Similar to many repeat badge-toters and secret show-finders, NPR has made SXSW a staple of its calendar. For years, we've been one of the programmers delivering public media in Austin with music showcases at Stubb's; a launch party for SXAmericas; panels and discussions during SXSWedu, Interactive and Film. It's also where we launched Generation Listen in 2013.
Now, colleagues across NPR and public radio are looking ahead to the conversations they'd like to have during the conference next March. Teaming up with different industry leaders and organizations, they've pitched ideas for events around podcast marketing, leveraging metrics in the newsroom, diversity in tech, advances in cyber security, education and much more.
We've rounded up all 12 of these public radio panels from the SXSW PanelPicker portal, where you can find a complete list of proposals in the running for 2016 programming and vote for your favorites. If you're interested in seeing any of these on the official schedule next year, be sure to cast your vote before Friday, Sept. 4.
Proposed SXSW Panels Ft. Public Radio Journalists
Selling Your Podcast Without Selling Your Soul
Speakers: Bryan Moffett, National Public Media; Sarah van Mosel, New York Public Radio
Podcast advertising creates opportunities for podcasters but presents new challenges. How do podcasters balance their creative freedom with commercial interests? Speakers will discuss the role of advertising in their revenue model, balancing creative independence, and the limitations of podcasting.
Data Analytics For The Indie Artist
Speakers: Laura Sydell, NPR; Tracy Maddux, CD Baby; David Dufresne, Bandcamp; Brune Guez, Revelator
Big data is not just for the majors any more. Independent artists are utilizing fan metrics, streaming habits and geography data to maximize income as well as to identify and reach new fans. This panel will explore tools and methods to chart a course for artists' careers at any level, using data to understand where fans are and what motivates them.
Innovation In Public Media: Europe To America
Speakers: Michael May, NPR; Xavier K. Richard, CBC/Radio-Canada; Robert Amlung, ZDF; Eric Scherer, France Télévisions
What will the next-generation of public media look and sound like? This panel will focus on innovation models in public media such as accelerators, incubators, digital initiatives and intrapreneurship programs. Public media representatives from Canada, France, Germany and USA will cover research and development approaches, and share their successes and failures.
Inside The Mind of Today's Hacker
Speakers: Aarti Shahani, NPR; Sunil James, Bessemer Venture Partners; Nadav Zafrir, Team8 Ventures; Pedram Amini, Independent
The line between cyber good guys and bad guys is very thin. Of necessity, the brightest minds in cyber not only consider a hacker's mindset - they often put it to use themselves. This panel will convene true experts who can speak to both sides of the hacking "coin" - cyber military operatives, security researchers-turned founders and top cyber investors - to help us understand what really motivates today's hackers and what we can do about it.
Breaking The Standardized Test Addiction
Speakers: Anya Kamenetz, NPR; David Kunt, Knewton; V. Elizabeth Owen, GlassLab Games; Diana Shulla-Cose, Perspectives Charter Schools
Anya Kamenetz of NPR Ed leads a discussion about our standardized test obsession and then explores ways to break this addiction. The panel will discuss alternatives for schools to explore.
Women In Tech Dish On Why Leaning-In Isn't Enough
Speakers: Aarti Shahani, NPR; Layla Seka, Salesforce Desk.com; Tsu-Jae King Lie, University of California, Berkeley; Unnur Gretasdottir, Pinterest
From Rosie the Riveter to Taylor Swift, every generation has an icon that empowers females and promotes gender equality. Despite these beacons of what could be, women today still make only 78 percent of men's earnings, and females with advanced degrees earn only 73 percent of men's earnings with the same education. In this session, hear what female leaders in tech have to say about the current tech climate for women and how to be the next champion of gender equality.
Winning In The Battle of Metrics vs. The Newsroom
Speakers: Lori Todd, NPR; Apryl Pilolli, Cox Media Group; Ryan Kellet, The Washington Post; Josh Belzman, NBC News
Using metrics and data to make better content decisions requires more than just numbers. It requires a cultural shift from a purely editorial mindset to one that combines news judgment with metrics. Four local and national media experts in radio, TV and newspaper tackle this conundrum head on and discuss how to encourage culture changes in the newsroom that will motivate adoption of data-driven practices.
Goodbye To Your Tunes? – Tech's Race To Save Music
Speakers: Ann Powers, NPR; Jason Gross, Perfect Sound Forever/TheBlot; Andy Leach, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; Scott Goldman, Grammy Foundation
From the wax cylinder to 78-RPM records to LPs to CDs to digital files, music formats keep changing, but what is being done to ensure that all the music contained in these formats will be available in the future? This panel will attempt to answer how we will meet the challenge of changing technologies so that future generations will hear the music we love and that we ourselves will be able to access it years and decades from now.
Podcasts Powered By Women – NextGEN Leadership
Speakers: Sarah Van Mosel, New York Public Radio; Lisa Chow, Gimlet Media; Chris Bannon, Midroll Media; Rena Unger, IAB – Interactive Advertising Bureau
The voice of female leadership is rapidly rising in the male-dominated world of podcasts. This session will inspire you with stories about the women who are creating gender balance in this decade-old space and growing the audience as a result. We will discuss why showcasing content by women is a lucrative business strategy for networks.
The Dragon Was Never Asleep: Race In Austin & U.S.
Speakers: Rebecca McInroy, KUT; Richard Reddick, Eric Tang, Cherise Smith, The University of Texas at Austin
KUT Radio's Rebecca McInroy will moderate a discussion on racial justice with UT Austin educators Rich Reddick, Eric Tang and Cherise Smith. They'll step back from the recent events and offer frameworks for understanding the racial dynamics at play in Austin and the U.S.
You Have The Tour, Now Get The Press
Speakers: Michael Crockett, KUT; Ron Kadish, Freelance; Brooke Parrott, Songkick; Garrett Baker, FlipSwitchPR
Anyone who has ever worked tour PR knows how grueling it can be. Each concert requires its own mini-PR campaign; press and fan outreach starts at different times for each concert market; there is a separate message for separate tour press in each city. Find out how experts in the field - a publicist, a tour manager, a PR platform, a concert syndicator and a journalist - handle all this and more.
Journalist Intrapreneurs: Snows Becoming Starks
Speakers: Anna Sale, WNYC; Andy Bowers, Panoply / Slate, Kristin Calhoun, Public Media Platform; Jennifer Brandel, Hearken
Journalism contains some of the most trusted brands in our world today. But it's also battled hardships with integrity, relevance and, at times, a painstakingly-slow ecosystem. In this pivotal time for quality journalism, organizations must embrace intrapreneurship. Come hear stories of successful intrapreneurial Snows and the lessons they have learned along the way to becoming Starks.
Hugo Rojo is an associate with NPR's Media Relations team. A late-blooming public radio nerd, Hugo arrived at NPR's Washington, D.C. headquarters via El Paso and Austin, Texas.
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