HELP / FAQ

Help

First, check out our short, curated list of common questions, answered on the forums. If you need a specific question answered browse our Message Board by topic.

Official Rules

The Public Radio Talent Quest official rules are posted here.

Hear all about it

The public radio show Weekend America has been covering the Talent Quest along the way:

(Segment #1 April 21 2007)

(Segment #2 May 5 2007)

(Segment #3 June 9 2007)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this really a collection of "Frequently Asked Questions or just your best guess of what I'd frequently ask if given the chance?

My, you are clever and clearly ready for the Public Radio Talent Quest.

Please jump over to the Message Board if you have questions or ideas not covered here.

What's the timeline for the Public Radio Talent Quest?
* 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

What's this "Talent Quest" all about?

We're looking for the next great public radio host - three of them actually.

Public radio needs new ideas and new voices - especially as it expands online and beyond broadcast.

We thought the best way to find new talent was to throw it wide open, inviting the public to enter, to vote, and generally help shape the whole thing.

It is public radio, after all.

How does it work, in a nutshell?

Basically anyone can enter by submitting a two-minute audio piece in the First Round (April 16-May 14) introducing yourself. The Official Rules govern all aspects of this contest.

After the public votes and our judges deliberate, we'll announce 10 semi-finalists - 9 voted in by the judges and one voted in by registered users of this site - who get a cash prize and advance to the Second Round. They are then assigned a Challenge that tests their "Hostiness".

After that there are three more rounds, more Challenges, and more prizes until we've selected the Three Finalists - each of whom gets $16,000 ($10k cash and $6k towards a producer/mentor chosen by us) to produce a pilot show for public radio.

When all is said and done, we'll present the final three hosts and their pilots to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for potential further funding as a radio series.

All along the way there will be various bonus rounds, new opportunities, and surprises for the finalists, runners-up and voters too.

Who are you looking for?

The short answer: people who you'd want to hear on the radio.

It's not like we have a specific sound in mind, like "be the new Bob Edwards" or something.

In fact, we're intentionally making the Talent Quest as wide open as possible, hoping to attract people from all walks of life.

To make the cut you'll have to have the elusive quality we've come to call "Hostiness"...

Who is eligible to enter?

Just about everyone and anyone over 18 years old and a U.S. citizen or resident. Not eligible, however, are the few dozen humans on earth who already host or have hosted national radio shows on public radio (you know who you are), and, sorry guys, the PRX staff and Public Radio Talent Quest Team and Judges.

Go here for complete rules.

Can people enter as a duo or team?
We can only accept individual submissions. If you make it through to the Pilot Round and end up proposing a show idea that is more of a duo or team approach, then at that point it's a possibility.

Remember, there are no duets on American Idol either!

Can I use music in my entry?
For aspiring DJs and music hosts who want to demonstrate your abilities to weave in and out of music tracks, you do need to be careful not to infringe on copyrights.

The question of what constitutes a Fair Use of a sound recording depends on a number of factors that are difficult to quantify in advance. The law allows significant leeway in the use of a sound recording when it's part of a critique or commentary on the work, and/or where the use does nothing to diminish the commercial value of that work.

So if you are using just a few seconds of a clip as part of your Entry you could argue that is Fair Use, but if you adopt a sound recording as a theme song for your show (think Cheers' "Where Everybody Knows Your Name") without permission, on the other hand, you are probably on shaky ground.

In any event, we reserve the right to reject or pull from the website any Entry we feel may constitute a copyright violation.

So what is "Hostiness"?

After you get past the the usual list of desirable qualities in a host - engaging, smart, curious, authentic, honest, clever, knowledgeable, humorous, intelligent - you end up still needing that X factor that sums it all up.

There's definitely a know-it-when-you-hear-it aspect to coming across as a good host, which is why we've got our team of judges and thousands of listeners helping us find the right stuff.

So what can I win?

Besides the glory and satisfaction of participating in a public radio mega event, if you advance in the contest you have a number of enticing prizes awaiting you.

We're still luring some fancy sponsors to contribute gadgets and "schwag", but in the meantime here's how it breaks down:

• 10 semifinalists get $500 to participate in round 2
• 7 semifinalists get $1000 to participate in round 3
• 5 semifinalists get $2500 to participate in round 4
• and the 3 finalists get $10,000 plus $6,000 for a producer/mentor to produce a pilot program.

How do I enter?

First, read the Official Rules. The entire Talent Quest is managed through this website, so just sign up and follow instructions - we've tried to make it super easy.

Doors for Round 1 will open on April 16th, so until then just register, weigh in on the Message Board, and we'll remind you when it's time to get ready to submit your audio.

Each round will require that you submit at least one audio file, and we'll provide lots of links and resources on how to do that easily and affordably. We're looking for hosts, after all, not computer geniuses or broadcast engineers (but we'll still take you if you're all three!).

Recording audio on computers is easier than ever. If you have questions, check the tools here, or ask someone under 20. Odds are they can help.

Once you make the audio, you'll upload the file to the Talent Quest website. This works the same way as attaching a document to an e-mail.

What are the categories?
You can enter the Quest in three broad categories - talk, entertainment, or music.

These are the basic formats for programs on public radio - think Talk of the Nation, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Who are the judges?

We're gathering a great group of judges from around and beyond public radio. Read more about them here

How are the entries rated?

Our judges will be weighing a variety of factors when evaluating contestants, from their "hostiness" to the realities of the public radio marketplace.

For the public voting we've boiled it down to the gut check we expect most people will have when listening to an entry:

1. Pretty bad
2. Not so hot
3. Ok
4. Really good
5. Excellent!

Remember, you're not voting on how well the audio has been produced - so don't get fooled by that reverb!

You can also leave comments for the entrants and jump over to the Message Board for more.

How do I vote and comment on entries?

Once you sign up you can rate and comment on every entry and also weigh in on the Message Board. Voting begins Tuesday, April 17th. You can listen to and vote on as many entries as you like, but you may vote on each entry only once.

Who are you guys anyway?
So glad you asked!

We're PRX, the Public Radio Exchange, a nonprofit web-based service for distribution of public radio programs. We're also a growing network of stations, independent producers, and listeners collaborating to reshape public radio.

You can join PRX for free or just browse around over at www.prx.org.

You can read more about us on our "About PRX" site.

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.

What's this about "the other Team"?

Yes, there is another Public Radio Talent Quest Team other than PRX. They are called Launch, and unlike PRX they are finding new hosts and developing pilots with a more behind-the-scenes approach. You can read more about them on the Launch website.

What if I want to learn more about the Talent Quest and its planning and history?

Then you are indeed a devoted fan and curious cat! You can find a complete rundown of the project here.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

delicious | digg