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Public Interactive® to Offer Pulse, Integrated E-mail System
Feature-rich module to be available for public broadcasters summer 2006
BOSTON, March 2, 2006 -- Public Interactive announces the
development of Pulse, a feature-rich, integrated e-mail marketing tool
designed specifically for public radio and television stations. Slated
for national launch in July 2006, Pulse will enable stations to send
tailored e-newsletters to customized recipient lists. These newsletters
can be topic- or program-specific, lend encouragement during pledge
drives, offer general station updates, and more. The tool's
customizable e-newsletter templates will automatically be served with
content such as world, national, and local news; arts features and
reviews; program details; and local events. Using Pulse, stations will
be able to maintain purposeful and regular contact with their audiences
and fortify relationships with their supporters. Pulse will also give
station staff the ability to create their own newsletter formats to
meet additional needs.
"There are a lot of e-mail marketing products out there
today, but none created with public broadcasters in mind," says Debra
May Hughes, COO of Public Interactive. "We're approaching Pulse the way
we do all of our products developing the exact tools and features
that will help stations strengthen ties to their audiences. With Pulse,
stations will finally have the technology to merge fundraising with
marketing, to their own and their supporters' benefit."
Pulse will be fully integrated with all other modules
in the Public Interactive product suite. Stations subscribing, for
example, to Public Interactive's online fundraising tool Quick Pledge™
will be able to use Pulse to send gift acknowledgements and membership
renewal notices effortlessly to their members. Station staff will build
and maintain their distribution lists in Pulse, using specialized
filters created by Public Interactive to ensure compatibility with
their existing membership databases. Users will then be able to further
segment their lists into separate groups and send personalized e-mails
to each subscriber. Integrated tools will allow them to draft
notifications ahead of time and use "triggers" to schedule automatic
distribution at a later date. All of Pulse's features will be supported
by Public Interactive, whose staff will train users and provide ongoing
consultation and technical assistance.
Throughout Pulse's development phase, Public
Interactive has been working with an advisory group to identify best
industry practices and the features that most effectively support those
practices. Made up of public broadcasting organizations and stations,
the advisory group includes the Development Exchange Inc., WGBH Radio
Boston, KPLU/Seattle, WABE/Atlanta, WXPN/Philadelphia,
WMHT/Schenectady-Albany (NY), KERA/Dallas, WYPR/Baltimore, and
KUER/Salt Lake City, among others.
"Direct interaction with our listeners is crucial to our survival, so
we're thrilled that a trusted name like Public Interactive has taken on
the task of creating the right tools to help us," said Nancy Knudsen,
KPLU's director of Listener Services.
The development phase for Pulse will be followed by a
short beta-testing period. Official release of the product is expected
Summer 2006.
About Public Interactive®
Public Interactive (PI) is public broadcasting's
leading provider of Web tools and services with 153 subscribing
stations that collectively operate more than 300 public radio and
television stations. Leveraging the on-air reach and the information
and education activities of public radio and television stations,
Public Interactive provides plug-and-play modules that enable stations
to offer rich websites at minimal cost and to undertake their own
online initiatives.
Public Interactive was formed in 1999 with initial
investment provided by Public Radio International (PRI) and a
consortium of 15 public broadcasting licensees. In June 2004, PRI
purchased the interests held by other investors and merged the company
into Public Interactive LLC, a nonprofit corporation. Public
Interactive represents a unique station-centric resource in public
media. Its development and operations have been financed by a
combination of fees paid by subscribing stations and support from
sources that include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Ford
Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, and the PRI New Venture Revolving
Fund. For more about Public Interactive products and services, visit
www.publicinteractive.com.
CONTACT: Dan Jensen, PRI, 612.330.9212, djensen@pri.org
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Contact:
Public Interactive, Inc.
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