The 2017 Media Impact Forum

Agenda 9 a.m.—Welcome and Introductions   Vince Stehle, Executive Director, Media Impact Funders David Rousseau, Vice President and Executive Director, Media & Technology, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation 9:15 a.m.—Returning to Public Media’s Roots A conversation with NPR’s founding architect and one of today’s leading public radio reporters on how public media has served us for the last 50 years and where it will take us in the future. Bill Siemering, President, Developing Radio Partners Korva Coleman, Newscaster, NPR 9:45 a.m.—Policy Visions, Platform Realities How have the founding policy visions for public broadcasting translated into current cross-platform efforts to serve all Americans with news, education and insight? Korva Coleman, Newscaster, NPR (moderator) Michael Copps, former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Thomas Hjelm, Chief Digital Officer, NPR 10:30 a.m.—Spectrum Auction: The First $2 Billion  With federal cuts looming, the spectrum auction may breathe life into local news and the public sphere. What are the plans for the first $2 billion? How much of it will go to public media? Tim Isgitt, Managing Director, Humanity United Patrick Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer, America’s Public Television Stations 10:50 a.m.—Networking Break   11:20 a.m.—Tech… Read More

Collaboration and invention were key concepts for the mid-afternoon sessions at the 2014 Media Impact Forum, which honed in on how cross-platform public media initiatives are filling holes in local news and healthcare coverage and influencing audiences and policymakers. View highlights from this discussion below, or go to our YouTube page for the full session. Media Impact Funders Executive Director Vince Stehle moderated the discussion on innovation in local journalism, which featured Laura Walker, the president and CEO of New York Public Radio; Laura Frank, the executive director of I-News and vice president for news at Rocky Mountain PBS, and Clark Bell, the director of the McCormick Foundation’s Journalism Program. Walker heads up a clutch of award-winning public stations—WNYC-FM, WNYC-AM, WQXR, WQXW, and New Jersey Public Radio—which, along with related digital properties and programs, reach an average 14.2 million people each month. She spoke about the importance of partnerships in building better local coverage across the region, especially in New Jersey, where major outlets have collapsed. With support from such funders as the Charles H. Revson Foundation, The Gates Foundation, The Wyncote Foundation, and the Jerome L. Read More