St. Louis Public Radio has always strived to reach you where you are. You've listened to STLPR for over 40 years , you've read our work on stlpublicradio.org, and even more recently, you've streamed our service in real-time.
The media landscape has changed to include social media. What were once simple web-based tools to communicate with friends, STLPR, and many other news outlets, has made efforts to engage in a way that reaches you effectively where you are throughout your day.
STLPR does that through the wonderful work of our Engagement Producer, Kimberly Springer. We talked to Kimberly about her role in the social media wings of St. Louis Public Radio, what her favorite apps are, and what makes STLPR click in your feed.
STLPR: How long have you been at St. Louis Public Radio?
Kimberly Springer: I've worked at St. Louis Public Radio for one year and seventy-seven days (as of November 30th) — according to an app that I'm addicted to.
STLPR: What is your favorite program?
KS: Most of my fandom is reserved for the investigative program, "Reveal." Lately, though, "On the Media" has been doing some killer interviews that have me fist-pumping in agreement in the car. Media criticism is my jam.
STLPR: Describe your role as Engagement Producer.
KS: I work mainly with the newsroom to ensure that our station's voice is consistent across different social media platforms. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all have unique purposes when it comes to distributing the news and interacting with people online. We want to make sure that we're authoritative and factual, but also entertaining when that's appropriate.
I also coordinate our "Curious Louis" project, which is a collaborative reporting project between the public and the station. The goal is to elicit questions — ranging from the serious to the quirky — that our listeners and readers want the answers to. With social media and "Curious Louis," connecting with the audience responsively is the main goal.
STLPR: Why should our members follow us on social media?
KS: Instead of an onslaught of material or information overload, I work hard to be selective with the news we share via social media. My approach to Facebook is to post news that's important and/or fun that members want to share with their friends and family. On Twitter, we cater to the immediacy of the news, but on Instagram we work to inspire with vivid imagery.
Even if our members aren't keen on one social media platform, they can get a suitable experience on another.
STLPR: What's your favorite social media outlet?
KS: Giphy, which is a searchable database of gifs (those funny moving images), is hands-down my favorite way to be social online. To me, gifs are an entertaining shorthand, but also rich with meaning. I'm also an info science nerd and enjoy seeing how people are tagging and categorizing images.
To see more of Kimberly's work in action, and to get the news that matters to you where you are, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For questions about how to renew your membership or donate before the end of 2016, call our Membership Department at 314-516-4000 or email at membership@stlpublicradio.org.
