KUAF Selected for Public Media Digital Transformation Program

FAYETTEVILLE, AR. Oct. 29 – KUAF Public Radio, the U of A's NPR affiliate, which broadcasts at 91.3 FM, is among 50 public media stations selected to participate in the Digital Transformation Program, a virtual program developed by the Poynter Institute to educate, assist, and coach public media senior leaders and their staff on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture.

"As Northwest Arkansas continues to grow and evolve, so must KUAF's ability to serve our community across all platforms," said Clint Schaff, KUAF's general manager. "This Digital Transformation Program comes at a perfect time as we work to expand our digital presence and ensure that our trusted journalism and cultural programming reaches audiences wherever they are. It’ll help us expand signature programs like Ozarks At Large into the digital space. We're excited to learn from industry leaders and our public media peers about innovative ways to better serve our region."

The program includes online coaching and training to Schaff and 4-6 other staff members to accelerate their digital transformation efforts. Designed in partnership with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and funded by CPB, the new program builds on the strength and success of the first Digital Transformation Program, which in 2022-23 trained 79 public media entities and 458 station personnel.

“CPB is committed to advancing innovation,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO. “The Digital Transformation Program will provide coaching and resources to help stations accelerate their digital development and share best practices for achieving audience and revenue growth.”

In addition to one-on-one and peer group coaching sessions, the program will include a series of educational webinars, work exercises, and resource materials that span the program curriculum. The new phase of training, known as the Fundamentals Track, will be delivered virtually over nine months to two cohorts of 25 station leaders and their station's personnel each year for three years.

“Poynter is excited to welcome these public media professionals to the program as part of our partnership with CPB,” said Poynter President Neil Brown. “We’re proud to be able to help these stations transform to a more audience-first, digital focus and build deeper connections with their community as well as grow revenues to strengthen their financial foundations.”

The stations selected, from Alabama to Washington State, Hawaii to New York, include 22 public radio stations, 12 public television stations and 16 joint license stations. One group of 25 stations will start in January 2025 and the other in March.

About KUAF: Owned by the University of Arkansas as part of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, KUAF serves a 14-county area of west and Northwest Arkansas, parts of eastern Oklahoma and southern Missouri. It provides the only source of national and international news from NPR in the region, as well as a daily local news magazine, Ozarks at Large. KUAF reaches a potential audience of more than 600,000 people. The station also offers classical music during the nighttime hours and a variety of public radio programs on the weekends. Located across the street from the Fayetteville Public Library at 9 S. School Ave., KUAF is at the center of the intellectual and artistic hub of Northwest Arkansas. Visit the station’s website for more information.

About the School of Journalism and Strategic Media: The School of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Arkansas offers full-time and part-time degree programs for undergraduates as well as a graduate master's degree program. Students major in journalism or advertising and public relations, and they receive instruction, guidance and access to hands-on experience from seasoned, award-winning faculty and staff. The school is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and media literacy. The journalism program was established at the University of Arkansas by Walter J. Lemke in 1930. Visit the school's website for more information.

About CPB: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.

About The Poynter Institute: The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media, and 21st-century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at newsrooms, conferences, and organizations around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, offers the world’s largest online journalism curriculum, with hundreds of interactive courses and tens of thousands of registered international users. The Institute’s website produces 24-hour coverage about media, ethics, technology, and the business of news. Poynter is the home of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact, the International Fact-Checking Network and MediaWise, a digital information literacy project for young people, first-time voters, and senior citizens. The world’s top journalists and media innovators rely on Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians, and broadcasters. This work builds public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment, and discourse that serves democracy and the public good. Learn more at poynter.org.