"Revenue from new-media operations accounts for around 10 percent of the total but is likely to grow as a portion of the whole pie," Claire Atkinson reported. " One of NPR's most successful new business models is its podcasts, which launched just nine months ago. Automaker Acura was a founding sponsor of NPR's podcasts and just renewed for another six months."

Recently, NPR launched a new podcasting series called alt.NPR with a younger focus on today's society. Podcasts are geared toward video games, 20-somethings and younger-adult culture. NPR also has programming with Sirius Satellite Radio and is developing other new-media deals for its content, such as providing shows to mobile telephone users.

"The endgame is pretty clear. We do audio very well, and we're going to exploit it to our advantage. We are looking to experiment in multimedia — to round out the offering beyond our core advantages in domestic news — to expand out globally from news to music," Ken Stern, NPR's chief operating officer, told Advertising Age. "It is what public radio does. It creates a meaningful presence in the world."

NPR took home five trophies at the Webby Awards last week, ranging from content in podcasts to original programming and web sites.

For an organization that could have shyed away from podcasting, it's refreshing to see NPR not only use it, but use it sucessfully and creatively to keep listeners and continually add new ones everyday. For fans, who have been the backbone for the past three decades, podcasting is a great way to increase avenues in which they take their information from NPR.

Since its inception 36 years ago, NPR has grown from just 30 employees to 90 charter stations to 700 employees and 800 independent radio stations. Morning Edition, one of NPR's most listened-to programs, is considered one of the leading radio news programs in the country.