WTIP Selected for Public Media Digital Transformation Program CPB-funded training to foster digital innovation

Grand Marais, MN (Octo­ber 29, 2024) – WTIP North Shore Community Radio is among 50 public media stations selected to partici­pate in the Digital Transfor­mation Program, a virtual program developed by the Poynter Institute to educate, assist, and coach public me­dia senior leaders and their staff on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture.

“WTIP is proud to be part of this exciting ini­tiative as it will bring in­tense training for our staff as we focus on a digi­tal-first, audience-centric approach,” said Executive Director Matthew Brown. “This training builds on WTIP’s Community Media project to expand our vid­eo and social media, which started in 2023 and is fund­ed by the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation.”

The program includes on­line coaching and training to Executive Director Mat­thew Brown and four to six other staff members, to ac­celerate their digital trans­formation efforts. Designed in partnership with the Cor­poration for Public Broad­casting (CPB) and funded by CPB, the new program builds on the strength and success of the first Digital Transformation Program, which in 2022-23 trained 79 public media entities and 458 station personnel.

“CPB is committed to ad­vancing innovation,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO. “The Digital Transformation Pro­gram will provide coaching and resources to help sta­tions accelerate their digi­tal development and share best practices for achiev­ing audience and revenue growth.”

In addition to one-on-one and peer group coaching sessions, the program will include a series of educa­tional webinars, work ex­ercises, and resource mate­rials that span the program curriculum. The new phase of training, known as the Fundamentals Track, will be delivered virtually over nine months to two cohorts of 25 station leaders and their station’s personnel each year for three years.

“Poynter is excited to wel­come these public media professionals to the pro­gram as part of our part­nership with CPB,” said Poynter President Neil Brown. “We’re proud to be able to help these stations transform to a more audi­ence-first, digital focus and build deeper connections with their community as well as grow revenues to strengthen their financial foundations.”

The stations selected, from Alabama to Washington State, Hawaii to New York, include 22 public radio sta­tions, 12 public television stations and 16 joint license stations. One group of 25 stations will start in Janu­ary 2025 and the other in March.