Frank Stasio Keynotes Sound Partners Conference
Frank Stasio believes that a good news story doesn't come from experts or talking heads. The real heart of a story, he says, comes from the voices of everyday people in your community.
Besides serving as a reporter, program host and newscaster for National Public Radio, Frank Stasio has trained journalists from Poland to Albania, led radio drama workshops for young people across the country and taught radio production courses to at-risk middle school students. His view of radio and its mission is distinctly community-oriented.
This May, Stasio presented his thoughts on tapping into compelling news stories within your community at the Sound Partners' Lessons Learned conference. Over 70 Sound Partners grantees attended the conference, which marked the end of the current grant cycle. Along with reviewing their successes and challenges, conference participants also attended small group sessions and workshops.
The conference began with Stasio's inspirational keynote speech on finding "the fire in the wood." Relating a Native American legend of how fire was discovered in the embers of a burned-out branch, Stasio told attendees that he finds the same principle to be true in community radio.
"The fire is in the wood," Stasio said. "What community radio does and what community radio believes in is that the fire is out there and the truth is in each and every one in the community." He challenged journalists to seek this fire by inviting people to tell their own story. By putting a personal face on the issue, the news then becomes a compelling story that will capture the attention of listeners.
Stasio said that historically, journalists are trained not to be involved with the community. But he encouraged the grantees to go beyond "Rolodex journalism," to take risks and to get to know local people who have a story to tell. This is where the "fire" can be found.
The theme of Stasio's address was echoed many times during the Lessons Learned conference. When grantees talked about community-based journalism, they related some of the important criteria that guide them in bringing out the "fire in the wood": telling the story so that it begins and ends with the impact on people's lives; allowing the people, not the reporter, to tell the story; giving the "voiceless" a voice whenever possible.
The concept of going beyond the tried and true also worked when applied to developing outreach strategies. Many grantees found success in new or non-traditional approaches to reaching their target audience. There were many such success stories shared at the conference.
- KZUM/Lincoln's project covering the Health Care Safety Net worked to reach a non-English-speaking, multiethnic audience. The partnership found success by advertising on public transit buses and vans that serve the handicapped. This approach worked because they identified a resource that serves a more diverse area of the community.
- WUOM/Ann Arbor hosted training workshops for nonprofits involved in enrolling children in public health insurance programs (CHIP). Instead of relying on just the station's or partner's efforts, this project created many new community allies who could help the grantees educate the public and make a difference. By providing training, the grantee helped community groups develop better strategies to improve CHIP enrollment.
- WNMU/Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, used gas stations in rural areas as places to distribute children's health care enrollment information. The grantees formed a partnership with a local dairy that was able to distribute their outreach materials without charge as part of their regular route to each of the participating gas stations. By featuring a local comedy group on their materials, the partners were able to reach many more people.
- WRTE/Chicago saw positive outcomes from its program Radio Vida, produced by young people: state liquor stores have stopped selling grain alcohol; police collaboration has improved, along with greater neighborhood participation in community policing. The project's success has also earned recognition from a state senator, who provided funding support.
- KDNA/Granger, WA, has become so well respected in the community for its ability to reach different groups that the station is now being paid to air informational messages from the city and the county Department of Health and Human Services.
- WNED/Buffalo used poetry in its end-of-life programming, which encouraged a variety of people of many ages, from different backgrounds and professions, to participate and more comfortably address the subject of death and dying. The station's programming also resulted in more collaboration and better communication between the community's various hospice groups.
- WKMS/Murray, KY, said that its project on end-of-life issues had a positive impact on student nurses who, as a result of its programming, decided to refocus their careers on hospice work.
- WUFT/WJUF, Gainesville, FL, producer Tanya Ott reported that her coverage of children's health issues led her to share Internet stories and resources with a listserv. The subscription base was 80 people at the start of the project; it has now grown to over 600 subscribers around the country.
Throughout the conference, participants were able to share achievements and gather ideas for future projects. Many grantees were able to reflect on the tangible results of their project for the station, the local partner and the community. Some results could be measured by hard data, some by anecdotes, and some by the personal stories that tell how powerful radio programming and dedicated work by community members can change lives.
The conference clearly showed that all Sound Partners projects achieved success with their efforts. By searching for Stasio's "fire in the wood," they created compelling radio programming that captured personal stories. They also mounted effective outreach that helped to raise community awareness and provided a catalyst for positive action. The lessons learned from these projects will have a lasting impact on the grantees and the communities they serve.