Zeitfunk 2006
2006 was PRX's third full year of operation, and the biggest bestest one yet. All told over 6,600 pieces were licensed by over 250 stations and a number of podcasts and digital distributors.
So our annual tradition is to look back at the year and tally up the numbers and highlights, and hand out the much-anticipated Zeitfunk awards.
Who got the most licenses? Who got the most listens? Who got the most reviews, who did the most reviewing? After a couple weeks of mathin' and calculatin', we've got the answers and then some.
Image by Hélène Desplechin
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Zeitfunk results for 2006. Scroll down for more results.
Most Licensed Producer
Fred Flaxman
(more in this category...)Most Licensed Producer Group
PRI
(more in this category...)Most Licensed Station
WXPN
(more in this category...)Most Licensed Piece
CROSSING BORDERS Special from HearingVoices
(more in this category...)Most Licensed Series
Compact Discoveries from Fred Flaxman
(more in this category...)Most Previewed Piece
Trey Anastasio Live from Tres Hombres Productions
(more in this category ...)Most Active Reviewer
Todd Melby
(more in this category...)Most Active Youth Reviewer
Caitlin Garing
(more in this category...)Most Reviewed Piece
That's My Song: Aliens Exist from outLoud Radio
(more in this category...)Most Licensed Youth Piece
Tie: Katrina Photojournalist John McCusker from Adeline Goss, BSR and The Cost of War from S. Spencer Scott, Blunt Youth Radio Project
(more in this category...)Most Popular Fundraising Piece
Fundraising Funnies II from WFIU
(more in this category...)
Some observations: The majority of the pieces that ranked high in quantity of reviews were youth pieces, yet youth members scored much lower in the reviews written per-person tabulation. Perhaps this is another example of the notoriously hairy long tail? Or perhaps youth pieces are generating more discussion amongst all members.
Most of the time, the only clear results were the first two to three placements: after that, the majority were tied for fourth or fifth places. (We gave lists of five, ten or fifteen anyway -- you can view actual numbers of licenses and reviews by clicking on the piece/producer/group's link.)
Also, a "hit" on PRX is a piece that gets licensed dozens, not hundreds or thousands, of times. This is mainly because different stations are finding different localized reasons for finding and using a piece at various times during the year, unlike a single major show or special that simultaneously airs on a hundred stations or more. In aggregate all of these mini-hits translate into a huge amount of activity ultimately reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners across the country.
Congratulations, Zeitfunk winners of 2006!
The trophies for first-place winners are in the mail; we may be needing your pictoral help for the "award ceremony" coming up soon. Stay tuned, and thanks for all your hard work!
