About the Talent Quest

For specific questions about how it all works, please read the FAQ.

Ira, Terry, Tavis, Garrison, Nina, Robert, Susan, Click, Clack...

Public radio has a small galaxy of on-air stars whose voices and personas are a brilliant presence in the lives of millions of Americans.

But who is next?

Who can take public radio beyond broadcast into an expanding universe of new channels and challenges? Who can reach new audiences tuning in online and on their iPhones? Who can convince a listener to give $50 and love it?

The 2007 Public Radio Talent Quest

This Spring the first-ever Public Radio Talent Quest will reach out to thousands of new voices with the opportunity to showcase their talent, and a chance to win $10,000 plus $6,000 for a mentor chosen by us to help you produce a pilot show for national distribution on public radio.

It’s kind of like “This American Idol”

On PublicRadioQuest.com anyone can take a turn behind the microphone for a shot at stardom – public radio style.

Public Radio Talent Quest contestants will compete in four rounds of auditions and on-air challenges. Thousands of public radio listeners will cast their votes online and a panel of public radio professionals and celebrity judges will help winnow the field from hundreds of entrants to the final group of three – each of whom will get to produce a pilot show for public radio a Participatory event.

Public radio stations around the country and major national shows will help spread the word about The Quest, encouraging contestants to enter and listeners to vote.

When all is said and done the three winners and their pilot shows will be posted online and presented to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for possible further funding and national distribution.

The Public Radio Talent Quest is designed and run by PRX (The Public Radio Exchange) and supported by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The PRX Quest team includes all-star talent scouts Jay Allison, John Barth, Maxie Jackson, Jake Shapiro, and Izzi Smith.

2007 Timeline
* March 1: Public awareness campaign begins
* April 16: Round 1 begins, open submissions
* May 14: Deadline for Round 1 submissions
* June 4: 10 finalists announced
* June - September: Rounds 2, 3, 4
* September 24: 3 Winners Announced; Pilot production begins

Background about the Talent Quest
The Public Radio Talent Quest was proposed by the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB) in a 2006 Request for Proposals.

CPB selected two teams - PRX and Launch - to compete in the project, with each team identifying three new on-air hosts and developing pilot programs to bring back to CPB for potential further funding.

About PRX
The Public Radio Exchange (PRX) is an online marketplace for distribution, review, and licensing of public radio programming. PRX is also a growing social network and community of listeners, producers, and stations collaborating to reshape public radio.

PRX is a collaboration of the Station Resource Group and Atlantic Public Media, with support from public radio stations and producers, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Surdna Foundation.

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