Wow. Those are some seriously self-righteous tweets.
There's a delicious irony in people using the canonical example of unprofitable social media to criticize NPR's decision(s) to prioritize its lucrative distribution network over the free-media flavor of the moment. Say what you will about NPR, but the affiliates pay their bills.
I don't know if this is the "right" decision, but I'm willing to wager that NPR will be around long after Twitter has filed for bankruptcy. Distribution the top challenge for any product, and NPR's distribution -- and therefore, primary value generator -- happens because of its large affiliate network. It isn't a "tax" to invest in that system. Unless digital distribution is self-sustaining, it's the other way around.
(Edit: I just got a downvote before my comment was visible. Not sure how that's possible, unless someone is systematically down-voting my comments...)
There's a delicious irony in people using the canonical example of unprofitable social media to criticize NPR's decision(s) to prioritize its lucrative distribution network over the free-media flavor of the moment. Say what you will about NPR, but the affiliates pay their bills.
I don't know if this is the "right" decision, but I'm willing to wager that NPR will be around long after Twitter has filed for bankruptcy. Distribution the top challenge for any product, and NPR's distribution -- and therefore, primary value generator -- happens because of its large affiliate network. It isn't a "tax" to invest in that system. Unless digital distribution is self-sustaining, it's the other way around.
(Edit: I just got a downvote before my comment was visible. Not sure how that's possible, unless someone is systematically down-voting my comments...)