Step into Chaos

I strongly recommend a listen to this month’s AIRmuse. AIR’s E.D. Sue Schardt echoes the message she conveyed to producers at the Virtual Annual Meeting on June 4th, concerning the impact of the financial crisis on our own producer economy. Foremost among AIR’s concerns are the broad implications of the impending loss of the producer talent pool. From new kid on the block to venerated pro, significant investments in producer talent are at risk of being squandered during this pivotal time in the industry. One only needs to look at this month’s spotlight article to be reminded of investments made in developing creative makers for the new era. Within this challenge though, there remains hope. As Sue best puts it, it is a chaos sensitive to influence. Listen for yourself. Opportunities are here.

— Sam Schongalla,
AIRblast Publication Manager

Issue Archives

Deadlines

June 30 – Online News Association's (ONA) Online Journalism Awards

July 31 – Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism Fellowships

July 31 – The Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting

August 1 – Trust for Mutual Understanding

August 1 – American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science Journalism Award

Say hello to our newest members (as of June 2009):

Peruse AIR's searchable
Producer Directory

AIRmuse

"Lean + Mean Is the Way to Be": A message from Executive Director Sue Schardt (6:54)

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Audio Archives

Spotlight

Radio as a Second Language

By Hammad Ahmed

Hammad Ahmed learned English by watching Nickelodeon. He learned radio by interning at NPR stations. As AIR’s Live-Interactive Resident in Seattle, he and fellow independent Emily Eagle put both together — making radio about learning English. We asked him to explain their project, RadioLingual, and what it says about the future of public media.

Read more

Calendar

!! AIR + Third Coast + PRPD !!
September 15–18, 2009
Cleveland, OH

Is the sky falling or should creatives be all jazzed up as the media landscape shifts ground? Who knows for sure, but it’s a time of invention so when better for AIR and PRPD and Third Coast to join forces to bring producers and stations’ programmers together in a new way? Third Coast divas Johanna Zorn and Julie Shapiro will bring their magic to special sessions at PRPD — the largest programming conference in the industry. All independent producers who are AIR members are entitled to PRPD member rates, and we’ve got a special room-share board, and there are other financial discounts to make it easier to get to Cleveland. Get in touch with us at erin@airmedia.org if you have questions.

Virtual Annual Membership Meeting Online

NOW: If you missed it, you can now listen to the June 4 Virtual Annual Membership Meeting and get transcripts.

Mic Shootout – Action Shots Online

Saturday, May 23. Nine producers came from near and far to wrap their ears around mics of many shapes and sizes. Jane Pipik and Miles Smith led the charge. Have a look at these action shots on Flickr. Soon to come, a report on the winning mics.

MQ2 on PRX! MQ2 on NPR!

AIR’s MQ2 producers are off and running. Stay on top of the newest developments by tapping the MQ2 playlist on PRX and subscribing to NPR’s MQ2 showcase. You may also want to keep up with our own blog to find out what’s new inside Makers Quest and beyond.

The Center for Documentary Studies,
Duke University
** NEW ** Listen Up! Audio for Educators
July 30–August 2
Durham, NC

Are you a teacher, a youth media activist, or just somebody who’s stumbled on the possibilities of sound? This one’s for you. This four-day immersion will deliver practical skills for working with audio in different contexts and expose you to tools that harness sound to foster youth leadership, learning, and inspiration. The instructors are top-notch, too… Johanna (Jones) Franzel director of Generation PRX, AIR’s MQ2 producer Shea Shackelford who co-curates the Big Shed audio documentary podcast, and Tennessee Jane Watson, another AIRster and alum of CDS who works out of D.C. as a producer and teacher.

To register for courses, contact Duke Continuing Studies at 919-684-6259 or visit their Web site.

Cool Tool: TokBox

With so much interaction these days being done through e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook, sometimes what you really need is some good face time. With TokBox, a free video chat service, you can connect with your collaborators and followers in real time and without having to download any software or schedule the meet-up in advance. Promote your latest project by inviting up to 20 participants to join you for a Q&A — you can either share the URL or embed your chat on your Web site or social networking profile. You can also share photos and videos within your TokBox session window or send a video mail message to someone you care about. A true cool tool.

— Erin Mishkin

Funding for AIR comes from our members and the generous support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the Robert E. Davoli and Eileen McDonagh Charitable Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

Association of Independents in Radio
P.O. Box 220400
Boston, MA 02122
Phone: 617-825-4400
www.airmedia.org