Good news regarding the iOS4 troubles! We have completed some improvements on the app’s server that should eliminate most timing-out issues for devices running iOS4. (Older devices might still have issues, and we’re working on those too.) The changes are live and anyone who has been having issues with iOS4 should try just launching the app. If problems persist, simply delete and reinstall the app and that should do the trick.
And a little icing on the cake — we expect to submit an update to iTunes next week that will bring multitasking to the Public Radio Player. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s approved.
UPDATE:The multitasking update for the Public Radio Player is taking a bit longer than expected, but we’re working on it.
As we gushed in a previous post, the new iOS4 operating system is a big deal for audio-centric apps like the Public Radio Player because of the new multitasking feature. Developers are able to reprogram their apps for iOS4 to enable multitasking, allowing those apps to run in the background while you access your email, surf the web, or use other apps.
Multitasking is not yet available for the Public Radio Player, but we are excited to make it happen and it will definitely be included in an upcoming release. Introducing multitasking to the Player requires development resources that are in scarce supply right now. As you know, we are currently working to bring the Player to the Android platform as well as developing a web-based version of the app. Making multitasking a part of the Public Radio Player is a priority for us, but it will be delayed while we juggle our other projects.
Additionally, we have been hearing scattered reports that the current version of the Player is crashing after updating to iOS4. We are looking into this and will remedy the situation as soon as possible.
Perusing the internet, I recently came across mentions of the Public Radio Player on a few international blogs. Since my Catalan, German and Italian are all a little rusty; I used Google Translate to decipher these foreign perspectives on the iPhone app. (You can grasp the main points of the articles, but it sometimes feels like Google hired Roberto Benigni to do the translations.) No matter the language, we’re delighted that word is spreading overseas about the Player. Are there any ex-pats out there using the Public Radio Player to stay connected? Let us know!
Listen to NPR is a great way to see the true American way of life while a cultural and linguistic immersion surveying its contents, often chain, with a focus on news, culture and society. If you are interested try applying Public Radio Player…is a comfortable, lightweight and full of searching and listening stations such programming through an application of the expected half million Download and have already exceeded two million! (via Google Translate)
The Public Radio Player 2.1 covers from the size of about 500 radio stations and over 1000 radio broadcasts from the United States. This software receives the user hears a lot of information and the best news of the latest music fan guaranteed hits. (via Google Translate)
The latest version of the Public Radio Player will introduce advertising within the app for the first time. We wanted to take a moment and provide you some details about the ads and where the money will go.
First of all, we believe that the Player should remain a free download. But, like public radio itself, an app needs funds to continue to operate. The Public Radio Player project has had two rounds of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Grant funding has been a great catalyst for this project, but it can’t sustain the app over the longer term. So CPB has explicitly asked us to explore ways to make the app financially self-sustaining.
To that end, national ads will soon appear on the top-level pages of the Public Radio Player. Any revenue from those ads will support further development and maintenance of the app. Like the underwriting credits you hear during a radio program, our goal is to display ads in manner that does not interfere with your enjoyment of the content. Ads on the Public Radio Player will appear as small horizontal banners near the bottom of the page and will disappear after 4 or 5 seconds. At the top of this post, you can see what these ads will look like.
A sample ad on WBUR’s page
In addition, we will be rolling out a service for local stations who want to sell ads to appear on their own pages in the Player. Revenue raised by ads on station pages will directly support that local station. We’re currently beta testing local ads with WBUR in Boston. (On a related note, PRX is also working with WBUR to build an iPhone app for the station. WBUR is seeking input and ideas for the app from its audience during the planning stages.)
We are also exploring ways to enable users to donate to stations directly through the app. However, this is a complex issue due to Apple’s restrictive policies on donations and stations’ own local systems for processing donations from listeners.
The popularity of the Public Radio Player (and other public radio apps) shows that mobile platforms present a significant growth opportunity for public media. It will be necessary to experiment and identify appropriate revenue models to support mobile efforts and keep all the live streams and on-demand programs available to users of mobile apps. We welcome your thoughts on the subject.
Below is the official press release for the Public Radio Player version 2.1
The Public Radio Player iPhone app: Nearly 500 live station streams. One thousand on-demand programs. Downloaded millions of times.
And now new funding, new features, new opportunities.
We’re excited to announce that CPB has renewed support for the next phase of the Public Radio Player. PRX is leading the project and continues to work with Public Interactive as a source of station schedule data and on-demand programs from the NPR API.
As you may know, the Public Radio Player came out of a CPB-funded collaboration of APM, NPR, PRI, and Public Interactive, led by PRX. That first grant ended last summer, but the Player lives on with thousands of new users downloading the app every day.
wake up with public radio!
Version 2.1 has just gone live in the iTunes Store, and we’re starting work on version 3.0 coming in June.
For version 2.1, we’ve rewritten the code from scratch to greatly improve performance. We’ve also added top-requested features – a sleep timer, wake-up alarm, and the ability to manage Favorites. We’ve improved the On Demand program player, and integrated Safari so users can browse station websites from within the app.
Version 2.1 will also include national banner ads on top-level pages, but not on station or program pages. CPB has encouraged us to find ways to sustain the project beyond grant support so this is our first foray into mobile advertising. We are working to make it possible for stations to sell local ads on their own Player pages. You can see a pilot of this on WBUR’s Player page now.
Version 3.0 will have additional enhancements and a broader roll-out of local station ad support. While we continue to investigate ways to support donations, membership, and pledging, this is a complex issue due to Apple’s no-donation policy as well as stations’ own systems. Local ads could be a significant revenue opportunity for stations with local underwriters interested in the mobile audience.
Over the next few months, we will be reaching out to the public radio community for Player feedback and ideas.
There are several ways to stay up to date with the project and share questions and comments:
Visit or subscribe to the project website at http://www.publicradioplayer.org for project updates, station stream submission and management, program schedule updates, an FAQ, promotional badges, and audio promos.
Version 2.1 update to the Public Radio Player is now live in the App Store. The PRX tech team has rewritten the code for the app from the ground up, resulting in greatly improved performance. Current users should be receiving an update notice in your app manager on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You can also download the new version from the iTunes App Store.
We’ve got some exciting additions to an already great public radio resource. Here’s what’s new in this version:
Addition of advertising on directory pages to support future Public Radio Player
development efforts
Over the next week, we’ll focus in on some of these features and discuss what they mean for the app. But for now, go and download the 2.1 update of the Public Radio Player and enjoy your weekend with public radio on-the-go.
New Update: Version 2.1.1 is now live in the iTunes store. As with any major upgrade, we have run into a few post release issues. With your help, we have identified the problems and our developers are already working on them. We expect fixes to be made shortly and after testing, we will re-submit to iTunes for a 2.1.1 release.
Here are the known issues for version 2.1 of the Public Radio Player
The feedback link on the FAQ page results in a routing error.
Streams and On Demand programs with (‘) single quotes in the title are causing breaks in data sync and these streams are not displaying in the directories.
The local tab is currently displaying options based off of the stations in the Featured tab rather than searching the entire station directory.
The app is prompting for location services to be used when not using the Local tab.
Possible loss of Streams and On Demand items in a user’s Favorites list.
We are working to push a fix for these issues as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience.
We’re all set to submit the Public Radio Player v2.1 update to the iTunes App Store and we expect it to be available for download in a matter of days. I recently got my hands on a beta version of the update and can confirm that it includes some of the features most requested by users of the Public Radio Player.
Alarm Clock – Version 2.1 lets you set a public radio wake up call. Choose a station from your favorites list, set the alarm for the break of dawn, and get ready to rise and shine with the Public Radio Player.
Sleep Timer – Tossing and turning all night and counting sheep won’t help? No problem! Just put the new sleep timer to work. You can be lulled into dream time by the dulcet tones of Ira Glass or Terry Gross knowing your Public Radio Player will switch off at the appropriate hour.
Browser integration – Safari is now accessible within the Public Radio Player, allowing you to visit websites of the stations you stream.
Manage Favorites – You can decide which of your favorites goes to the top of the list. You can sequence your favorite stations and programs in any order you choose.
“Fresh from the Oven” Code – the PRX tech team has rewritten the code for the app from the ground up, resulting in greatly improved performance.
Video Tutorial – We recorded a great video tour (embedded below) of the Player and added a link to it within the app to help new users get to know the Public Radio Player.
Improved Search – Search results are now sorted by live stream and on-demand categories
As you can see, we’ve got some exciting additions to an already great public radio resource. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as 2.1 goes live in the app store. In addition, an update notice will be automatically pushed to current Public Radio Player users, so keep an eye on your phone’s app manager.
Public Radio Player
