8:30 AM

Welcome

Opening Remarks,
Milton Clipper, CEO, Public Broadcasting Atlanta

9:00 AM

An overview of online activity
as compiled by the Pew Center for the Internet & American Life

The Pew Internet & American Life is one of the cornerstones in the national research library regarding online service.   Since December 1999, the Washington D.C. research center has examined how people’s internet use affects their families, communities, health care, education, civic and political life, and work places.

In addition, the Project uses regular surveys to track online life. It regularly reports findings on subjects such as teenagers' and senior citizens' use of the internet, broadband adoption, trends in email use, how people employ search engines, use of the internet to gather news (especially about politics), blog creation and readership, and trends in music and movie file sharing.

The Project has issued more than 100 reports based on social issues and online activities. It also has focused research on important public policy questions such as public attitudes about trust and privacy online, development of e-government, attitudes about intellectual property issues, the impact of spam, and the status of digital divides. The Project is non-partisan and takes no positions on policy matters. All of its reports and datasets are available online for free at: http://www.pewinternet.org.

10:30 AM

Public Media 2.0: Dynamic, Engaged Publics

A critical analysis of "Public Media"
prepared by The Center for Social Media, American University
download this paper here 

This session marks the public release of a major policy paper from The Center for Social Media, an internationally recognized research center that showcases and analyzes strategies to use media as creative tools for public knowledge and action. The CMS focuses on social documentaries for civil society and democracy, and on the public media environment that supports them. The Center is part of the School of Communication at American University.

The paper (which will be distributed to all CEO track participants in advance of the session) lays out an expanded vision for “public media 2.0” that places engaged publics, rather than media organizations, at the core of public service publishing.  Many of the reports conclusions will fit comfortably within industry change discussions already underway within public broadcasting.  But other conclusions and recommendations will challenge our local and national leadership look beyond our station walls and broadcast towers to recognize the importance of new, emerging players who are capturing influence and rendering service through new forms of public media.

Pat Aufderheide, Director, Center for Social Media 

Noon
Lunch

lunch presentation by Bob Williams, President, National Public Media on the Development of a System-wide Underwriting Network

This session was scheduled “out of sequence” due to its importance.  While today’s sessions focus principally on content and policy, Bob Williams will talk about the single most important revenue stream that has developed from public broadcasting’s investment in online serve: online corporate support.  Bob and his team at National Public Media have developed a powerful coalition, involving major stations, NPR, PBS, the Development Exchange and the Integrated Media Association, to accelerate the acquisition of local and national underwriting.  This united front of local and national organizations is looking to take full advantage of the online assets that have already been developed by networks and stations, which attract millions of visitors and tens of millions of page views each month.  If those visits and page views could be harnessed—and the technology is available to do this—National Public Media has the potential to turn those visits into dollars that can help to pay for the costs of online service delivery.

1:30 PM
to closing

Case Studies of Individual Projects:
Planning and Production Process, Costs and Revenues, Impact

The Tuesday afternoon sessions will consist of a series of case studies, some from organizations, and some from individual entrepreneurial producers.  In this session, we want to go beneath the surface of productions to look at the planning, the personnel, the processes, the resources—and the motivations that make these projects work. How did these projects get funded?  What sustains them?  How have they changed and evolved to meet the challenges faced by any new enterprise.

 We also want to look at the impact these projects have on the public: How many people visited these projects (or how many do we think will visit them)? Do these projects appear to be sustainable in their current form? 

And finally, we want to open the floor to ask: how could these projects be integrated into the work that we are already doing in public media?  Do we see opportunities for collaboration?  Could the lessons these projects have generated be applied at our own stations and networks?

With strong support from its local Board and strategic planning support from IBM, Public Broadcasting Atlanta is preparing one of the most ambitious online service agendas in the public broadcasting, called LENS on Atlanta.  This could be the local service model we have all been waiting for.

CEO Milton Clipper and his team from Public Broadcasting Atlanta, WABE/WPBA

One Economy is a global nonprofit organization that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people.  They are part of Public Media and looking for ways to align their work with ours.

Robert Bole, Senior Vice President of One Economy Corporation's Media Division

Independent Producers describe the challenges—and their successes—creating for New Media.  How do they manage on a shoestring?  What have they learned that we should be applying in larger organizations?

Joshua Cogan, Principal, BlueCadet,, photographer and free-lance producer

Gregg McVicar, Assoc. Professor at California College of the Arts, Creator of RadioCamp, Producer of “Undercurrents” and "Earthsongs."

Two producers with extensive commercial experience reflect on lessons learned in developing Nick-at-Nite, Nick Jr. TV Land, Noggin, MTV, CSTV, TLC, Cranium... (An impressive list!)

Lu Olkowski, Contributing Producer at Studio 360 and Independent Producer and

Scott Webb, an award winning Creative Director and media executive with over 25 years experience in the cable television and internet media industry 

Facing the Mortgage Crisis” has earned KETC national recognition, with its laser focus on the major economic issue of the decade. In this session, the people behind this project tell us what it took to do it and what impact it has made in St. Louis

Mike Bauhof, Web Coordinator, KETC.org, KETC-TV and
Rob Paterson, Principal, The Renewal Consulting Group Inc

Other Projects may be added

5:30 PM

Reception

7:00

Dinner

8:30 AM

Welcome

Opening Remarks: Are we approaching a Tipping Point?

For most of a decade, public broadcasters have talked about change, but more often than not, continued their “old habits.”  Now, some new leadership in Washington, a downturn in the economy and a hard look at our online performance may combine to increase the sense of urgency.  

Mark Fuerst, President, Innovation for Media
Principal Consultant to the Integrated Media Association

9:00 AM

A Gathering Storm

The latest projections gathered by CPB staff find “the system” on the edge of a serious financial crisis.  While some radio stations continue to prosper, the  radio and TV systems are facing collective deficits that could reach several hundred million of dollars.  Bruce will discuss the data and the current thinking within the CPB staff and Board about how the system can cope with these losses. 

Bruce Theriault, Sr. VP for Radio,
Corporation for Public Broadcasting 

10:30 AM

The Time Is Now: Concrete Steps to Expand The Capacity and Enhance The Value of Public Broadcasting

As we heard on Tuesday Morning, the Public Media field is far larger than public broadcasting, and growing more crowded all the time.  In this session, Ken Ikeda, one of the up and coming leaders of public service media will speak frankly about how public broadcasting must transform itself to retain and, possibly to enhance, its profound role in the American culture.

Ken Ikeda, Executive Director
Bay Area Video Coalition

Noon
Lunch

 A break. 
Time to Network

1:30 PM
to closing

Sustainability:
Possible Avenues for Revenue Growth

The Wednesday afternoon sessions will against consist of a series presentations, each quite distinct, but all on the subject of money.  Revenue. Monetizing online service.

Without developing strong revenue streams that are motivated by online service (versus just money collected online like online pledges) public media will not be able to compete effectively with highly capitalized commercial properties.  That seems clear enough.  But all too often, we overlook the fact that some of the most powerful new media services arose from just good ideas and hard work.  While other websites or services have developed a reasonable level of stability by exploiting traditional media revenue, including advertizing.

On Tuesday, we heard Bob Williams describe one approach to expanding our online revenues: a nationally networked system of underwriting sales.  Today, we will continue the discussion of online corporate support, and consider some of the implications of ad-supported public media.  Then we’ll move far beyond “ads” to look at some very innovative means of collecting money for new forms of public media.

Sustainability of Commercial Sites:  Where are commercial sites headed in terms of revenue generation?  What are the emerging strategies and opportunities? What are the take-aways for public broadcasting?

Dick Meyer, Editorial Director for Digital Media, NPR

Lowering the Firewalls: How do we maintain editorial isolation and access needed revenue?

Mike Reszler, Managing Editor of Online News, Minnesota Public Radio

Tim Roesler, President and General Manager, Minnesota Public Radio

Beyond Sponsorships: Major Gifts as a source of Online Development

ReelChanges.org: Can Public Broadcasting take advantage of “crowd sourcing” and allow our  audience to provide first-dollar funding for films, investigative reporting and documentaries

Hal Plotkin, Founder and CEO of Reel Changes

At every meeting of independent online media, the most popular sessions are all about one topic: money.  Sure, the Internet broke down the barriers to entry in the world of publishing.  But how the heck do you keep food on the table while you’re scrambling over those barriers.  Kachingle may provide one answer.

Cynthia Typaldos, Founder and CEO of Kachingle

Earlier this year, the Public Media Innovation Fund selected five projects for R&D grants, including the widely acclaimed “Quest” project at KQED.  In this session, we will look at how a new media science project might develop a continuing revenue stream for itself—and, perhaps, for dozens of other major online ventures.

Tim Olson, Executive Director, KQED Interactive

Other Projects may be added