• The Public Media Commons — a 9,000–square-foot, open-air media space with two-story-high video walls and a row of 5-foot touch screens — opens Saturday in St. Louis. The project is a collaboration among Nine Network, St. Louis Public Radio and the University of Missouri St. Louis. This weekend will feature interactive experiences, entertainment, food trucks and live music. Among the multimedia premieres is the multiscreen presentation Electric Pilgrims: Everyone is Everywhere, designed for the space by video artist Van McElwee in collaboration with the HEARding Cats Collaborative. Here’s a sneak peek at the space.
• New York City Councilman Andy King proposed legislation Monday to regulate costumed people in the city, reports Capital New York. Unruly behavior by folks dressed up as Sesame Street characters has prompted Sesame Workshop to consider taking legal action.
• Audio storytelling “has taken on a new life — one much more interesting than its mainstream counterpart” on the airwaves, writes Dayna Evans on Gawker. She offers a list of eight great “low-budget, independent podcasts and lower-profile new public radio programs” available mainly on SoundCloud.
• On the Media interviewed NPR’s new president, Jarl Mohn, who promises that listeners will be hearing about “brands that matter a little bit more to them. Ones they’re interested in.”
• Southern California Public Radio “is setting a rigorous criteria to clearly distinguish sponsored content from editorial news,” reports Investigative News Network. SCPR wants to bring native advertising to public media by the end of the year.