PRI unveils 'Innovator-in-Residence' Program, welcomes mobile start-up Instant Automatic, Inc. into its headquarters

MINNEAPOLIS, August 23, 2010 -- Public Radio International (PRI) announces the launch of its 'Innovator-in-Residence' Program to accelerate its growth as a digital media company. The program is inviting technology and social media start-ups with a public service mission to share PRI's new world headquarters for three months or longer.

Employees of 'Innovator-in-Residence' organizations become PRI Innovation Fellows. The fellows receive regular advice and business counsel from PRI executives, introductions to media and business leaders, and access to PRI facilities and expertise. In return, the fellows provide PRI with access to their ideas, software and content.

The program builds upon PRI's leadership in public media by forging forward-thinking partnerships with like-minded visionaries.

"In an environment where new ideas and technology are constantly disrupting our business, we have decided to bring that disruption into the heart of our work and culture at PRI," said Alisa Miller, PRI President and CEO. "Public media in general has had trouble attracting the nimble risk capital we need to lead in the new media landscape. This program is a new collaborative way for PRI to gain intellectual capital and resources by sharing ours."

The first Innovator-in-Residence recipient is Instant Automatic. Based in San Francisco and Minneapolis, Instant Automatic creates and develops new communication and content technologies that connect and advance real-world interaction through the mobile web.

"We're thrilled to be the first 'Innovator-in-Residence' at PRI," says Geoffrey LeMond, Instant Automatic founder. "It's a real vote of confidence in our ideas and market potential. And our mission -- to build innovative mobile tools that merge the Internet and real-world in a seamless fashion -- is a perfect fit with PRI's goal to connect people to ideas, places and each other."

Michael Skoler, PRI's VP of interactive media says, "Instant Automatic has developed a completely new approach to how mobile phones, content, location and social networking can be combined. By encouraging their success, we're advancing PRI's goal of designing new digital services that will delight public radio producers, stations and fans alike."

About Public Radio International
Celebrated as a driver of innovation in public media, PRI was founded in 1983 to diversify and expand the content available on public platforms, enabling U.S. listeners to "hear a different voice" and to connect with one another and the larger world. PRI leads by identifying critical but unmet content needs and partnering with producers, stations, digital networks and funders to develop multi-platform resources to meet those needs. By creating an environment in which innovation can thrive, PRI supports the creation and distribution of content that would otherwise be unavailable and that brings new voices, global journalism and cultural perspectives to the American public. PRI content is available on pri.org and via podcasts, and is broadcast on 837 public radio stations. More than 13 million people access PRI content each week through these sources.

PRI's newest production is "The Takeaway," a groundbreaking morning-drive news show co-produced with WNYC Radio. Its best known programming includes "This American Life," produced by Chicago Public Radio; PRI's "The World," a co-production of BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Radio Boston; "Living on Earth," produced by World Media Foundation Inc.; "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?," produced by Wisconsin Public Radio; "The Tavis Smiley Show," produced by Smiley Radio Properties Inc.; and "Studio 360 from PRI and WNYC," produced by PRI and WNYC; as well as 24-hour program services -- "Classical 24," produced by American Public Media; and BBC World Service, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation. For more information, visit www.pri.org.

About Instant Automatic
Instant Automatic is an integrated web and mobile application system that provides interactive infrastructures and utility sets for real-world environments.

CONTACT: Julia Yager, PRI, v: 612.330.9231; email