[...] Here’s the third and final part of my interview with Jesse Thorn, host of public radio’s The Sound of Young America. (Here’s my intro post, Part 1, and Part 2.) [...]

[...] interviewed and blogged about Thorn and his show. The interview audio is archived here: Part One | Part Two | Part [...]

And I’d even argue that ME could make a calculus similar to Jesse and think: What parts of our programs are the most expensive? I’m listening to Morning Edition right now, and they’re alternating between interesting interviews and field pieces. I don’t know NPR’s cost structure well, but I’d wager that the interviews are a lot less costly on a per-minute basis than the field pieces.

Now, do I want to see those great field pieces go away? Of course not. But if something needs to be cut, then it makes sense to think which parts of your model give you the most ROI.

To compare TSOYA to Morning Edition is kind of silly. TSOYA isn’t unlike ME because it’s small — it’s unlike ME because ME’s aim is to present a comprehensive view of the world’s news of the day, through original reporting and diverse commentary. That can only be done with many contributors and consistent editing, and that means that ME’s aim can’t be achieved by one person working alone in his apartment.

Don’t belittle the person who mourns the end of her Metro desk job as just a whiner who can’t hack the ruggedly individualistic pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps lifestyle. I daresay she’s also mourning the loss of a journalistic product so much greater than the sum of its parts that comes from news-gathering teamwork.

There will undoubtedly be new-media solutions for news-gathering teams too. They’re just not going to be the same ones as for the shows like TSOYA.

http://www.kidspublicradio.org

for all you cellular level types

Jesse, I concur on much of your take on public radio’s economics. We have been producing on a shoestring for over 20 years. I found it very liberating to stop chasing the dime and focus on the sound.

But I disagree about web-based radio. I think it’s the next platform for channel-oriented programming such as ours. We have two ad-free, commercial-free, and “underwriting”-free streamed channels for kids below age 8.

There are a lot of “tennis-player” streamers out there, creating their channels for the love of it. And some of these channels, like ours, embrace the public radio ethic of intelligent non-commercial programming. We just have to start thinking of “public radio” existing outside the fm spectrum.

Let a thousand channels bloom. Let a thousand podcasts bloom.

PJ Swift, slug from Santa Cruz

Sincerely,

Benjamin “Reptilian, walnut-sized brain” Sallberg
31. Seattle, WA

It’s easy to form an unkind picture of Mr. Carolla based on some of his more simplistic projects, but anyone familiar with his podcast, his many years on Loveline, or his recent, surprisingly thoughtful and innovative morning show would find your characterization of him reductive and embarassing.

I found the interview itself quite interesting and useful, as I am also a huge fan of Mr. Thorn, and I was saddened by the childish attitude with which Mr. Carolla was introduced into the conversation. A misstep which, in my opinion, marred an otherwise excellent article.

It is obvious you have never listen to Adam’s radio show or his podcasts. He is nothing like Howard. You should listen to someone’s material before you make statements about them.