Beyond the Broadcast:

Community Building
for Public Media

Join Us For An Interactive Discussion

★ ★ ★

Wednesday, Dec. 11th
2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT

Americans need public media. But what we needed from public media yesterday is not what we need from it today.

Join your fellow public media broadcasters for a discussion about how we can put community building strategies into action.

NOVEMBER 2024

5 Mindset Shifts Content Creators Must Make To Be Effective Community Builders

The primary focus of public media broadcasters is creating compelling content. But when you set out to build community, you must create spaces. How is this different? Community Strategist Bri Leveer, the Founder of Ember, joins our Community Building Consultant, Seth Resler, to talk about how to adjust your mindset to become an effective community builder.

OCTOBER 2024

5 Factors to Consider When Selecting a Community to Build

Public radio stations serve audiences with diverse interests. So, what should your station consider when building communities for its listeners? Our Community Building Consultant, Seth Resler, offers the key factors to keep in mind as you start this journey.

SEPTEMBER 2024

5 Things Public Media Broadcasters Should Know About Community Building

Building a community is different from building an audience. In this introductory presentation, our Community Building Consultant, Seth Resler, offers three things that public media broadcasters should know before they begin their community-building journey.

AUGUST 2024

Redefining the Role of Public Media in America

Our August 28th virtual panel discussion about the future of public media was inspired by Robert Putnam's book, Bowling Alone, and the new documentary film, Join or Die.

S P E C I A L T H A N K S :

P A N E L I S T S

Rebecca Davis

Rebecca is the director of Join or Die. She has produced for HBO, VICE, Al Jazeera, A&E, and was the
supervising producer for Season 2 of Vox's hit Netflix show, Explained.

She was a
senior producer with NBC News for nearly a decade, where her work focused on social
movements, environmental and economic justice, and community innovators.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed

Abdul is a physician, epidemiologist, and public servant. He is the director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services, serving 1.8 million residents.

Abdul hosts the award-winning America Dissected podcast. His books include Healing Politics and Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide with Dr. Micah Johnson. He is formerly a CNN commentator, health director for the city of Detroit, and Michigan gubernatorial candidate.

Carrie Melissa Jones

Carrie's community building work has influenced communities for startups, non-profits, solopreneurs, and the world's leading brands, including Airbnb, Google, Microsoft, and two U.S. presidential campaigns. She is currently the CEO of The CMJ Group and is the Founding Partner of CMX, co-author of the book Building Brand Communities with Charles Vogl, and holds an M.A. in communication focused on virtual communities and belonging.

Mike Henry

With over 40 years’ experience, Paragon founder and CEO Mike Henry is a renowned strategist and advisor for broadcasters and media companies.

He has developed many enduring brands, including NPR News, Jack FM, CMT, SiriusXM, and numerous radio stations across all formats in all market sizes. He received a 2012 Peabody Award as executive producer of the public radio series, “Inside the National Recording Registry.”

S P E C I A L G U E S T :

Professor Bob Putnam

Robert D. Putnam is the Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, where he taught from 1979 until his retirement in 2018. Educated at Swarthmore, Oxford, and Yale, Putnam is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the British Academy, and a past president of the American Political Science Association. His accolades include the Skytte Prize, the National Humanities Medal awarded by President Obama, and the Karl Deutsch Award.

Putnam has authored fifteen books, including the widely cited Making Democracy Work and Bowling Alone, which are considered seminal works in social science. His recent work, The Upswing, explores the economic, social, political, and cultural trends in 20th-century America.

Before Harvard, Putnam taught at the University of Michigan and worked with the US National Security Council. At Harvard, he served as Dean of the Kennedy School, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. He co-founded the Saguaro Seminar, which brought together thought leaders, including President Obama, to discuss civic renewal. His expertise has been sought by leaders such as Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Prime Ministers Blair and Cameron.

Moderated by Seth Resler

Seth Resler is the founder of Community Marketing Revolution, which helps brands launch and grow their own communities. He is a 30-year broadcasting veteran, having worked at stations in New York City, Boston, Seattle, St. Louis, Providence, and Silicon Valley. Seth is also the newest member of Team Paragon.

Host a Screening of Join or Die

Host a screening of the documentary for your staff or audience.

Request Screening

L E A R N M O R E

Bowling Alone

by Robert Putnam

Putnam’s groundbreaking work showed how social bonds are the most powerful predictor of life satisfaction, and how the loss of social capital is felt in critical ways, acting as a strong predictor of crime rates and other measures of neighborhood quality of life, and affecting our health in other ways. His central argument remains as powerful and urgent as ever: mending our frayed social capital is key to preserving the very fabric of our society.*

Get the Book

Building Brand Communities

by Carrie Melissa Jones & Charles H.Vogl

An authentic brand community is far more than a group working alongside one another or a list of customers connected to a brand on social media. Building Brand Communities distills key lessons to create engaged and effective communities by growing mutual concern, expressing common values, and sharing experiences.