Last month, we convened our annual Media Impact Forum at the American Philosophical Society—the home of America’s oldest learned society—in Philadelphia, where we paid special attention to the role of radio and audio in creating and sustaining crucial connections with communities. See the full program here.
Radio might be one of our oldest platforms, but in terms of reach and and impact, it is also one of the most innovative—and philanthropy is playing a vital role in its resurgence. Grantmakers and the cultural organizations they fund are investing in audio and media across traditional broadcasting, podcasting, and on-site properties in order to foster greater context, reach, and conversation with constituencies.
And we have the numbers to prove it. As a complement to the Forum, we also released a report that shows how radio is garnering significant support from philanthropy across a range of programming themes. While perhaps considered a less dynamic media format in recent years, compared to extraordinary growth in web- and mobile-based media grantmaking, the funding picture tells a different story. Read the report.
Below, you’ll find video clips for each session in chronological order so that you can watch any portion of the day. You’ll also find links to the notes we took from the breakout sessions.
Need an even quicker recap? Check out our Twitter Moment.
And give this recent article by MIF Executive Director Vince Stehle a read. In it, he argues that grantmakers could be doing more to support such a vibrant medium.
Agenda
Building Community Through Radio
- Peter Buffett, Philanthropist & Co-President, NoVo Foundation
- Sara Lomax-Reese, President & CEO, WURD
- Laura Flanders, Host & Executive Producer, The Laura Flanders Show
Using Radio to Create Vibrant Musical Ecosystems
- Roger LaMay, General Manager, WXPN
- Bill Johnson, General Manager, WRTI
- Laura Flanders, Host & Executive Producer, The Laura Flanders Show
Hitting the Right Notes: Creating Environments in Which Music Can Thrive
- Arnetta Johnson, Trumpeter & Slingshot artist, NPR
- Gerald Veasley, Bass Guitarist
- Laura Flanders, Host & Executive Producer, The Laura Flanders Show
Breakout Sessions
Read the notes.
Local Radio Around the World
- Cristi Hegranes, CEO, Global Press & publisher, Global Press Journal
- Deborah Ensor, Senior Vice President, Technical Leadership, Internews
- Tim Isgitt, Managing Director, Humanity United
Podcasters Aren’t Born—They’re Trained
- Kerri Hoffman,CEO, PRX
- Kerry Donahue, Director, Training, PRX
- San San Wong, Director, Arts & Creativity, Barr Foundation
- Laura Flanders, Host & Executive Producer, The Laura Flanders Show
Breakout Sessions
Read the notes.
Critical Minded: A Collaboration to Elevate Cultural Critics of Color
- Elizabeth Méndez Berry, Director, Voice, Creativity and Culture, Nathan Cummings Foundation
- Eddie Torres, President & CEO, Grantmakers in the Arts
- Salamishah Tillet, Cultural Critic, Activist & Professor, Rutgers University – Newark
Off the Walls: How Art Museums Are Reaching People Where They Are
- Valerie Gay, Deputy Director, Audience Engagement & Chief Experience Officer, Barnes Foundation
- Barbara Wong, Director, Community Engagement, Barnes Foundation
- Kalela Williams, Director of Neighborhood Library Enrichment, Free Library of Philadelphia
And Now, In Closing, Let’s Take It … From the Top
- Peter Dugan, Pianist
- Laura Futamura, Flautist
