Public Radio International

Public Radio International, or PRI, is a not-for-profit corporation based in the United States founded in 1983 to develop non-commercial audio programming for public radio and other audio venues. It is the United States' largest distributor of non-commercial radio programming. "PRI" produces or co-produces some of the programs it distributes, but most of them are produced by other entities.

Public radio, PRI and NPR

Public radio is a generic term for radio stations or programming that is not funded by advertising—specifically commercials. It is the opposite of commercial radio, the funding setup for most radio stations in the United States.

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PRI and NPR are the two largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the United States, and they compete with each other for slots on public radio stations and the attention of listeners.

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Any given public radio station may be an NPR member and an affiliate of PRI simultaneously. Nationwide, about 25% of the typical public radio station's programming is produced by NPR. PRI produces about 20%, and the remaining 55% is produced by the local radio station itself.

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PRI is a younger organization than NPR, which was founded 13 years earlier in 1970. Many PRI shows draw a younger overall audience than shows produced by NPR. Some listeners and critics believe that PRI programs feature a wider range of voices than NPR programs.

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