No, PRI is not leaving Minnesota, but it is moving to a new building in the Twin Cities.
The creator and distributor of award-winning content ranging from PRI’s “The World” to BBC World Service to “This American Life” announced plans to relocate to the former Textile Building, renamed Public Radio International and located in the creative hub of downtown Minneapolis’ historic Warehouse District. Capitalizing on PRI’s national reputation as a catalyst for innovation in public media, the building is being redesigned specifically to support PRI’s mission of serving audiences as a distinctive content source in today’s diverse, interconnected world.
Among its many features will be a multi-media convening venue and broadcast studio, created to bring global perspectives to local and world audiences. Relocation to the building now named for PRI is set for early 2010.
“This move will allow us to build on our 26 years of innovation, and do so in an area of the city that is dynamic and growing. We’ll be able to bring global perspectives to Minnesotans in very immediate and practical ways because of our new facility. And we look forward to showcasing the Twin Cities as a global community through our public space, encouraging dialogue and collaboration on issues of global importance,” said PRI President and CEO Alisa Miller.
Mayor of Minneapolis R.T. Rybak declared, “PRI is a vital resource for people worldwide as evidenced by its being named 2009 International Corporate Citizen by the Twin Cities-based International Leadership Institute. A force for innovation, PRI has called this great city home since 1990, and we are proud that it will remain an anchor tenant in the heart of downtown for years to come, recognized as a leader in public media.”
