Brick, Mortar, and Screen: Networked Digital Media, Popular Music, and the Reinvention of the Public Radio Station

摘要

This article details the various forces that shaped public radio station KEXP's evolution from the 70s to today. It addresses the ways that Seattle's specific cultural, economic, and technological advantages enabled it to take on its current form as a key presence in global pop music curation and discovery. It argues that the station's progression thus represents a potential model for other legacy public radio stations in an era of diminishing public and institutional funding. However, this approach's viability will depend upon how effectively stations are able to leverage their local communities to compete in the networked digital media paradigm.