PRX Welcomes Eight Media Organizations to the PRX Journalism Podcast Accelerator, Including Cincinnati Public Radio, Connecticut Public, New Hampshire Public Radio, Next City, Pulso, Science News, South Carolina Public Radio, and WFSU Public Media

Public media organization PRX today announced the participants who will compose the third cohort of the PRX Journalism Podcast Accelerator. The accelerator is an intensive podcast development and training program for local journalists across the United States, located in and serving communities supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Knight invests in models and methods that advance the practice of journalism, build trust, reach new and diverse audiences, and generate revenue solutions to ensure a sustainable future.

As part of the program, PRX is welcoming three cohorts of journalists who are connected by region. The first and second cohorts in the training program, composed of media organizations located in the western and central regions of the U.S., participated with the goal of developing, launching, or re-launching a podcast while building new strategies to sustain audio production at their news organizations. The third cohort reflecting the U.S. eastern region has now been selected. Training will take place from August to October 2023.

Participants in the eastern region cohort will include eight nonprofit newsrooms:

Cincinnati Public Radio in Ohio, which also operates the public radio news station 91.7 WVXU, will develop a podcast inviting listeners on a deep dive into the political tug-of-war between city and county officials regarding the regional sewer system. The system remained invisible while working, but now century-old problems are bubbling out of the ground with catastrophic results. The creator team includes podcast coordinator Ella Rowen, award-winning reporter Becca Costello, and Vice President of Content Jenell Walton.

Connecticut Public, Connecticut’s only state-wide community-supported public media service, will develop a podcast chronicling the inside story of Barney, America’s favorite purple dinosaur. Barney & Friends first launched to audiences from Connecticut Public in the early 1990s, becoming an overnight sensation and even edging aside top children’s shows like Sesame Street. The lovable dinosaur taught toddlers everything from life lessons to problem-solving skills, while also becoming a target of parody and controversy. The Connecticut Public podcast development team includes award-winning journalist Walter Smith Randolph, Deputy Director of Storytelling Meg Dalton, Lily Tyson, senior producer on The Colin McEnroe Show, Senior Director of Storytelling and Radio Programming Catie Talarski, and Chief Content Officer Tim Rasmussen.

New Hampshire Public Radio will create This Is A Love Story, a podcast about what happens when an investigative journalist turns the lens on the lives of two real people, uncovering their stories, struggles, and triumphs. Senior Producer Jack Rodolico will develop this limited-run series, alongside Executive Producer Rebecca Lavoie and Editor/Producer Jessica Jupiter. NHPR is also the producer of acclaimed podcasts such as The 13th Step, Stranglehold, Bear Brook, Civics 101 and Outside/In.

Next City based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a mission to amplify solutions to the problems that oppress people in cities will develop a podcast about changemakers and their stories, guided by a goal of spreading good ideas from one city to the next. This podcast development team includes Executive Director Lucas Grindley and Maggie Boles, producer.

Pulso, a media start-up sharing news, history, culture, and stories by and for Latinos, will refine its podcast, The Pulso Podcast. The show brings audiences Latino voices not heard in the news and stories not taught in history class. The production team includes storyteller Charlie Garcia as well as Pulso’s Founder and Executive Director, Liz Alcaron.

Science News based out of Washington, D.C. will create a podcast exploring the intersection of cutting-edge neuroscience and depression. Founded as an independent nonprofit in 1921, Science News has covered advances in science, medicine, and technology at seminal moments including the 1925 Scopes trial, the advent of the atomic age in 1945, the space race, the revolution of genetic engineering, and beyond. The podcast development team includes Multimedia Editor Helen Thompson, Associate News Editor Ashley Yeager, Senior Writer Laura Sanders, Executive Editor Elizabeth Quill, and Editor in Chief Nancy Shute.

South Carolina Public Radio, the statewide public media network of South Carolina, will make a podcast about the people, issues, and events shaping the Palmetto State. The show development team includes Host and Producer Gavin Jackson, Producer A.T. Shire, Executive Producer Sean Birch, Supervising Producer Aimee Crouch.

WFSU Public Media in Tallahassee, Florida is North Florida and South Georgia’s trusted source for public media news and entertainment. The station will develop a podcast where all the news — the good, bad, and the ugly — gets a hearing, and where the region’s rich tapestry of arts, music, and culture comes alive. The podcast development team includes News Director Lynn Hatter, Director of Digital Patricia Moynihan, and WFSU’s Director of Community Engagement, Kim Kelling.

“We’re in awe of how far we’ve come in just a year of the PRX Journalism Podcast Accelerator. We’ve supported all of our teams across the country in navigating their unique challenges and untapping their distinct strengths to make the best podcasts for their communities, and we can’t wait to see these shows launch,” said Stephanie Kuo, Director of Content Development at PRX. “As we welcome our eastern cohort to this program, we’re energized to continue helping producers create shows matching the ambitions of their vision. Thank you to the Knight Foundation for supporting this work.”

Each team participating in the PRX Journalism Podcast Accelerator will receive:

• 12 weeks of intensive training in podcast development with a focus on developing and strengthening content concepts, introducing and implementing technical and creative skills grounded in collaboration and iteration, and best practices for areas such as audience engagement, branding, and monetization;
• $5,000 in funding for production costs; and,
• Access to a network of industry experts and a community of peers to learn from and alongside.

To date, participants in the PRX Journalism Podcast Accelerator include KQED, Colorado Public Radio, Hawaiʻi Public Radio, NAHJ, Minnesota Public Radio, Kaiser Health News, Kansas News Service, and more.

The PRX training team has also worked with a number of journalists and producers to help develop podcasts rooted in local communities, including “Port of Entry” from KPBS in San Diego; the investigative podcasts “Through the Cracks” from WAMU in Washington, D.C. and “Sick” from Side Effects Public Media and WFYI; “The Modern West” from Wyoming Public Media; and “Black in Appalachia” from East Tennessee PBS. PRX has also led audio workshops with the Institute for Nonprofit News, the Asian American Journalists Association, Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico, and the Baraza Media Lab in Nairobi, Kenya.

For more about PRX training and content development, visit training.prx.org.

About PRX

PRX is a non-profit public media company specializing in audio journalism and storytelling. PRX serves independent producers and organizations by helping them connect to their most engaged, supportive audiences. One of the world’s leading podcast publishers, PRX works in partnership with TED, PBS, the Smithsonian, Futuro Media, GBH and more. PRX is also home to Radiotopia, known as one of the most creative and successful podcast networks. In addition, PRX distributes trusted public radio programming to hundreds of stations nationwide, including “The World,” “The Moth Radio Hour,” “This American Life,” “Snap Judgment,” “Reveal,” “Left, Right & Center,” and “Latino USA.” PRX programs have been recognized by the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the IDA Documentary Awards and the Pulitzer Prizes. In 2022, Futuro Media and PRX won a Pulitzer Prize. Visit prx.org for more.