PRSS Services for Producers

The Public Radio Satellite System® (PRSS®) is the distribution network for thousands of hours of news, music, and specialized audience programming every year to public radio stations throughout the United States. Managed by NPR Distribution, PRSS services include:

Marketing

The PRSS offers several free-of-charge marketing services:

An account representative to help you match available services with your needs and to assist with scheduling.
The ContentDepot portal where your program page can include text, contact information, audio samples, promos, graphics, links, and other promotional data.
Access to ContentDepot messaging, a private message network that allows producers to communicate timely information to stations quickly. ContentDepot messages can contain program descriptions, timings and cues, and other relevant information.

24/7 Uplink Services and Program Monitoring

The Network Operations Center (NOC), located at NPR headquarters in Washington, DC, is the nerve center of the PRSS, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The NOC coordinates and monitors hundreds of transmissions each week from the system uplink to the Galaxy 16 Satellite.

Transportable Uplinking

Another way to bring your live program to radio listeners around the country is to bring the uplink to the event. NPR Distribution currently operates both C-band and Ku-band transportable uplink units. We can arrange for transportable services from other types of units as well. To find out more, call Public Radio Services at 202.513.2600.

Technological and Service Innovation

The PRSS is committed to constantly improving the services it provides to the public radio community. The ContentDepot offers increased service, usage reporting, online scheduling, and program notification enhancements.

If you are not already distributing your programming via the PRSS, please contact us at 202.513.2600 or prsstraffic@npr.org for more information.