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Online sources to help radio become smart

A new Public Radio International program, "Open Source from PRI," will test whether the collective intelligence permeating the Web can make not just loud radio, but smart radio too. Not only does the program pull from unfiltered opinions and sources found on blogs, Open Source uses its own blog to cull ideas and sources from its listeners. Listeners are invited to make suggestions on Open Source`s blog, where they are openly posted along with ideas from the program`s five producers. When the comment flow starts and suggestions are made--including recommendations for guests--the audience can watch the program come together, sometimes over the course of a week, other times in an afternoon.

And even when the program goes off the air, listeners can continue the discourse online. Recent programs have looked at Muslims in Europe, recovery from war in Bosnia and poker in the days before it became a staple on ESPN and the internet. Open Source, like "The Connection," was designed to be a conversation engaging the public in instant dialogue, unlike the transmission of information that news broadcasts and newspapers offer.

The program is available as live stream audio online, and as a podcast. PRI is currently negotiating to begin broadcasting Open Source on XM Satellite Radio on Aug. 1. More than 700 users have registered on the program`s blog (a necessary step to contribute comments) and the site receives upward of 12,000 page views daily.