Iowa Public Radio rides single wave

IOWA PUBLIC RADIO RIDES SINGLE WAVE
[SOURCE: Des Moines Register, AUTHOR: Kyle Munson]
Each of the public radio stations at Iowa's three major universities — WSUI at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, WOI at Iowa State University and KUNI at the University of Northern Iowa — is cherished by its fans. Now, the three separate stations are on the road to becoming a single statewide network — Iowa Public Radio. Cindy Browne, whose resume includes a stint as executive vice president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, was hired last year as the first executive director of IPR. Merging these three public radio stations, she said, is "a little bit like the potato sack race three ways." In one sense, there's never been a better time for Iowa's public broadcasters to raise their profile by banding together. The 36-year-old National Public Radio has doubled its audience in the last decade and serves more than 25 million Americans on more than 800 stations nationwide. A $230 million donation in 2003 by Joan B. Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, helped NPR expand its news coverage — showcased on the popular programs "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" — as other media companies have trimmed or even slashed budgets. Under Browne's guidance, the idea for Iowa Public Radio has methodically moved ahead with input from staff and focus groups. A broader and more philosophical "listening project" this spring and summer will ask listeners around the state this question: "What role can public radio play in assisting communities?" The eventual result could be an IPR similar to Minnesota Public Radio — a network of 37 stations founded in 1967 that now boasts an operating budget of $60 million and membership of nearly 88,000.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060326/ENT...

See also --
* TELEVISION/RADIO; Money Changes Everything
[SOURCE: New York Times 3/16, AUTHOR: Jacques Steinberg]
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F10E12FE3A550C7A...
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