NPR Digital Services has added four stations to its Local Stories Project, in which participants submit stories to be included on NPR’s Facebook page and geotargeted to Facebook users in their markets.
The project launched a little over a year ago with KPLU in Tacoma, Wash., and has since expanded to include 18 stations. Stations submit online stories that are shared via NPR’s Facebook page but appear only in the News Feeds of users in each station’s market. In April the project drove 114,000 visits to station sites, according to NPR.
The four new participants are WXPN in Philadelphia, KUER in Salt Lake City, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho and KALW in San Francisco. To join, at least 5,000 people in the station’s coverage area must have “liked” NPR’s Facebook page. Stations must also participate in NPR Digital Services’ Station Analytics System and employ a full-time digital journalist.
Participation includes a four-week training program in which station reps get coached on developing digital stories that appeal to local audiences. NPR Digital Services plans to accept another round of applications in the fall.