Kathy Merritt is vice president of content strategy and development at Public Radio International (PRI). Today Knight Foundation is announcing $50,000 in support to test a new model of engagement to reach millennials through a partnership with PRI, Facebook and Mic. 

Radio is probably not the first place most millennials go to find news or connect with their peers. So, if you’re a legacy media company with the word “radio” in your name, how do make sure you’re relevant to the largest, most diverse U.S. generation, the first one born in the digital age?

For Public Radio International (PRI), the answer is to stay true to mission. The guide star for PRI has always been to surface unheard voices and share diverse perspectives, and today, we apply that approach to broadcast and digital media, using audience engagement-first strategies. We’ve grown our digital capacity exponentially over the past few years, and with support from Knight Foundation, we’ll use the months following the 2016 presidential election to raise the voices of millennials using digital and social tools.

The project builds on our 2016 election initiative called The UnConvention. In partnership with Facebook, Mic (a Knight Enterprise Fund portfolio company), and the 92nd Street Y in New York, we created a 21st-century public square that illuminated millennials’ most important issues in the 2016 campaign, amplified their ideas, and connected them through interactive dialogue. The next phase of our project focuses on the period between Election Day and Inauguration Day. The UnConvention: Transition will continue our nonpartisan social, digital and broadcast journalism efforts to drive conversation and create meaningful reporting about the issues millennials see as priorities for the new president.

The essential element of our project is an active, engaged Facebook group made up of some 450 millennials – who were recruited through Facebook, completed an online survey, and were vetted by our social media journalists – who have diverse backgrounds and political views. PRI created the group as a safe space to talk about the election and to serve as a model of civil discussion. “I love this group,” one member said in an email. “Having a place where I can talk politics and expect absolute civility, even when it gets heated, and how we self-monitor for the most part is such a boon.”

Millennials crave this kind of opportunity to talk together and problem-solve, and our UnConvention: Transition project will help us better understand what types of stories and tools generate the most reach and engagement. For example, is a multiple choice quiz or a one question poll more effective in stimulating discussion? Do Facebook chats within the group get more response than bringing in outside expert voices? Knight is providing critical support to the social journalism team which will test and track different approaches in the Facebook group.

Our social journalists also listen carefully to what’s being said. As with our pre-Election Day coverage, we’ll incorporate the ideas from the Facebook group into the reporting on our primary content platforms – PRI.org (home of our global enterprise reporting unit, GlobalPost), our daily radio news programs “PRI’s The World” and “The Takeaway,” and our social media accounts. We’ll create articles, videos, audio, virtual events and more that will showcase millennial input and involvement. And we’ll share insights from the Facebook group with our partners at Mic and 92Y to shape our collaborative efforts. After Inauguration Day, we hope to continue working with the Facebook group and will seek their guidance on how we keep the conversation going.

PRI is grateful to Knight Foundation for the opportunity to increase and deepen our engagement with millennials. This work will enhance our other major content initiatives: Across Women’s Lives, which documents the power of women to improve their communities; Global Nation, which gives voice to immigrants and children of immigrants; and, Seeking Security, which examines international security through the eyes of millennials. This project continues our mission to hear a different voice as PRI provides information, insights and cultural experiences essential to living in our diverse, interconnected world.

For more, visit PRI.org. Follow Kathy Merritt on Twitter @merrittkathy and Public Radio International @PRI.