The new dynamic duo of reporter Becca Costello and podcast coordinator Ella Rowen have joined forces to create, research, write and present a new podcast coming out in early June 2024. Taking a podcast from idea to release is a challenge, especially one that has such a unique subject.
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ELLA: “We were notified that national program producer PRX [Public Radio Exchange] was offering a podcast accelerator application opportunity.”
BECCA: “I truthfully wasn’t looking to do a podcast but this was too good an opportunity to pass up, so then it became, a podcast about what?”
ELLA: “PRX has some very specific guidelines, so we asked the staff to join us for a brainstorming session. We wound up with 30 ideas that we slowly narrowed down to a couple. After doing some more fact-finding, we decided that one idea stood out.”
BECCA: “The Cincinnati sewer system and the Metropolitan Sewer District have been in the news for a long time, but how much does the average citizen understand what’s really going on underground? We decided to learn all we can to better explain it.”
ELLA: “And that’s what ‘Backed Up’ will do, but in a way we think will be engaging and ultimately, revealing.”
BECCA: “This project took many months to complete with research, interviews, site visits, storyboarding, writing and recording. PRX was a great partner, providing training, mentoring and resources to help us create the very best episodes possible.”
ELLA: “As a relative newcomer to the staff here at CPR, it’s been great working across departments to bring this to fruition. Plus Becca and I spend so much time together, the staff has started referring to us as Bella!”
BECCA: “It’s definitely been an educational process, very different from the day to day reporting I do. Plotting out how to tell a complex story, having the time to tell it in more detail, being flexible to adapt to new information or taking a direction we hadn’t originally planned, all have made this the most satisfying project in my public media career.”
ELLA: “We think this project really fits and spotlights the goals and values of public radio. We’ve created a very local podcast that tells the story of an entity that affects this entire community but is vastly misunderstood. We think this will change that and can’t wait to share it with everyone in June.”