government funded Corporation of Public Broadcasting. Schiller explained that this model would not work for commercial media for several reasons, concluding, “Certainly they can learn but I don’t think its the answer.” 5) National-Local system. The national organization with local affiliates is something every news organization would want, and this is the most important, powerful aspect of NPR’s success. However, she believes the national and local levels need to work better together.
Schiller ended her speech by stating that problems facing media require immediate attention. She stated that NPR will be working on improving its model by increased communication and focus on local investigative journalism. “We have the urgency now and I believe that this is going to be our unique opportunity to rally together and serve the American public in ways that we do so well,” she concluded.
What can public media learn from commercial and vice versa
What NPR can learn from commercial media:
1) More bottom line thinking. Schiller stated that commercial media keeps “Rigorous, ongoing evaluation of the business and its returns.”
2) A sense of urgency facing digital media.
3) Focus on audience. Serving the audience what they want and expect.
4) Do a better job at reaching diverse audiences, “not purely out of public service but because it’s good business.”
5) Not to be shy about publicizing, promoting, and marketing. “You know what, we do this really well, our audience appreciates it... Promoting and marketing yourself is not purely self-serving,” Schiller concluded.
What commercial media can learn from NPR:
1) Audience. NPR listeners have a very personal connection and ownership with their experience. Schiller said listeners feel, “NPR is mine, it belongs to me.”
2) Brands. Schiller believes NPR evokes brand loyalty as an entity better than any other media organization. In television, people have loyalty to shows, not networks.
3) Dedication of the workforce. “There are 8000 people that work in public radio... Nobody in public media is there because they think they’re going to get rich fast, or even slow. They’re all motivated by the mission.”
4) Business model. Schiller described NPR’s business: 60% revenue comes from programming fees and membership; 25% from endowment, philanthropists, and institutional foundations; and the rest from underwriting and sponsorship. Less than 1% from comes from the government funded Corporation of Public Broadcasting. Schiller explained that this model would not work for commercial media for several reasons, concluding, “Certainly they can learn but I don’t think its the answer.”
5) National-Local system. The national organization with local affiliates is something every news organization would want, and this is the most important, powerful aspect of NPR’s success. However, she believes the national and local levels need to work better together.
Schiller ended her speech by stating that problems facing media require immediate attention. She stated that NPR will be working on improving its model by increased communication and focus on local investigative journalism. “We have the urgency now and I believe that this is going to be our unique opportunity to rally together and serve the American public in ways that we do so well,” she concluded.