AI-powered management consultants for public radio stations
The Public Radio Agents system emerged from a simple question that led down a fascinating rabbit hole: What if we could democratize access to expert-level strategic guidance for public radio?
Public radio stations today face unprecedented challenges—managing complex fundraising campaigns, developing audiences in fragmented media landscapes, building corporate partnerships, and making programming decisions—all while operating with skeleton crews and shrinking budgets. Meanwhile, the AI revolution is creating opportunities to access sophisticated expertise that was previously available only to well-funded organizations.
The answer became something unexpected: a complete AI-powered management consulting system specifically designed for public radio stations.
The timing couldn't be more critical. With CPB funding uncertainty and many stations classified as "vulnerable," public radio needs every strategic advantage available. The stations that will survive and thrive are those that can operate more strategically, more efficiently, and with better coordination between departments.
This system doesn't replace human expertise—it amplifies it. A development director can brainstorm campaign strategies, test messaging approaches, and develop donor stewardship plans. Marketing directors can optimize digital campaigns and build audience engagement. Station managers can coordinate complex initiatives across all departments.
Here's where this gets revolutionary: we're making the entire system open source and freely available to the public radio community.
This represents a new model for how public radio can leverage AI—not as a replacement for human judgment, but as a force multiplier that makes sophisticated strategic thinking accessible to every station, regardless of size or budget.
A specialized adaptation of the BMAd-Method™ framework designed specifically for public radio station management.
Transform any Large Language Model (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) into four specialized public radio consultants, each with deep expertise in critical areas of station management:
💝 Sarah, the Development Director
Specializes in fundraising strategy, donor relations, membership campaigns, and grant writing. She understands the psychology of public radio giving and develops sophisticated strategies that go far beyond traditional pledge drives.
📢 Marcus, the Marketing Director
Focuses on audience development, brand management, digital marketing, and community engagement. He knows how to build sustainable audience growth in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
🤝 Diana, the Underwriting Director
Expert in corporate partnerships, sponsorship development, and business relationships. She helps stations diversify revenue streams and build meaningful partnerships with local businesses.
🎙️ Jordan, the Program Director
Handles programming strategy, content development, talent management, and audience research. They understand how to create programming that builds community connection and drives listener loyalty.
Take it to the next level: Connect your agents to real station data using Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Basic Mode: General advice based on public radio best practices MCP Mode: Data-driven recommendations using your actual station information
- Real Data Analysis: Connect to donor databases, financial reports, audience metrics
- Document Access: Analyze past campaigns, grant applications, strategic plans
- Live Research: Real-time sponsor research and competitive analysis
- Automated Insights: Generate reports using your actual performance data
Without MCP: "Based on industry standards, focus on donor retention" With MCP: "Your database shows 127 lapsed donors from 2023 who gave $50+. Here's a specific re-engagement strategy for each segment."
→ Complete MCP Setup Guide - Connect your station's data in 30 minutes
- Get the framework: Download and copy
publicradio.txt(21KB file) - Choose your AI: Works with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any chat-based AI
- Activate: Paste the entire file content into a new chat and send
- Start consulting: Use commands like
*agent development-director
💰 "Membership declining?" → *agent development-director
📱 "Need social media help?" → *agent marketing-director
🤝 "Want more sponsors?" → *agent underwriting-director
🎙️ "Planning new programming?" → *agent program-director
🔄 All commands start with * (asterisk)
This framework has been comprehensively enhanced from the original prototype:
- 113 dependency files created (was 89 missing)
- All 4 agents fully operational (was only 1 working)
- Comprehensive knowledge bases for all public radio domains
- Professional templates and checklists for immediate use
- Automated validation and build tools for quality assurance
- Dependency Validation:
python3 scripts/validate-dependencies.py - Bundle Building:
python3 scripts/build-bundle.py - Quality Assurance: Automated content validation and error checking
Each agent now includes:
- Complete domain-specific knowledge bases
- Professional task methodologies
- Industry-standard templates
- Quality assurance checklists
- Regulatory compliance tools
- Complete Agent System (
publicradio.txt) - Ready-to-use bundle with all agents - Individual Agent Files - Separate configurations for each director role
- Comprehensive Dependencies - 113 professional templates, tasks, and knowledge bases
- Workflow Templates - Pre-built processes for common public radio initiatives
- Implementation Guide - Step-by-step instructions for getting started
- Case Study - Real-world example showing the system in action
- Development Tools - Scripts for validation, building, and quality assurance
- Best Practices - Tips for maximizing effectiveness
See how WXYZ Public Radio used this system to recover from a 30% drop in membership revenue. Read the full case study →
The Challenge: Declining membership, aging donor base, ineffective digital outreach
The Solution: Used the Public Radio BMAd system to develop an integrated strategy
The Results:
- 45% increase in new member acquisition
- 25% improvement in donor retention
- Successful launch of monthly giving program
- Coordinated digital strategy across all platforms
- 🤖 ChatGPT (chat.openai.com) - Most user-friendly, great for planning
- 🧠 Claude (claude.ai) - Excellent for detailed analysis and long conversations
- 🔍 Google Gemini (gemini.google.com) - Good for research and integration
- ⚡ Cursor (cursor.sh) - AI-powered code editor with chat integration
- 🌊 Windsurf - AI development environment with framework support
- 📝 VS Code - Use with GitHub Copilot, Continue, or Codeium extensions
- Local Models - Ollama, LM Studio for complete privacy
- Copy the
publicradio.txtfile content (21KB) - Choose platform: Web AI, IDE, or local model
- Paste and activate: Load into chat interface and send
- Start consulting: Use commands like
*agent development-director
No setup, no installation, no API keys needed!
Use in Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code to get public radio expertise while coding:
*agent development-director
I'm building a donor management system. What database fields should I include?
*agent program-director
Help me design an API for our program scheduling system with FCC compliance.
→ Complete IDE Integration Guide
Challenge: Membership declined 20%, need recovery strategy Solution:
*agent development-director
Our membership dropped from 500 to 400 members. Average gift $65.
We use direct mail and on-air appeals. What specific steps should we take?
Result: AI provides member retention analysis, monthly giving setup, and digital integration strategy with timeline and expected outcomes.
Challenge: Social media engagement is low, want to reach younger demographics Solution:
*agent marketing-director
We have 1,200 Facebook followers but only 15 likes per post.
Our audience is 45+ but we want to reach 25-40 age group.
Result: AI delivers platform-specific content strategies, demographic targeting plans, and engagement improvement roadmap.
Challenge: Planning new community interview show with compliance concerns Solution:
*agent program-director
We want to launch a weekly local business owner interview show.
What FCC compliance and production considerations do we need?
Result: AI provides FCC compliance checklist, production workflow, and community partnership strategies.
Large Initiative: Annual fundraising campaign planning
*workflow membership-campaign
Planning our fall drive. Last year: $75K raised, 1,200 members.
Goal: $95K with better digital integration and volunteer coordination.
AI coordinates multiple specialists:
- Development Director: Creates campaign strategy and donor segmentation
- Marketing Director: Develops digital marketing and social media plan
- Program Director: Plans on-air elements and schedule integration
- Underwriting Director: Coordinates sponsor appreciation opportunities
Output: Complete campaign plan with timelines, responsibilities, and measurement framework.
🎯 Direct to Expert
*agent development-director→ Fundraising, membership, grants*agent marketing-director→ Social media, community outreach, branding*agent underwriting-director→ Corporate sponsors, business partnerships*agent program-director→ Content planning, FCC compliance, talent
📋 Structured Projects
*workflow annual-planning→ Comprehensive yearly strategy*workflow membership-campaign→ Fundraising drive planning*workflow program-launch→ New show development
💬 Exploration & Learning
*chat-mode→ Open discussion about challenges*kb-mode→ Access public radio knowledge base*party-mode→ All agents collaborate on complex challenges*help→ See all available options
*party-mode brings together all four Public Radio Agents to tackle your most complex challenges:
Perfect for:
- Strategic planning that spans multiple departments
- Crisis management requiring coordinated response
- Innovation projects needing diverse expertise
- Complex fundraising combining development, marketing, and underwriting
- Station-wide initiatives affecting programming, audience, and revenue
How it works:
- 💝 Sarah (Development) provides fundraising perspective
- 📢 Marcus (Marketing) contributes audience development insights
- 🤝 Diana (Underwriting) adds corporate partnership strategies
- 🎙️ Jordan (Programming) ensures content quality and compliance
Example scenarios:
*party-mode
"Our station needs to launch a major capital campaign while
maintaining programming quality and growing our audience.
How do we coordinate all departments for maximum impact?"
- Quick Start Guide - Get up and running in 5 minutes
- Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions
- Case Study - Real-world implementation example
- Complete User Guide - Full documentation and features
- Agent Reference - Detailed agent capabilities
- Workflow Guide - Pre-built processes and templates
- IDE Integration Guide - Use with Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code for development
- Framework Improvements - Technical enhancement details
- Customization Guide - Adapt the system to your needs
- MCP Integration Guide - Connect your station's data for enhanced insights
The build-bundle.py script is for public radio professionals who want to customize the framework for their specific station needs.
When you might use this:
- Adding local market information (business landscape, community partnerships)
- Creating custom templates that match your station's processes
- Modifying agent personalities to reflect your station's culture
- Adding specialized knowledge for your region or format
Basic usage:
# After making changes to agent files, rebuild the framework
python3 scripts/build-bundle.py💡 Most users don't need this! The standard publicradio.txt file works perfectly for normal use with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI services.
This project represents something larger than just a useful tool for public radio stations. It's a proof of concept for how AI can democratize expertise in specialized domains.
The same approach could be applied to other areas of public media: newsroom management, community engagement, digital transformation, or crisis communication. It could be adapted for other mission-driven organizations facing similar challenges.
More fundamentally, it demonstrates how AI can be used not to replace human expertise, but to make that expertise more accessible and actionable for everyone. This is the future of AI in specialized domains—not replacing professionals, but empowering them with instant access to deep, contextual knowledge.
# Validate all dependencies
python3 scripts/validate-dependencies.py
# Build complete bundle
python3 scripts/build-bundle.py
# Generate custom bundle
python3 scripts/build-bundle.py --output custom-bundle.txt- Total Files: 113 dependency files + core framework
- Knowledge Base: 15,000+ lines of expert content
- Templates: 40+ professional YAML templates
- Coverage: Complete public radio management domains
- Validation: Automated quality assurance and error checking
This is an open-source project for the public media community. We welcome:
- Bug reports and feature requests
- New agent capabilities and workflows
- Case studies and success stories
- Documentation improvements
- Community feedback and suggestions
See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE for details.
- Built on the BMAd-Method™ framework
- Inspired by the public radio community's collaborative spirit
- Special thanks to Radio Milwaukee for organizational insights
- Developed for public media professionals everywhere
- Documentation: Check the docs folder for comprehensive guides
- Issues: Report bugs or request features via GitHub Issues
- Community: Join discussions in GitHub Discussions
- Contact: Reach out via GitHub for questions or collaboration
Ready to transform your station's management approach? Get started with the Quick Start Guide →