NPR forced to cancel youth targeted online program

NPR’s New York-based “Bryant Park Project” made its debut online October 1st . The live 2-hour program, targeting young audiences who had moved to online programs, varied from news to cultural topics presented in an informal, conversational manner. Unique features like “Make Me Care” attempted to connect to young audiences by showing the real-world relevance of important news stories. In addition to the program being available online, it also could be heard on 5 radio stations and on 19 high-definition digital channels. Additionally, its web presence was fairly substantial with the use of numerous new media tools like regularly updated blogs, twitter, podcasts, social networking and video.

NPR, taking a gamble on the experiment, recently stated that the “Project Bryant Project” was attracting the web audience they had anticipated. During April and May the program received 1 million unique listeners. Unfortunately, NPR officials have decided to cancel the morning program due to financial woes that have been plaguing the news media industry. Having budgeted $2 million this year for the program, this youth targeted experiment has been an expensive one. While the program quality and content was strong and the use of new media to capture young listeners was successful, a weak economy ultimately led NPR officials to make the tough decision to cancel the program. It’s a shame really. NPR seemed to be on to something and one might wonder how far the “Bryant Park Project” could have gone if next year’s budget would’ve have allowed it.


Reference:

Jensen, Elizabeth (2008, July 14). Public Radio to Cancel a Morning Experiment. New York Times. Retrieved on July 18, 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/arts/14npr.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss.