CPB Expands Digital Culture Accelerator Program to Ignite Digital Growth

Public media stations invited to apply to participate in year-long transformation initiative

October 22, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 22, 2018) The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced it is expanding the Digital Culture Accelerator initiative to help 20 public media leaders transform their stations for the digital age.

The initiative builds on a successful pilot project that helped station leaders at three stations -- ideastream in Cleveland; UNC-TV in Durham, North Carolina; and WBHM-FM in Birmingham, Alabama -- adopt more digital-native ways of working. The project led to large increases in engagement and membership revenue, while driving innovations in how the stations are serving their communities.

“The Digital Culture Accelerator has affirmed that changing organizational culture is critical to public media stations better serving their communities in the digital age,” said Maja Mrkoci, CPB senior vice president of television content and innovation. “As CPB continues to make strategic investments into public media’s future, helping stations adjust their organizational processes and culture will be a central focus of our multi-level approach.”

The Digital Culture Accelerator will expand to 17 additional public media stations in an immersive, year-long effort to help all 20 organizations reach new audiences and serve their communities in new ways. Participants will also serve as ambassadors for the program and its techniques, helping extend the model across public media. 

The initiative will continue to be led by QCatalyst, a digital transformation and product development firm whose partners have led digital departments and initiatives at major brands such as PBS, WGBH, ABC-TV, and the Washington Post. As part of the initial pilot, QCatalyst created the CPB online Digital Culture Accelerator Playbook for public media stations. The Playbook features a step-by-step guide that leaders throughout the public media system can use to ignite digital change at their stations. QCatalyst will continue to refine the Playbook throughout 2019 as part of this extended initiative. 

CPB is now accepting applications from public media organizations. The deadline for completed applications is November 16, 2018. 

About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmediaFacebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for other updates.

Categories: CPB Funding, Digital