Today marked a sad day for many people.  This morning was the first week day in quite some time without The Bryant Park Project running a morning show on NPR.  The Bryant Park Project was a morning news show, with a twist, that was played on the radio and online through podcasts and the NPR BPP website. 

Since the project first began, it had developed quite a following.  The main reason for this was that they truly engaged their audience.  Actually they did more than engage them…they built a true online community through the power of social media.  The community participated in developing the show through discussions in an online blog and by sending Tweets to the BPP staff through Twitter.  The great thing is that it was a true two way relationship…not only did the audience listen to the BPP, but the staff listened to the audience.  Together, they engaged in a conversation that truly was a dialogue.  Through this relationship, the show developed a loyal following.

Unfortunately, for reasons that many are still trying to figure out the NPR decided to cut the show earlier this month.  It is fair to say that the audience was more than upset by this decision.  There was an outpouring of support on the BPP blog to save the show.  There were many, many, many blog postings online in an effort to save the show.  Unfortunately, nothing swayed the executives of NPR from their decision and this past Friday July 25, 2008 was the last show of The Bryant Park Project.  It was a great show.  It was a sad show.  Listeners felt the emotion of all of the staff as they said their goodbyes.  Some staff cried and so did some listeners.

So by now, especially if you were not a listener of the BPP, you may be wondering…what was all the fuss about?  Why would there be so much upset over losing a morning news show?  Here is what I can tell you.  To the many listeners of the BPP, the show had become a true community.  Through the online community that was built people felt connected.  In a way, the BPP became a sort of radio/virtual news community centre.  Listeners were very upset that their community was being dismantled.  Further, they were concerned that the staff of the BPP were now all going to be without jobs.  So yes, in a word it was sad.  The community was sad at the loss of the show they loved and at the fact that the staff that held the BPP world together were now scattered in the wind.

But…wait…here is the amazing part.  The audience of the BPP decided on their own that they would do their best not to let this cancellation break apart their community.  So on the same day that the last show ran, the listeners decided to take things into their own hands.  Rob, a regular listener and friend of the BPP, went ahead and set up the BPP Diner.  It is a virtual community hosted on Ning, a social networking site.  Everyone was invited by to join the community – BPP staffers who were losing their jobs and BPP listeners.  Since the site was established this past Friday, there has been a steady growth of members on a daily basis.  The best part is what is happening inside the BPP Diner.  Members are quickly working to see if there is a way they can get the show back online.  They are talking about ways to possibly raise funds, they are posting daily news stories.  In short, they are doing all that they can to ensure the legacy of the BPP continues.  Former BPP staffers are also jumping in, on their own time now, to try and support this community however best they can.  BPP community members are lending words of support and encouragement to the former BPP staffers, who are now all searching for new jobs. 

There is a true desire to save the BPP community.  Clearly it means a lot to many and the big corporate cuts are NOT going to break it.  That is the amazing part….the show may be gone, for now, but the cuts made by the NPR have actually only strengthened the bonds of The Bryant Park Project community.

Thanks to the power of social media tools, the community will live on and I suspect, in time a new show/podcast may even re-emerge. It is truly amazing and inspiring.  And that, my friends, is the power of community.