Challenge is to Improve Digital Radio Coverage

and Protect Today’s Analog FM Services

April 2, 2009, Washington – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded a grant to NPR Labs to undertake an expedited Advanced Digital Radio Coverage and Compatibility Study to improve innovative HD Radio ^TM services. The study will establish industry recommendations for the amount of power increase needed to improve digital radio coverage while protecting the existing analog FM system and its subcarriers, which serve more than 32 million public radio and 239 million total FM radio listeners each week. (Source: ACT1 based on Arbitron Nationwide, Persons Using Radio, Fall 2008, Persons 12+, Mon.-Sun Midnight-Midnight)

The new study will seek to determine how to maximize HD coverage while minimizing interference with essential analog FM radio services.  It will build on earlier research by NPR Labs of digital radio coverage, also funded by CPB. The earlier study revealed that FM services would experience a high level of interference from HD signals in some areas, if the needed power increase was not closely managed.

“We’re pleased CPB has selected NPR Labs to expedite a detailed technical analysis so we can resolve these critical issues,” said Vivian Schiller, NPR President and CEO. “NPR is committed to advancing HD Radio ^TM and protecting the quality of the listening experience for all of our audiences.  If the power increase is not carefully managed, NPR member stations risk losing audience to signal interference.”     

“It’s absolutely critical that industry guidelines are established to ensure a well-managed and responsible power increase that maintains universal service for public radio stations,” said Bruce Theriault, CPB Senior Vice President for Radio.  “The industry collaboration involved in this study will generate technical data needed to inform decision-making on best options for elevated digital radio power levels.”

The $350,000 study is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2009 with findings presented to CPB, FCC and the broader industry in time for the National Association of Broadcaster’s Radio Show in Philadelphia in September 2009.

NPR Labs is working with representatives from CPB and several major commercial radio entities, as well as representatives from public radio stations with major investments in digital radio.  Major participants with digital operations include American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul; WABE-FM, Atlanta; WAMU-FM, Washington; WBGO-FM, Newark; WDUQ-FM, Pittsburgh; WFAE-FM, Charlotte; WNYC-FM, New York; WTMD-FM, Towson/Baltimore; WVXU-FM, Cincinnati; WUKY-FM, Lexington, KY; WUSF-FM, Tampa; KJZZ-FM, KBAQ-FM, and SunSounds Radio Reading Service, Phoenix; KQED-FM, San Francisco and KQEI-FM, Sacramento; and  KUHF-FM, Houston.

Industry associations participating in the study include: the Consumer Electronics Association, the North American Broadcasters Association, the International Association of Audio Information Services, and the Association of Public Radio Engineers.

About NPR Labs

NPR Labs’ mission is to identify, evaluate, and advance the application of innovative technologies in support of the public service mission of NPR and our member stations. A unit within NPR, NPR Labs is the nation’s only not-for-profit broadcast radio technology research and development center. The unit works daily on technical research projects supporting the interests of public radio stations across the country. For more information, visit www.nprlabs.org

About NPR’s Digital Radio Initiative

This technology enables station operators to split their broadcasts up into multiple channels, providing several digital-quality channels for their audiences. Additional uses of NPR’s digital radio initiatives leverage advanced technologies for those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing that will expand captioning to the radio dial. Specially equipped HD Radio™ receivers are in development that will provide the audiences with visual disabilities with better access to radio, such as receivers with audio prompts that speak the digital displays, notifying users which direction the tuner is scanning, what channel the radio is on, what command has been executed, and employing larger, easier-to-read text displays.

More than 1,900 radio stations are currently broadcasting in HD Radio ^TM in the United States including over 475 public radio stations, most of them members of NPR. Over half of the CPB-qualified stations have been awarded HD Radio ^TM conversion grants by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

More information on the initiative can be found at www.i-cart.net

About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

CPB, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1000 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related on-line services.

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Media Relations Contact: Danielle Deabler, ddeabler@npr.org 202-513-2303

THE AMERICAN NEWS PROJECT AND THE ATLANTIC PHILANTHROPIES JOIN HUFFPOST IN BACKING FUND

Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University School of Journalism
To Collaborate with Fund By Involving Students in Investigative Projects

(New York, NY) — March 29, 2009 — The Huffington Post announced today that it is launching a new initiative to produce a wide range of investigative journalism — The Huffington Post Investigative Fund. It is being funded by The Huffington Post and The Atlantic Philanthropies, and will be headed by Nick Penniman, founder of The American News Project, which will be folded into the Investigative Fund.

“The importance of investigative journalism cannot be overstated — especially during our tumultuous times — and we are delighted to be creating an initiative whose goal is to produce stories that will have a real impact both nationally and locally,” said Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post. “Everyone who recognizes the role good journalism plays in our democracy is looking for ways to preserve it during this time of great transition for the media. The Huffington Post Investigative Fund is one of the ways we are addressing that need, while also providing work and a platform for seasoned journalists downsized by major media outlets. We are grateful to the American News Project and The Atlantic Philanthropies for their generous contributions, and intend to engage with other donors as we continue to expand the Fund.”

Kenneth Lerer, co-founder and chairman of The Huffington Post, said, “There is no more critical reporting than investigative journalism. This nonprofit investigative journalism venture is a very important and logical next step for The Huffington Post. Our mission will be to produce and distribute distinguished, independent journalism made widely-available to all news outlets. We are proud to be working with our prestigious partners and look forward to expanding and building upon this venture with other investigative news organizations from around the country, and the world.”

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund, headquartered in Washington, DC, will produce a broad range of investigative journalism created by both staff reporters and freelance writers, with a focus on working with the many experienced reporters and writers impacted by the economic contraction. The pieces will range from long-form investigations to short breaking news stories and will be presented in a variety of media — including text, audio and video — and will be free for any media outlet to publish simultaneously. The Huffington Post Investigative Fund will have an initial budget of $1.75 million.

Nick Penniman, Executive Director of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund, said: “I’m looking forward to producing journalism that can have an impact, and that incorporates the best of traditional journalism and the tools of new media and distributed journalism.”

Jay Rosen, associate professor of journalism at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, will serve as a senior advisor to the project. Rosen, as a director of NewAssignment.Net, his research project at NYU, previously collaborated with The Huffington Post on OffTheBus — an experiment in citizen journalism that drew 12,000 contributors and gained widespread media attention for its coverage of the 2008 campaign.

Said Rosen: “In addition to collaborating on OffTheBus, I’ve been writing for years about this possibility – distributed reporting projects that efficiently coordinate the efforts of volunteers, data-combing efforts that are open source, as well as teams of pros and amateurs working together — and I think The Huffington Post Investigative Fund is the next logical step.”

By leveraging The Huffington Post’s growing audience, along with the growing audience of other online news outlets, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund will also provide a higher profile for the work of existing investigative reporting outfits with which it will partner, including Spot.US, The Center for Public Integrity, The Institute for Justice and Journalism, The Center for Investigative Reporting, and The European Fund for Investigative Journalism.

Additionally, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund will work closely with Eyes & Ears, HuffPost’s citizen journalism project, harnessing the power of HuffPost’s community of engaged readers to yield research, insights, and information.

Sheila Coronel, Director of the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at the Columbia University’s Journalism School, who has consulted with The Huffington Post Investigative Fund, said, “This is an exciting development and we look forward to having our students work on investigative projects with this new venture. Now more than ever, we need strong collaboration and funding for journalism that holds individuals and institutions accountable.”

About The Huffington Post: The Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com) is a leading news and opinion site which in three and a half years has become an influential media brand–The Internet Newspaper.” The site offers coverage of politics, media, business, entertainment, living, style, green, world and comedy, and is a top destination for news, blogs and original content. In 2008, the site launched its first local version, HuffPost Chicago. The Huffington Post (“HuffPost”) has 20 million unique users each month and is the most-linked-to blog on the Internet, per Technorati. HuffPost has an active community, with over one million comments made on the site each month. The Huffington Post has over 3,000 influential bloggers — from politicians and celebrities to academics and policy experts — who contribute in real-time on a wide-range of topics making news today. Among those who have blogged on HuffPost are Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Larry David, Nora Ephron, Madeleine Albright, Robert Redford, Neil Young, Rahm Emanuel, Albert Brooks, Mia Farrow, Russ Feingold, Al Franken, Ari Emanuel, Gary Hart, Edward Kennedy, Harry Shearer, John Kerry, Bill Maher, Nancy Pelosi, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ryan Reynolds, Craig Newmark, and Alec Baldwin. A comprehensive list of the contributors to The Huffington Post can be found in its blogger index.

About The Atlantic Philanthropies: The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic focuses on four critical social problems: Ageing, Children & Youth, Population Health, and Reconciliation & Human Rights. Programmes funded by Atlantic operate in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam. To learn more, please visit: www.atlanticphilanthropies.org.

About American News Project: Created in the spring of 2008, the American News Project is dedicated to creating original, independent video journalism for the Web. Its more than 150 video reports have received millions of views on thousands of websites throughout the world. Some have been rebroadcast on traditional television networks, and dozens more on satellite networks. For its work, it has received multiple Telly awards and is currently in the running for a Webby. Its seven producer-reporters, a mix of broadcast journalists and documentary filmmakers, have forged editorial partnerships with operations such as The Huffington Post and the McClatchy newspaper company, and have covered a variety of topics, from troop malfeasance in Iraq, to the lack of transparency and accountability in the financial bailout, to the think tanks and lobbyists that hold sway over major policy decisions. ANP is a nonprofit operation, headquartered in Washington, D.C.

About The Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia’s Journalism School: The Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia’s Journalism School administers an exclusive track for master’s students who want to specialize in investigative journalism. It oversees the Stabile Investigative Project Fund, which supports the most important and promising reporting by the Center’s students. Since 2007, the Center’s student projects have come out in The New York Times, National Public Radio, Mother Jones, and other publications. For more information: www.stabilecenter.org

Contact:
Mario Ruiz
VP, Media Relations
mario@huffingtonpost.com

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