Participatory Public Media: Mapping the Money

How can public media makers and outlets support themselves in an era of free access and user-generated content? This is the question that Diane Mermigas, editor at large of Mediapost, tackles for us in "Mapping the Money in Public Media." Mermigas, who will be leading our final conversation at Beyond Broadcast, suggests that public media makers have plenty of opportunities if they can change their mindset. "Public media can build community where commercial media manipulates consumers," she notes. "As such, digital interactivity can be a catalyst to reshape public broadcasting, create new forms of public media and develop new methods for sustainable funding."

The shift in thinking will be more "revolution than evolution," predicts Mermigas. As the visualization above illustrates, broadcasters will no longer run the show--instead, consumers and citizens are in the driver's seat, choosing content and platforms and turning to various filters to find relevant news and information.

This the latest in our ongoing Atlas of Media Maps series, leading up to next Tuesday's Beyond Broadcast conference.