Much of what we call "public" radio isn't that public - if by public, you mean interactive - apart from maybe the call-in shows. However, some radio programs, including a couple that are featured on our national broadcaster, the CBC, are trying to change that.
Spark, a show about technology and culture hosted by founding Definitely Not the Opera host/producer Nora Young, has launched a "wiki."
The term wiki - which comes from a Hawaiian slang term meaning "quickly" - refers to websites that anyone can edit. One of the most popular examples is Wikipedia, the "open source" encyclopedia.
Young says she hopes that listeners will use the Spark wiki to offer thoughts about show topics, to contribute questions for guests and generally to interact with her and the rest of the show staff.
Spark is planning to do its entire show on Feb. 6 using ideas generated by listeners. It airs on CBC Radio One on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. and on Saturdays at 4 p.m.
"It's a way of making public radio in a public way," Young said in an e-mail. "Of embracing the values of public radio using 21st-century tools. What better way to encourage conversation about technology and society than by opening the show itself to more participation?"
The Spark host said it was also a way for people to get a look inside the process of creating a radio show.
