#MeetSoCal: A KPCC In Person event series of in-community experiences to better connect Angelenos

Social & emotional support

Cultural events

Public/open streets gatherings

Total number of local social media friends and connections Angelenos have

To quote “Love Poem to Los Angeles” by LA Poet Laureate Luis J. Rodriquez, “This is a multi-layered city.” One of the most diverse and dynamic metropolitan regions in the world, it is also one of the most geographically sprawling and civically fragmented. Critical problems such as homelessness, pollution, and a crumbling infrastructure have metastasized for years, and voter turnout rates are among the country’s lowest. Yet every problem has inspiring, innovative individuals and organizations working to solve it.

KPCC’s #MeetSoCal will help further that important work and make LA the best place to CONNECT by promoting more robust, inclusive civic dialogue in communities throughout LA County. Ultimately, we aim to help Angelenos feel better connected to their neighbors, their communities, KPCC, and Los Angeles.

Our engagement and live events platform, KPCC In Person, is a crucial part of our public service mission. Since 2010, KPCC has produced over 500 events attracting more than 60,000 people. Our events explore timely civic and cultural issues with experts, advocates, policymakers, community leaders, and artists and create opportunities for community members to speak out, interact, and feel connected. Through our mobile recording booth “Big Mic” and signups for our Public Insight Network (a community reporting tool to find sources and gather data), we also use events to gather input, perspectives, and voices to inform our coverage. Recent examples include our live broadcast from Watts on the 50th anniversary of the 1965 civil unrest and our #WhyIVoted party on primary election day at Downtown LA’s La Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

After we pilot 2-4 #MeetSoCal events in early 2017, LA2050 funding will enable KPCC to launch the post-pilot phase in Spring 2017 with 4-6 events in LA County communities, emphasizing those underserved by and underrepresented in public media. The format of each event will be designed to best fit the particular community and venue. Our goal will be a fun, entertaining, thought-provoking, and connection-building experience uniquely tailored to the community’s character and needs.

Community input and insights gathered at each event will inform KPCC’s coverage to help us better reflect and serve our region. We will live tweet events (and encourage audience members to do the same) to further broaden the conversation. If the event format is appropriate and lends itself to audio or visuals, portions may be edited and distributed on one or more of KPCC’s content platforms. Overall, social media and the Public Insight Network will ensure that the #MeetSoCal events are just a beginning of ongoing conversations with the communities we visit.

Through #MeetSoCal, KPCC will elevate the concerns of diverse communities and foster greater and more inclusive dialogue within and among them, helping Angelenos feel more connected to one another and to the complicated but inspiring place we all call home.

KPCC will use both quantitative and qualitative data to measure the success of #MeetSoCal. Quantitatively, we will track the number of event attendees, social media activity generated (for instance, by reviewing live tweet stats), and signups for the Public Insight Network, KPCC newsletters, membership, and volunteering. Qualitatively, we will gather input from event attendees, speakers, and/or performers; any community groups who helped us conduct outreach for the event; and our social media audience to inform our coverage. We will review the amount and quality of any content generated as a result of the event (such as any audio recordings we use on air as part of a news story or show segment). We will also conduct a holistic internal review of each event and of the overall series to assess what went well, what can be improved, and any lessons learned.

By bringing community members together for dialogue, the events will help foster a more robust public conversation about life in LA and increased social support and emotional connection. When suitable, portions of these engagement-driven conversations and events could be used for content on KPCC’s broadcast and digital channels, thus sharing their benefits with even more Angelenos. Ultimately, by helping Angelenos feel closer to their neighbors, communities, and Los Angeles as a whole, we believe that #MeetSoCal can inspire increased civic engagement in the form of greater community involvement, volunteerism, and even voting.

Money

Volunteers

Publicity/awareness

Infrastructure (building/space/vehicles etc.)

Community outreach