NPR Kicks Off Campaign to Reach 20-Something Listeners

Aiming to boost public radio’s cool factor with the under-30 audience, NPR launched an outreach campaign called Generation Listen with a party Sunday at the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Tex., writes The New York Times.

The effort, and its dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages, aims to draw youthful fans and donors to the nonprofit broadcaster, which saw the age of its average listener rise from 47 in 1999 to 52 a decade later. NPR’s Web site and podcasts attract younger users.

The effort will include more meet-and-greet events for younger listeners. “It’s time for us to get better at finding you where you are and what is most relevant to your lives,” states a Generation Listen manifesto at NPR’s site.

The campaign was crafted by Danielle Deabler, an NPR manager who characterized her own age as “Generation X” and said she “had to ‘sell’ it inside NPR” for two years before winning the backing of CEO Gary Knell and securing funds.