Public media organization PRX has named NHPR one of eight media outlets who will participate in the 2023 PRX Journalism Podcast Accelerator. The accelerator is an intensive podcast development and training program for local journalists across the United States 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.
NHPR’s project in development is called This Is A Love Story, a nonfiction podcast about a couple who has overcome tremendous odds — trauma, foster care, racist policies, incarceration, political disenfranchisement — by drawing strength and inspiration from one another. Senior Producer Jack Rodolico, who will report and host this limited-run series, describes the podcast as being about “the only thing that matters: love.”
NHPR’s Director of On Demand Audio Rebecca Lavoie will serve as Executive Producer of the podcast. Jessica Jupiter, who recently won the prestigious Third Coast/RHDF Director’s Choice Award for her role as Lead Producer and Director of “His Saturn Return” (The 11th Podcast, Pineapple Street Studios), joins the team as the project’s Editor and Producer.
“Being accepted into the Podcast Accelerator is a tremendous opportunity for our team to bring this story into the world,” said Lavoie. “Jack has been reporting This Is A Love Story since 2020, and we have long been wrestling with how to properly resource it and find its place within NHPR’s podcast portfolio. It’s a deeply personal, and singularly beautiful story, and with the editorial and financial support of this program, I believe it will reach its full potential on a number of fronts.”
The PRX Podcast Accelerator training will take place from August to October 2023. NHPR plans to release This Is A Love Story in early November.
