Local that Works is an annual contest that spotlights innovative and replicable content, engagement and revenue initiatives at public radio and TV stations, and nonprofit news organizations in the U.S.
Explore the LTW database of 350+ projects. Entries from the 2020 contest will be added to this database this fall.
Tips on using the database: If viewing this on a computer, all projects are listed in the left column. Click on a project name and its longer profile will appear in the right column. If viewing on mobile, clicking on a project name will load the full listing on your screen.
You can filter your results by selecting a tag or multiple tags in the category drop down menu and clicking on search. If you want to change, broaden or narrow the results, make sure to uncheck categories for subsequent searches.
To see previous Local that Works contest winners, finalists and semi-finalists, click on green, purple or orange tags and our judges’ favorite projects will show up in the left column.
Get inspired!
51 results found.
¿Qué Pasa, Midwest?
WNIN¿Qué Pasa, Midwest? is a bilingual podcast that tells the stories of Latinx in the Midwest. Funded with support from CPB, the podcast facilitates difficult conversations and explores policy issues, such as immigration and the U.S. Census. WNIN reaches out to educational institutions to host listening parties share these stories with students. ¿Qué Pasa, Midwest?
A Parent’s Guide to Public Schools (2019 Finalist)
Voice of San DiegoA Parent’s Guide to Public Schools is a free “consumer report” tool, distributed to 50,000 families to aid parents in making decisions about their childrens’ education. The Guide, produced in English and Spanish, provides an overview of every local public school’s performance in easy-to-read charts, with answers to basic questions about public school options. VOSD works UC San Diego to analyze the school performance data and with the San Diego Workforce Partnership to cover topics like vocational training. Read Current’s coverage of this project.
Amplifier
WFAE 90.7 FM (Charlotte's NPR News Source)Amplifier is a podcast that shines a light on Charlotte’s local music scene. More than 500 musicians have submitted their songs and shared their experiences. Amplifier launched with 20 episodes in 20 days, and is now a biweekly podcast featuring award-winning jazz singers to emerging pop acts, DIY venue owners to established record producers and beyond. Amplifier was named Charlotte Magazine’s “Best Podcast”, and received a Webby Award for innovation in music/arts podcasting.
Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America
WLIWOver 40.6 million Americans are living below the poverty line, including 13.3 million children. Chasing the Dream’s reporting, part of WLIW’s program called “Metro Focus,” the problems of economic and structural inequities informed by issues of race, age and class, and looks at solutions – what has worked and is working — to bring people out of poverty in the greater NYC area.
Classics for Kids
Cincinnati Public RadioClassics for Kids, launched at WGUC in 1998, provides an educational and entertaining classical music experience for children. 23 stations now carry the Classics for Kids program; people all over the world use the website materials (570,000 uniques/ 5 million pvs in 2018). The Classics for Kids podcast is CPR’s most listened-to podcast (75,000+ downloads/mo). It provides education materials based on national and state standards, Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Critical Thinking skills based on Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Delaware Public Media’s Generation Voice Program
WDDE, Delaware Public MediaIn partnership with two public high schools, Delaware Public Media’s Generation Voice program provides innovative career-building opportunities for students interested in digital media. Students work with professional journalists to learn the highest standards of news gathering and reporting. In the past year, participants have written and produced features on colorism, teen vaping, youth immigration, and gun violence; they produced creative storytelling podcasts and a series of parent/grandparent interviews done in the manner of the StoryCorps.
Democracy & Me
Cincinnati Public RadioDemocracy & Me is an educational outreach program of Cincinnati Public Radio aimed “increasing students’ civic participation as they become adults.” The program provides social studies teachers with tools, learning experiences, lesson plans, news stories and a blog focused on the American electoral process and the roles of citizens and the media. The fall teacher training session focused on problem-based learning; the spring sessions focused on podcasting project for the classroom, with 29 teachers (reaching 2,330 students) registered for the D&M workshops.
Developing Local Podcasters for Public Radio
KCPK-LP, licensee Center of the World Festival, Inc.KCPK-LP is conducting local podcast and broadcast training sessions to educate community members. This nonprofit media organization received its license for low power radio station and went on air in February, 2017. With the recent launch of a simulcast online radio stream, KCPK is now reaching beyond its 5 mile rural mountainous signal area to engage a larger “community” through self-directed training videos in podcasting and copyright laws.
Finding Home
KUAT/Arizona Public MediaIn the summer of 2019, Arizona Public Media published “Finding Home,” a radio news series focused on housing and issues of access, affordability, discrimination, cultural identity, and the changing neighborhoods of Tucson. Content included multiple episodes of our half-hour radio programs, a slate of feature radio news stories, a dedicated web page, and a live community conversation. At a public event, held a month after the series aired, the show host moderated a discussion between panelists representing development, fair housing, and neighborhood associations.
¿Qué Pasa, Midwest?
pmarizan@wnin.org
¿Qué Pasa, Midwest? is a bilingual podcast that tells the stories of Latinx in the Midwest. Funded with support from CPB, the podcast facilitates difficult conversations and explores policy issues, such as immigration and the U.S. Census. WNIN reaches out to educational institutions to host listening parties share these stories with students. ¿Qué Pasa, Midwest? gives voice to the the region’s growing Latino community and fosters greater knowledge, connection and understanding.
http://quepasapodcast.com/