The Uptake: Inception, Breakthroughs, and Uncertainty

The news industry is suffering one of its worst years in modern history, including a splintering audience, plummeting revenue and the inevitable layoffs that follow. But even in this in environment some have found ways to find success in the fault lines of the media landscape.

The Uptake, a left-leaning Minneapolis-based journalism group has been working to not just survive but thrive under the current conditions by harnessing citizen journalists and live internet streaming.

I spoke with Chris Dykstra, Chairman of the board for The UpTake, asking him first about the news industry as it is today.

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Northfield News Feature

Now in his third and final year as head of the station, [Cameron Nordholm] credited streaming audio – which allows listeners to tune in worldwide by visiting krlx.org – with changing the focus of a station that has been on the air since 1948.

Song requests from listeners in Minneapolis are regular occurrences now, and in the past few weeks alone the station has received messages from fans in at least 16 other states and as far away as Galsgow, Scotland.

“We’re not just reaching college students anymore so we’re providing different types of programming,” KRLX News Director Morgan Weiland said. “I think we’re trying to stay relevant, not only technologically but politically.”

In addition to listening to live streaming audio, KRLX is also beginning to “podcast” some content, including Locally Grown…

By podcasting, interested listeners can download programming that has already been aired and listen whenever they like. It’s a practice Nordholm likens to having “Tivo for your radio.”

“(Podcasting) really changes the nature of broadcasting,” Nordholm said. “Your want to serve your live listeners but you also want to keep in mind that people could be listening to this forever.”

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