Wednesday, June 27, 2012
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – PRNDI Reporter Training – PRNDI senior trainers Tanya Ott and Julianne Welby
offer fresh strategies for newer public radio reporters. This workshop covers everything from
well-focused story visioning, to effective interviewing, and powerful writing. It includes tips for
spot, feature and multimedia coverage in large and small shops. News directors must nominate
reporters to be selected for this free, limited-seating opportunity. For more information contact:
PRNDI Board Member George Bodarky at gbodarky@wfuv.org
1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – NPR Editor Training – The training team of NPR editors, trainers and a station
news director will teach you the NPR editing process and share their tips and techniques to
make you a better editor. Presenters: Andrea de Leon, Russell Lewis, Sora Newman & Martha
Foley Smith.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Digital Training – In the morning, join Lam Thuy Vo for “A Video Crash Course for
Radio Reporters” - Producing good video stories is hard and the number of things to keep in
mind while shooting and reporting a video story can be overwhelming. This crash course will
give reporters a structured way to go about your video reporting, introduce them to the 5-shot
video reporting method and give them practical checklists for being out in the field.
In the afternoon, join us for “Integrating the web into your newsroom.” - Training for News
Directors, reporters, and editors who are transitioning into multi-media content and trying to
manage it all! It's aimed at stations that want to do more with their websites, beyond just using
it as an archive. KPLU News Director Erin Hennessey and KPLU Online Managing Editor Jake
Ellison will draw from day-to-day experiences of what our reporters do to make stories have
high impact for the air and the web. We will discuss the need for different treatments, deadlines
and discuss different user and listener habits. Since this is an afternoon training session, we'll be
sure to keep it lively and get everyone involved in role playing and robust discussions.
(Participants will also be contacted before the training session to see what questions they would
like to tackle.)
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – NPR Editor Training (continued)
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – PRNDI Reporter Training (continued)
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Social Media– Join social media guru Claire Wardle (@cward1e) for a day-long
immersion into how to use social media tools for newsgathering, reporting, marketing and
building community and loyalty.
Everyone knows social media can provide exclusive stories and pictures, from the news that
Osama Bin Laden had been killed to the picture of the US Airways plane landing in the Hudson
River. But with 850 million people on Facebook, sharing 4 billion pieces of content per day, and
people sending 200 million tweets per day, how can you filter out the noise and find information
relevant to you and your programs? This session will showcase some of the most powerful
examples from international breaking news to find original stories and guests in record time. It
will also give you practical advice about which tools are best for navigating the different social
networks and finding the information you need.
This session will also examine some of the most successful uses of social media by radio stations
across the world, and will focus on the need to build collaborative approaches. Rather than
seeing social media as either an information source or a broadcast channel, we will discuss how
successful community building initiatives can create incredible content as well as effectively
engage existing audiences and connect with new audiences. Participants will develop new ideas
and strategies for current projects and campaigns.
By the end of the day, you'll be able to use social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, Advanced
Google tools, RSS) more effectively, write a social media strategy for your newsroom, and be
able to convince your colleagues to embrace these tools.
Claire Wardle is the recently appointed Global Advocate for Storyful. She developed the social
media training programme for the BBC College of Journalism and has delivered training and
consultancy for clients worldwide, including ABC Australia, RTÉ in Ireland and the UNHCR. She
was previously a professor at Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Cultural
Studies, and has an MA in American Politics and a PhD in Communication from the University of
Pennsylvania.
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.– Management from A to Z - How do you run a meeting? How do you handle that
difficult conversation? What can you expect from a reporter every day? How do you manage
your boss? These questions and many other are a constant challenge for news directors, new
and experienced. PRNDI President Jonathan Ahl (Iowa Public Radio) and Leo C. Lee award
winner Maryanne Zeleznik (WVXU) use their combined 35 years as public radio news directors
to take you through an interactive day of talking management and giving you practical ideas to
put into place the Monday you get back to the office. Bring your specific issues, and we can help
craft a day-of-session agenda that will make sure you leave with what you are looking for.
5:30 p.m. – Your First Rodeo - Those Cowboys and Cowgirls making their first trip to a PRNDI Conference
are encouraged to attend a brief orientation. Board members Bob Beck and Charles Compton
will explain PRNDI’s mission and structure and help introduce you to other tenderfoots. It will
be an informal meet and greet before we saddle up and ride on over with the other PRNDI
members to the Astros game.
Friday Evening - Reception and Baseball – Thanks to Member Station KUHF, we’ll be spending Friday
evening at Minute Maid Field – hobnobbing with friends and seeing the Astros play a game.
Friday, June 29, 2012
8:00 a.m. - Continental Breakfast
8:30 – Welcome
8:45 – 10:00 - Funders & Firewalls - The public consistently says public radio and TV are their most
trusted sources of media. That confidence is strengthened by holding ourselves to rigorous
voluntary standards of integrity including in how we raise funds for content and operations. But
sometimes News Directors get stuck in the middle. As written in the new Code of Editorial
Integrity for Local Public Media Organizations we strive to assure that our editorial process is
free from undue influence. We take care in deciding from whom we seek and accept funds and
in setting boundaries with respect to those who contribute. We’ll hear from two people who
helped craft the white paper on “Preventing Undue Influence” in the Code. John Van Hoesen is
the Vice President for News and Programming at Vermont Public Radio and Sam Fleming is the
Director of News and Programming at WBUR in Boston.
10:00 – 10:15 – Break
10:15 – 11:15 – Breakouts
 Doing it All – Balancing and Organizing Multi-Platform Journalism - Journalists are being asked
to report their stories for a multitude of platforms nowadays. But how do you balance the
different storytelling formats? During this breakout session, Lam Thuy Vo will talk about casting
the right medium for your story, organizing your reporting in a manageable way and telling
stories in different ways successfully without compromising quality.
 Developing Story Ideas - Coming up with story ideas is fun and exciting, but sometimes
reporters lose steam or feel like the same issues keep repeating themselves, over and over
again. They may be stuck, or uninspired. You can help out by walking them through some
exercises that get the creative juices flowing again - and helping them use similar techniques to
pull unlikely threads out of news events that, at first glance, look dull. We begin with the phrase,
"I wonder why..." Join PRNDI Members Erin Hennesey of KPLU and Kelly Griffin of Colorado
Public Radio as they lead you in some role playing and get you to talk over story ideas in a new
and dynamic way.
 Public Media Ethics Never Log Off - This break-out session relates to the new Code of Editorial
Integrity for Local Public Media Organizations. But this session deals with the actions of our
employees, even when they are “off the clock”. Knight Journalism Fellow and author of the
Public Radio News Directors Guide Mike Marcotte wrote the white paper for the Code on this
topic. Plus NPR’s News Code of Ethics is now split into a Statement of Guiding Principles and an
accompanying handbook. NPR’s Stu Seidel, who was heavily involved in writing the handbook,
joins us to talk about its three goals: applying the principles, the art of ethical decision making,
and its integration into the organization.
11:15 – 11:30 – Break
11:30 – 12:30 – Breakouts
 Social Media – Join social media guru Claire Wardle (@cward1e) for a shorter version of her
social media workshop. She'll highlight how social media tools can be used for newsgathering,
reporting and building community and loyalty. This session will showcase some of the most
powerful examples from international breaking news to find original stories and guests in record
time. It will also give you practical advice about which tools are best for navigating the different
social networks and finding the information you need. We will look at successful case studies
using social media by radio stations Rather than seeing social media as either an information
source or a broadcast channel, we will discuss how successful community building initiatives can
create incredible content as well as effectively engage existing audiences and connect with new
audiences. Delegates will develop new ideas and strategies for projects.
 Difficult Conversations – How do you tell that seasoned reporter that they aren’t getting the job
done? How do you respond to employee complaints? How do you talk to your boss about an
unethical mandate? These are just a few of the difficult conversations that happen in

newsrooms, and news directors fear. But negotiating them well can be the difference between
an ok newsroom and one that really shines. Join Iowa Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl and
Maryanne Zeleznik of WXVU in Cincinnati for a crash course on handing those tough talks. The
session will include some role-playing, and suggested additional resources for you to pursue.
“Finding a `Pardner’ or Speed Dating for News Directors” - Tired of waiting for a text from a
potential collaborator? Weary of pardners who don’t commit? Got a taste for fine reporting,
but, only enough money for a cheap date? Now you can find the perfect workmate. Bring your
story ideas, or just a willingness to collaborate, newsroom-to-newsroom, on reporting projects
that are just a bit beyond your reach. We’ll help you identify prestige projects perfect for
pardnerships and then help you find the right “pardner.” Moderator: Charles Compton, WEKU
Radio.
12:30 – 1:45 – Lunch – Speaker, Gary Knell – As President and CEO, Gary Knell leads NPR's worldwide
media operations, which include partnerships with 900 public radio stations. Knell oversees the
fiscal, operational, and journalistic integrity of NPR and leads the building of the organization
and its philanthropic base to support and leverage the strengths of NPR and its extensive
network of stations.
1:45 – 2:00 - Break
2:00 – 4:30 – What Would Planet Money Do? - The Planet Money team has brought innovative
reporting on money, finance and the economy to public radio. So much so, that one PRNDI
member is advising her reporters working on tough stories to ask the questions “What would
Planet Money do?”. So PRNDI is going to help you answer that question, through this session
with David Kestenbaum and Robert Smith. Through specific examples, lots of audio and great
stories, they will present the ways you can take the Planet Money approach to your stories. This
is a great session for reporters, editors and news directors that want to make their stories shine
in that Planet Money way.
4:30 – 4:45 – Break
4:45 – 5:30 - NPR Regional Meetings - this is your chance to visit with the Bureau Chiefs from NPR
6:00 – 7:30 – Reception – sponsored by the BBC and PRI
Saturday, June 30, 2012
8:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:30 – All About Elections – Join us for a discussion of the upcoming fall election season with
NPR Elections Editor Neal Carruth. Neal will give insight’s preview NPR’s coverage and discuss
ways you can improve your own coverage. Bill Raack from St. Louis Public Radio and Michael
Leland from Wisconsin Public Radio will also be on hand to share their election ideas.
10:30 – 10:45 – Break
10:45 – 12:00 – Swap Shop Breakouts - meet informally with news directors from newsrooms by size
groupings to discuss issues of common concern. Bring your questions and issues and share
solutions.
 Large Swap Shops
 Medium Swap Shops
 Small Swap Shops
12:00 – 2:00 – Lunch/Business Meeting
2:15 – 4:30 p.m. – NPR Digital Training
6:00 p.m. – Reception
6:30 p.m. – PRNDI Annual Awards Banquet