The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has committed nearly $1 million for five national public media orgs to build a common digital platform. NPR, PBS, American Public Media, Public Radio International (PRI), and the Public Radio Exchange want a better way to share their own public media content and to encourage others to do the same. Eventually, the platform may extend outside public media. The initial development phase runs through the end of 2010; no specific date for launch.

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But it has to be built first. The CPB funding will be used over the next six months to “create development plans” and produce a working prototype of the Public Media Platform; NPR is administering the grant.  They want a platform that allows non-compatible systems to share content—and they want to be able “to match or exceed” their radio-TV audience. The goal: an open API for the partners; their members; other public radio and TV stations; indies; and content creators and developers who want to work with them.