Contributed by Doug Mitchell, NPR's "Next Generation Radio" project manager.

“…J.F.K.'s ‘Man on the Moon’ speech, can you imagine a more concrete goal than that? Was there anyone alive who didn't understand what the moment of victory was for that project? – Author Dan Heap

I was reading the blog by management guru Tom Peters the other night. He penned the book “In Search Of Excellence.” When notified there is a new entry, I read it and caught myself nodding when reading either his entries or the thoughts of others when it comes to working with people. The night I started to write this, I found the quote above and thought it significant. As someone who’s been leading radio journalism training projects for over 12 years, I like to think I understand, as Dan Heap put it, “the moment of victory.” I was invited to write a little on why I think the training projects I lead are successful. There are many reasons but my editor told me to keep it short.

Since 1999, when I founded the next generation radio project, we have trained hundreds of intrepid college students from all racial, educational and economic backgrounds. “We Are The World” as I often say out loud. NPR’s three intern classes (Spring, Summer and Fall) produce their own show. Seriously. What media company does that? We do. And, NPR treats its interns like staff. Managers have been known to get the coffee. Also, eight or nine times a year, we have what we’ve dubbed the “next generation radio traveling road show.” Specific one-week training projects tied to media/journalism conferences or, a new wrinkle, in partnership with NPR member stations.

We’ve trained hundreds of students. I am tracking over 160. I know where they are, how to reach them and what they are doing. That number grows with each project and each intern class.

So, what’s “the moment of victory?” How do I know it works? Two reasons. First, the projects are about the process, a process that results in a product. That’s our driving philosophy. How does it get there? Why is it done that way? What are the tools needed to create the product we call public radio? It’s heretical, but I downplay being “on the radio.” That’s down the road. It’s about developing a strong, varied skill set to create a successful media career. All the jargon floating around these days is really all about finding ways to make money from various models of product distribution. How’s that for jargon? To me, the question is, “How did the product get made in the first place?” You don’t just turn on the radio and it magically appears. We talk about how it’s done and then, have our students do the work under real conditions with working professional journalists who also are good teachers. Yes, it’s a very nurturing environment.

Inside NPR, I want to make sure each one of our competitively selected students, whether they are interns or participants in our boot-camps, gets personalized attention. For our interns, they can come to my desk at any time, have a seat and talk. I’ll stop what I’m doing or if I can’t, we make an appointment. I don’t cancel them. I’ve designed my cubicle space to look a little like the waiting room at the doctor’s office. It’s not really a cube. It’s open with big windows behind me. We sit facing each other. I keep the desk space neat and organized. Even the journalism, business management and technology magazines on shelves to their right, I keep current. I’m told NPR is an intimidating place. Not when they come sit at my desk.

By any measure, developing the next generation of journalists is a lot of work. Imagine managing different projects in different locations with entirely different sets of people each time. And, then bringing three separate groups of NPR interns each year to a produce their own show. And then helping everyone find their way through the jungle. It’s a lot. But, I take great pride in creating a program that has nurtured hundreds into launching careers.

Management measures “victory” through those who have landed jobs or those who are putting stories/programs on the radio. Managers will look for those “results” as to whether a training program is worth the expense. I accept that.

But for me, victory comes when former project students or interns do something small and not public. They went to the store, bought a card, wrote a nice note, put it in an envelope, bought and placed a stamp on it and stuck it in the snail mail. Some of these cards are invitations to weddings, birth announcements, thank yous for a timely phone call, updates on their careers or just to say hello after many months or years. I open and read them all. Then, I put each one in a special drawer at my desk. By last count, I have a hundred or so victories to savor.

NPR "Next Generation Radio" Project Manager Doug Mitchell (middle) and a few of the many interns who've been involved in the Next Generation Radio training initiative.

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