Knight Foundation backs project creating open source software for pubradio

The Knight Foundation announced a $327,000 grant to Quiddities, a web development company partnering with KUSP-FM in Santa Cruz, Calif., to develop and test a Drupal-based content management system tailored to public radio stations' needs. The open-source software package, dubbed RadioEngage, will be designed to "promote local discourse, expand participation in the arts, and increase civic participation in local and regional communities," the partners said in a news release. Quiddities is among 16 winners in the foundation's second annual Knight News Challenge, and plans to share the new software package with other public radio stations. Full descriptions of this year's News Challenge winners are posted here, and foundation President Alberto Ibarguen discusses this year's submissions and grantees here.