1. The NPR API: powering "radio" in a
multiplatform world
Michael Yoch
Director, Product Development, NPR
myoch@npr.org
@mjyoch

2. Who is NPR?
• NPR = National Public Radio
• 2nd largest radio group in America
• Combination of public and private funding
• 268 independent NPR member organizations
• 764 stations
• NPR programming available on 146 other stations
• Total: 910 stations, 92% US population
#
Broadcast audience: ~ 35 million weekly listeners
#
#

3. NPR is both a producer and distributor
NPR makes:
• Radio programming
• Digital-only content: articles, blogs, audio, video,
slideshows
• Live events
NPR distributes:
• Radio programming from NPR stations and
independent producers
• Digital-only content from NPR stations
• Live events from stations

5. Big changes are coming
1. Ubiquitous broadband
2. Proliferation of internet connected devices
(capable of audio)
Major disruption / shift radio usage patterns

6. Europe = top mobile broadband penetration

7. Internet radio is everywhere

8. Pandora: ~60% of internet streaming
Source: Triton Digital, 4/28/2011 | http://bit.ly/jc6JA0

9. Usage patterns
Source: Target Spot, 2011 | http://bit.ly/kJMSA1

10. Mobile audience connects with the brand
Percentage of the digital audience that also listens to
NPR on the radio:
• Android app 83%
• iPhone app 81%
• Mobile Web 79%
• iPad app 65%
• NPR.org 22%

11. The Internet of Things
By 2020:
• 22 billion internet connected devices
• 6 billion mobile phones
• 2.5 billion televisions
• 1.1 billion cars
Source: Read Write Web, August, 2010 | http://rww.to/d51hno

12. What is an API?
API = application programming interface
Simple definition:
An easy system / interface for retrieving data
from an organized container.

13. API allows nimble development
flexible content +
technology(API) +
product strategy
=
broad footprint

14. API guiding principles
COPE (create once publish everywhere)
• COPE drives all other architectural decisions
Build content management tools, not web
publishing tools:
• Separate data/content from display/presentation
• Make sure all content is modular and portable
(flexible)
Pick a smart building block:
• Story is the Atom for NPR
• Stories contain assets (text, audio, video, images)
• Stories belong to lists
• Break things down to the smallest possible parts

15. Content flow through the system
CMS API Presentation
Layers

16. What goes into the API?
Content (flexible):
• audio
o streams
o on demand
• text
• photo galleries
• video
• rights / permissions
• metadata (about stations, streams, audio, etc.)
!from NPR, stations, other public media sources

18. From Washington DC! this is
NPR

19. Oops!

20. Flexible content: audio

21. Flexible content: images

22. Flexible content: images

23. From many sources to many destinations

24. Who benefits from the API?
NPR
• It powers everything we publish
• Easier development
• NPR audience benefits
Stations
• NPR content on station sites
• Stations better serve their audiences
Partners
• Creates new opportunities (easy / low cost
implementation)
• Easier to build on existing relationships
Public
• Engages the community

25. The API makes possible!.
• NPR.org
• 2 iPhone apps
• 1 iPad app
• 1 Android app
• mobile web site
• newsletters
• Chrome web app
• Sony connected TV widget
• Google TV (coming)
• RSS
• NPR station sites and mobile products
• A variety of open source / public development projects

26. Lifecycle of an NPR story

29. Lifecycle of an NPR story

30. Lifecycle of an NPR story

35. Lifecycle: NPR Music iPhone app

36. NPR Music iPhone app story page

37. NPR News for iPhone music category

40. Lifecycle of an NPR story

45. API is an investment that pays off (PVs)
Elections spike
1-year anniversary of API

46. API growth

47. Listening (million hours / month)
3 2.75
2
Source: Omniture and Splunk, April 2011

48. Digital vs. broadcast audience

49. iPad app: page views per visit
Source: Omniture and Splunk, April 2011

50. iPhone news app: page views per visit
Source: Omniture and Splunk, April 2011

51. iPhone music app: page views per visit
Source: Omniture and Splunk, April 2011

52. What does “radio” look like in the future?
"In the multi-device, multi-connection world,
product strategists need more than a good
product with a connection to win customer loyalty
-- they need to create a digital customer
relationship and deliver that in a continuously
connected experience across many devices."
Source: Thomas Husson, Forrester Mobile Analyst, April 2011 | http://bit.ly/l6oEY0

53. Tablet effect on other device usage

54. Ask users

55. Ask users

56. Ask users

57. Use cases

58. Design for patterns, not platforms

59. Connected cars

60. Live streaming to mobile

61. Live streaming to mobile

62. Infinite personalized radio?

63. Danke!
Michael Yoch
myoch@npr.org
@mjyoch
NPR: http://www.npr.org
NPR Music: http://www.npr.org/music
NPR Berlin: http://www.nprberlin.de/
NPR API: http://www.npr.org/api