NPR Digital Services Blog

One new benefit of our new business model is negotiating power. Given the size of the network, we’re often able to negotiate better deals than stations would be able to individually, saving you both time, money and the headaches of contract negotiation. We can then easily pass the savings on to you.

We’re deep in negotiations on a few services right now, and you can expect to hear more about these cost-saving master services agreements (MSAs) in the months to come. We’re working on possible deals in metrics (web and streaming), in-stream ad injection  and content.

For example, we’ve already been able to reduce your Pulse email and Live Streaming costs starting October 1st. By pooling our bandwidth purchases with NPR, adding a second content delivery vendor and holding out the prospect of additional network buys, we’ve been able to negotiate lower pricing – savings we can pass on to you.

The Core Publisher set up process is about a 4-6 week process, depending on the size of your current web site and the time you have to devote. We’re trying to keep the process as simple as possible, and we’re assuming that you don’t have a full time person to devote to this project. If you do, then the process can move faster.

Core Publisher Set up Process:

• Kick off/strategy: One week
• Design Sprint: 3 days
• Set Up and Train: One week
• Content: Station page build out and content migration: 1-3 weeks
• Go Live!

So, you’ve been to a Road Show, you listened to the webinar. You’re interested in Core Publisher. So what’s next? How do you get access to Core Publisher?

We’ve been doing a lot of work around this question, and trying to work out a plan that’s fair. This is what we’ve come up with. Stations that are:

• Current paying customers
• Use the core package (which is Public Platform, Public NewsRoom and Public Arts)
• Are NPR members

will be in the first group of stations to get access to Core Publisher.

This first group is just under 100 stations. Our goal is to have the vast majority of these stations live on Core Publisher by the end of this calendar year.

We’re busy getting read for the PMDMC next week. Come meet the NPR Digital Services team next week at the 2011 PMDMC in Pittsburgh, PA. We’ll be available throughout the conference to provide you with information about the evolving strategy of the NPR Digital Services group.

Come and say hi to Bob Kempf, Suzanne Brendle, Doug Gaff, Joe Orlando, Sarianne Palmesano and Janeen Williamson at our booth, in hallways, and at the welcome party.

Interested in some undivided attention? Schedule an info or training session with us.

Sponsor Showcase-NPR Showcase: NPR Digital Services – Your Partner
Thursday, July 14 2:30-3:45
Learn more at Thursday afternoon’s breakout session, where Bob Kempf and team lead a discussion about our new services, including Core Publisher, will help stations produce better local online content, deepen audience relationships, and grow revenue. Learn about partnering with NPR DS to get to the ‘core’ of your digital strategies.

People have been talking about us. Here’s a quick run down of some recent coverage:

NPR Promotes Digital Initiative
The Wall Street Journal
MEDIA & MARKETING
NPR has kicked off a 10-week, 18-city “road show” to sell its affiliates on a new digital plan it hopes will help secure public radio’s long-term health at a time when some of its chief sources of revenue have come under threat.

The newsonomics of the next-gen NPR network
Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard
NPR Digital Services is trying, against some odds, to set a new model. …As we look at the newsonomics of NPR Digital Services, we can see big potential.

Today is the last session of the NPR Digital Services Road Show.  For those member stations that weren’t able to make it to one in person, there will be an NPR Digital Services Webinar 7/8/11 noon-3pm EDT. All types of station staff welcome.

Please join us,  it’s an opportunity to engage with us and hear what the NPR Digital Services vision and value proposition is really about. Sign up info found on AREPS list and Station Connect.

Here’s a glimpse of the Boston Road Show (thanks Mark!)  http://flic.kr/s/aHsjvaSseA

Non-member stations – never fear, we haven’t forgotten about you. We’ll have a call with you after PMDMC.

As promised in Kinsey’s note to A-Reps last month, we are holding a series of in-person consultations with representatives from Member Stations across the country to discuss the direction of NPR Digital Services and how we can best serve the digital needs of stations. We are currently halfway through a series of meetings at host stations in 16 different cities, to try to reach as many stations – in person – as possible. We hope each meeting will be a rich dialogue about how NPR can best serve stations’ digital needs and how we can innovate in partnership.

Each session will last from 10am-4pm, with breakfast and lunch provided, to make it possible for most attendees to travel in and out on the same day. Of course, stations are free to attend whichever meeting is easiest for them. We are hoping the GM, News lead and Digital lead from each station will be able to join us. Please submit one registration form per station. Upon registration, you will receive the full details for the meeting you choose, as well as a hotel recommendation if you need to stay over.

You’ve heard a bit about our new name and expanded mission. Interested in learning a little more about what we’re thinking about and what we’re up to? We talked to Nieman Labs a bit about our plans to help support public broadcasting stations with a new Drupal-based CMS,  NPR API integration, metrics and more.

with Digital Services’ new name comes a new mission: distributing to member stations the kind of innovation and user engagement that NPR has developed in recent years. They’ll be working on creating flexible, open-source tools (such as a content management system), broadening the reach of the NPR API, and developing a networked platform for underwriting that could increase support dollars for local stations.

MORE

In addition to photos, iMA presentations are now available online. A few are worth checking out, notably:

PBS & NPR Local/National Strategies

http://www.voicebase.com/my_account/voice_file_detail/15216

For Kinsey Wilson, skip to 18:00
These digital leaders in our industry will share the strategies for their respective organizations on how they forge partnerships between national entities and local stations. Kinsey and Jason will describe where their strategies differ as well as where they are coordinated. Speakers: Kinsey Wilson, SVP and General Manager, Digital Media at NPR and Jason Seiken, SVP of Interactive at PBS.

Take Advantage of PBS & NPR! Tactics You Can Implement Now!

http://www.voicebase.com/my_account/voice_file_detail/14693

Skip to 16:29 for Jennifer Strachan of KPLU on Core Publisher

Aiming to drive audience by fundamentally changing the way we do content.