What's New

11/01/02

Web Hosting Services Evaluated

In 2001, NPR Distribution was asked by a station advisory group on Internet issues and the D/I Committee to assess the requirements and opportunities for assisting public radio stations with web hosting services. The goal? To determine whether or not there is a role for NPR Distribution (or some other centralized entity) to obtain cost savings by aggregating web hosting for our interconnected radio stations.

NPR Distribution worked in conjunction with the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and TEKsystems to delve into the world of web hosting. Conducted in two stages over the past year, NPR Distribution researched the web hosting industry from both the station and vendor perspectives. What web applications and services do stations employ today? What technologies and business arrangements do stations currently have in place and what are their future needs? What kinds of services do web hosting vendors offer and at what prices?

To investigate these questions, survey data was collected from a target group of stations; stations' websites were researched; and web hosting vendors were researched and interviewed.

The information gathered by the consultants was presented back to the advisory group for review and possible action by them or some other interested party. The full report is available here for review and download.