Current (https://current.org/project-status/semi-finalist/page/4/)
The Life Autistic is an extensive multi-platform project that explores the lives of Iowans with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It features people of different ages and abilities who each have a unique story to tell and delves into their challenges and successes.
You Know the Place (YKTP) is a podcast that examines the small local businesses most of us never enter or even notice. YKTP gos to the stores overlooked by any form of media to ask: What do you sell or make? Who’s your customer? How long have you been in business? How do you compete with Walmart and Amazon? Hosted by two local writers, YKTP will enter its fourth season with 18,000 loyal users and more than 33,000 regular downloads.
The Howl Story Slam is an ongoing, live storytelling competition developed by North Country Public Radio to connect the people and communities of New York State in and above the Adirondacks. Each event involves local businesses and community members. Individual storytellers of all ages compete in local events with the winners of local story slams advancing to a “Grand Slam” finale. Audio and video of the slams are posted on NCPR.org.
Valley Sounds is an all-local show featuring original music from classical to rap to punk to country to gospel to electronica and everything in between, all performed in the Tennessee Valley. Artists are encouraged to submit their recordings to Valley Sounds online or at an in-person meet and greets. The meet and greets, held at local bars and music venues, act as a community producers meeting, where musicians and fans can share ideas about the show.
The Rapidian is an online platform for citizen journalism where community members can share positive stories about their neighborhoods and post calendar listings of events in Western Michigan. The Rapidian aims to fill the void in a local news desert that lacks even a daily newspaper. It is a collaboration between Grand Rapids Television (GRTV), WCYE-FM, and The Wealthy Theater.
Amplifier is a biweekly podcast that shines a light on Charlotte’s local music scene. More than 500 musicians have submitted their songs and shared their experiences. It features everything from 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.
The “Only Here” podcast provides an intimate look at one of the world’s busiest border crossings, where San Diego and Tijuana meet. Over time, the podcast has attracted an audience on both sides of the border with stories about the culture and creativity forged in this tense region. Hosted by a member of a bilingual hip-hop band in Tijuana, the podcast deepens understanding and connection between listeners on both sides of the border.
“Framed by WDET” is a multimedia series that integrates photography and audio storytelling to present the story of Detroit’s ethnic and cultural communities on the radio, online, in a photobook, and at pop-up exhibitions in more than 20 art spaces in the Detroit region and beyond. It explores the moments and spaces that Detroiters share with one another through the work of 18 Detroit-based photographers and audio producers.
Catalyst Radio is the weekly public affairs radio program of the Grand Rapids, Michigan, Community Media Center. It features interviews with organizations and people working on social change, community support, and media issues. This effort is a partnership between The Rapidian, an online platform for community journalism, and WYCE, an independent community radio station in Grand Rapids.
The Future Jobs initiative explores the careers that are trending now and will be in the near future in Western Pennsylvania, not just in urban areas, but in the suburbs and in rural communities. This multi-platform project aims to deliver information to the public when they need it, notably to middle school students and their teachers.
“Working Together” is an ongoing project to establish deep and meaningful connections with the Alaska Native community in Southeast Alaska. KTOO partners with the local Native communities to use television, radio, and engagement events to preserve Native languages, cultures, and identity.
45 Days is a multimedia reporting project from KUER that covers local government in Salt Lake City and state government in Utah. The project includes a podcast about the 45-day Utah legislative session, an accompanying email, and infographics on kuer.org which compare and contrast candidates and propositions during elections.
The Bay is a local KQED podcast about news and information relevant to the local community. The team has hosted several well-attended live events and has created spaces, both in person and digital, where community members can connect with one another and the podcast. It connects with younger audiences and fills a gap in KQED’s traditional television and radio programming lineup.
Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Land and Sky project provides general and classroom audiences with a unique perspective of the state’s geology, biodiversity, and environmental issues. Through short video stories, online experiences, classroom resources, and social media conversations, this initiative has helped Iowans better appreciate the ecological and geological diversity of the state.
BenitoLink is a hyperlocal nonprofit news organization launched by two young Latinx staff members with support from a local United Way grant. It is working to expand the voice of the Latino community in the region by making sure its news coverage reflects the local demographics, and developing a youth program that teaches journalism and work skills.
Twin Cities PBS’s groundbreaking multi-platform arts program, ART IS, elevates renowned Minnesota artists of color who pick three up-and-coming artists across any genre and develop a series of media and public events. Over a nine-month period, TPT and artists co-create powerful short digital films that provide context and visibility for the artists’ work, enhanced by a series of public events in our studios.
A Parent’s Guide to Public Schools is a free magazine-style guide from Voice of San Diego that is distributed to 50,000 families annually. It aids parents in making decisions about their children’s education by providing an overview of every public school’s performance in easy-to-read charts and answering common questions about local public school options.
Twin Cities PBS launched the multi-year reporting initiative, One Greater Minnesota (OGM), to engage a broad statewide audience in learning more about the many ways Minnesota communities are interconnected. OGM has produced a total of 140 pieces for digital and statewide broadcast distribution, including video reports, articles, social media posts, and more. Segments and public forums foster civic participation, cultivate a more respectful civic environment, and aim to enhance public media programming in Minnesota.
Using GroundSource text messaging technology, 100 Days in Appalachia conducted a poll of voting-age Appalachian high school students ahead of the 2018 midterm election, asking about their stances on some of the most hot-button political issues, including immigration, gun control, abortion, LGBTQ rights, etc. The results were shared openly with local, regional, and national media outlets to inform their reporting about the politics of this group in the region.
Pennsylvania Public Media stations WHYY, WITF, WLVT/PBS39, WPSU, WQED, WQLN, WVIA are collaborating to produce educational programming that focuses on the opioid crisis with the goals of increasing awareness, reducing stigma, aiding prevention, and helping people find treatment. This state-wide project included long-form documentaries, online features, educational interstitials, and strong social media support. Battling Opioids helped to direct more than 23,000 calls to the state helpline since the project started.