Public Media Accelerator - Seeking entrepreneurs changing media forgood

Public media plays a vital role serving communities with essential journalism and cultural content across broadcast and digital platforms. Public Media Accelerator will provide funding and expertise to entrepreneurial teams with innovative ideas for increasing the impact of public service media. Launched and operated by Public Radio Exchange (PRX), the accelerator is supported by a $2.5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.Modeled on technology startup incubators, the Accelerator aims to strengthen public media’s essential role in meeting community information needs across new platforms and devices. The Public Media Accelerator will invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures, building apps, services and media products. It will showcase successful projects to additional funders and investors, and receive support through a partner and sponsor network.

“Through funding more than 200 community information experiments, we’ve found that the models with the best success are nurtured through outside advice and expertise,” said Michael Maness, Knight Foundation’s vice president for journalism and media innovation. “We hope the Public Media Accelerator will bring public media’s quality journalism into more people’s lives, by using technology to expand its reach.”

The Public Media Accelerator will formally launch at the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) conference in March in Austin and will name a director and advisory board early next year.