And, why local journalism matters
Today was my last day hosting The 21st, a show I founded three years ago. Since 2016, The 21st has grown to broadcast on five public radio stations throughout Illinois. I read this on air today at the end of the program.
People always ask me what I love about Illinois, and this is something I’ve been thinking about even more as I prepare to leave. What I’ve come up with is a wholehearted embrace of the spirit that ideas matter. I was astounded when I moved to Chicago that people not only thought their ideas could change their city — they worked to make that happen!
I try to avoid the term downstate — it’s a word that didn’t make me bristle until I moved out of Chicago. It’s a term I think is actually lazy, because it means different things to pretty much everyone depending on who is who is saying it. In the end, I think it’s a term that just ends up othering people in our state. And what I’ve learned in the past four years is that no matter where people are from in Illinois — it’s a place where ideas matter.
I’ve spent my entire career in journalism talking to people who are different from me. I honestly didn’t spend that much time thinking about our differences — I just like finding out peoples’ stories. But living in Central Illinois was the first time I’ve lived in a different part of the country than where I grew up. I was born and raised in a city, and mostly went to school in big cities. And I think it’s really important for journalists to be — if not from — of and in the communities we report on. Thank you for welcoming me in your community!
The idea that it’s important for us to talk to each other — no matter what our background — was what motivated me to move to Champaign-Urbana to start The 21st. From the beginning, we wanted to this be a program that reflected the communities we serve. We wanted to introduce people to each other — connect people — by sharing ideas — and stories.
To all of those people who have shared their stories with us: the stories of their families, the stories about their livelihoods, their stories about their political beliefs — I want to thank you. But — it’s just as important to thank all of you who were listening to those stories. I want to especially thank the people listening in our partner station markets of Springfield, Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, Rockford and of course Champaign Urbana. I’m very aware of the fact you could be listening or paying attention to many other things — and that you choose to tune in The 21st.
That’s really important. I usually only say this around pledge drive times. That’s a mistake, because we should talk about the importance of people supporting local media all the time.
The fabric of not just this country, but this state — and all the communities in it — are woven by common threads of conversation and trust. Of mutual respect.
Or, to put it simply — how we act when we know each other. But we can’t know each other if we don’t see each other. And one way we do that — at least here in public radio — is by listening to each other.
It’s been my honor and an incredible privilege to help put this idea into action through The 21st.
I can’t say goodbye to all of you — and thank all of you — without thanking the people who help bring this show to air, everyday. You all hear my voice every day. But this show happens because of the incredible staff at WILL making it happen. It took newsroom leadership under Scott Cameron who envisioned this as a possibility four years ago. He wanted to create a show for Illinois, by Illinois — and so we have.
And almost every single day since we started, Jason Croft has been the guy on the other side of the glass in our studio handling our technical work. Steve Morck, too. Their boss is Lillie Duncanson. Radio doesn’t happen without engineers and technical support.
And of course, our current set of producers — Alan Montecillo, Libby Foster and Anna Casey. There are at least half a dozen other people who have helped produce the program over the past three years. I’m not going to name all of them but our first producer, Christine Herman has come back today to help produce today. You all listening should know that most of the work of a live show happens before we are on air. And that’s the very hard — and often unsung — work of a producer.
We’ve also had more than a dozen students who have worked at The 21st. I’m not making this up when I saw they have from to us from Mattoon and Morocco and pretty much every place in between, thanks to the University of Illinois. It just so happens that today is National Intern Day. And this summer, we’ve been fortunate to have two interns: Jasper Davidoff and Eunice Alpasan, who we also say goodbye to today — and wish the best.
None of the rest of the staff of the 21st are going anywhere, though. So keep tuning in — keep sharing — and keep listening.
