BROADCASTS.com

As traditional sources of funding for media become harder to come by, many digital media purveyors are turning to a new source: crowdfunding. The fundraising method has gained traction in a diverse cross-section of the industry, from musical productions to news magazines. Using websites such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter, some media initiatives are far surpassing their fundraising goals on those platforms. Is crowdfunding a viable option for media projects to rely upon to meet their financial needs? This week, we’ll chat with guests who have used crowdfunding to kickstart their own projects, as well as Indiegogo CEO Slava Rubin. We’ll also have Ernst-Jan Pfauth of the news magazine De Correspondent; Todd Ruppert, co-producer of the upcoming musical “Happy Days”; and Zak Piper, co-producer of the documentary “Life Itself.” They’ll be joined by roundtable regular Andrew Lih of American University, with PBS MediaShift’s Mark Glaser hosting.