| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Genre | Podcasts |
| Founded | October 13, 2015; 10 years ago (2015-10-13) |
| Headquarters | New York City ,United States |
Key people | LaFontaine E. Oliver (CEO) Andrew Golis (CCO) Kenya Young (Senior Vice President, WNYC Studios) |
| Products | Consider This More Perfect The New Yorker Radio Hour On the Media Radiolab Science Friday |
| Parent | New York Public Radio |
| Website | wnycstudios wnyckids |
WNYC Studios is a producer and distributor ofpodcasts and on-demand and broadcast audio.[1][2] WNYC Studios is a subsidiary ofNew York Public Radio and is headquartered in New York City.[3]
In May 2015, WNYC began distributing its showsRadiolab andOn The Media.[4] WNYC Studios was founded on October 13, 2015, with an inventory of 17 podcasts and national radio shows.[2]
The venture is funded with a diversified model consisting of philanthropy, membership[5] and sponsorship.[6]
The first podcast launched by WNYC Studios wasThe New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production withThe New Yorker magazine. Hosted byThe New Yorker editorDavid Remnick, the national radio show and podcast debuted on October 24, 2015.[7]
On March 29, 2016, WNYC Studios announced the launch of the2 Dope Queens podcast hosted byThe Daily Show'sJessica Williams, andBroad City's Phoebe Robinson.2 Dope Queens premiered on April 5, 2016.[8] On April 6, 2016,2 Dope Queens reached #1 on the iTunes chart.[9]
In late 2017, WNYC Studios launched two new podcasts for kids:This Podcast Has Fleas andPickle (in production withABC Australia).
| Title | Host(s) | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Consider This | Janae Pierre | News |
| More Perfect | Julia Longoria | Law and current events |
| The New Yorker Radio Hour | David Remnick | Interview talk show |
| On the Media | Brooke Gladstone | News (media analysis) |
| Radiolab | Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser | Scientific, philosophical investigation |
| Science Friday | Ira Flatow | Science |
| Notes from America with Kai Wright | Kai Wright | Social Issues |
| Terrestrials | Lulu Miller | Kids & family |
Launched in September 2020,Consider This is a shortform daily news podcast fromWNYC andNPR. Hosted by Janae Pierre, the show offers a mix of the day's top local stories from WNYC and national stories from NPR.[10] It releases each weekday at 5pm ET.[10] WNYC was part of the pilot group of twelve public radio stations across ten U.S. region that NPR tapped to bundle local news content with the nationalConsider This podcast that was launched in June 2020.[11][10]
Officially titledRadiolab Presents: More Perfect, the series was the first spinoff series fromRadiolab, debuting in 2016. Hosted byJad Abumrad, it explored how theSupreme Court's rulings shape the lives of Americans, as well as telling the stories behind some of the Court's most significant rulings.[12][13][14] The three seasons aired from June 2016 to December 2018. The show relaunched with a new host, Julia Longoria, in May 2023.[15]The New Yorker has hailed the series as being "subtly astonishing...both sobering in its thoughtful investigations of the United States government's unfairness to many of its own citizens and quietly optimistic in its desire to make us understand."[16] The series won the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award in 2017.[17]
The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production ofThe New Yorker and WNYC Studios.[18] It is hosted byDavid Remnick, who has been editor ofThe New Yorker since 1998. The hour-long national broadcast show and podcast is based on conversation, debate, humor, and regularly features writers, editors and cartoonists from The New Yorker.[19]
On the Media is an hour-long weekly radio program and podcast, hosted byBrooke Gladstone, covering journalism, technology andFirst Amendment issues.
On the Media launched in 1995 and was reformatted and relaunched in 2001, and since then has been one of WNYC Studios' fastest growing programs, with more than 400 public radio stations broadcasting the show weekly.[20] It won aPeabody Award in 2004 for providing listeners "an insightful journey into the inner workings and outer effects of the media".[21] In 2013, co-host Brooke Gladstone won aGracie Award for Outstanding Host.[22] The episode "Bench Press," which looked at the Supreme Court and its relationship with the media, won both aNew York Press Club Award and theAmerican Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award in 2016.[23][24] In 2023, On the Media won a Peabody Award for its series "The Divided Dial,” which "offers listeners a [ ] window into the rise of Salem Media Group, a conservative Christian radio network."[25]
Radiolab was created in 2002 byJad Abumrad.Robert Krulwich joined as co-host in 2005.[26] The radio program and podcast explores broad, difficult topics such as "time" and "morality" in an accessible and light-hearted manner and with a distinctive audio production style.[27][28]
Radiolab received a 2007 National Academies Communication Award "for their imaginative use of radio to make science accessible to broad audiences".[29] The program has received two Peabody Awards; first in 2010 and again in 2014.[30][31] In 2015 the episode "60 Words," which looked at the language used in theAuthorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), won a Headliner Award, a New York Press Club Award, and was the New York Festivals' Gold Radio Winner and Grand Award Winner.[32][33][34] Also in 2015, the episode "Galapagos" won first place in the Society of Environmental Journalists Awards for Reporting on the Environment.[35] The episode "Sight Unseen" won the Gold Award for Best Documentary from Third Coast Festival.[36]
In 2011, Abumrad received the MacArthur grant.[37]
The show has done several special multi-episode series exploring various areas. "Border Trilogy" was a three-part series that explored theUnited States Border Patrol's policy "Prevention Through Deterrence." The "Gonads" series, hosted by Molly Webster, looked at aspects of reproduction, fertility, and gender. "In the No" was a three-part series that looked at consent in the wake of#MeToo. "G" was a six-part series that explored the controversial science ofhuman intelligence, from IQ testing and genetic intelligence predictors to the quest for genius.
On December 5, 2019, it was announced thatRobert Krulwich would be retiring in January 2020, after fifteen years with the show.[38][39]
On September 25, 2020, it was announced thatLulu Miller and Latif Nasser would be joining the show as co-hosts alongside Jad Abumrad.[40][41] In January 2022, it was announced that Abumrad would leave the show and in April 2022, he joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University.[42]
Science Friday (known asSciFri for short) is a weekly call-intalk show that broadcasts each Friday on over 400 public radio stations and is distributed by WNYC Studios.SciFri is hosted by award-winning science journalistIra Flatow and was created and is produced by the Science Friday Initiative. The program is divided into two one-hour programs, with each hour ending with a complete sign-off. The focus of each program is news and information on science, nature, medicine, and technology.SciFri is also available as a podcast and is one of the most popular iTunes downloads, frequently in the top 15 downloads each week.[43]
Terrestrials, from Radiolab for Kids Presents, launched on September 22, 2022. The six-part podcast series explores the natural world.Radiolab co-host Lulu Miller created and narrates the series, which includes interviews with entomologists, physicists, surfers, hip hop artists and other experts who are in search of new knowledge and ways to interpret natural phenomena.[44]
Hosted byKai Wright,Notes from America debuted asThe United States of Anxiety in mid-2016 and featured the voices of voters inSuffolk County, Long Island, NY, the deeplypurple region of a blue state whereDonald Trump won theGOP primary with 73% of the vote.[45][46][47] Following seasons have explored "culture warriors",[48] surge of female candidates in the2018 mid-term elections,[49] and a post-Reconstruction America.[50] In 2017 Season One of the series was named Best Podcast by the New York Press Club in a special competition focused on coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign.[51]The Atlantic included the series as one of the "Best Podcasts of 2018."[52]
On August 24, 2020, it was announced thatThe United States of Anxiety would begin airing onWNYC-FM and AM on Sunday evenings.[53]
The show expanded to a nationally syndicated, live call-in radio show on September 25, 2022, and changed its name toNotes from America with Kai Wright. The current show leads discussions that situate current events within historical and cultural contexts.[54]
2 Dope Queenswas a podcast hosted byThe Daily Show'sJessica Williams andBroad City'sPhoebe Robinson. The podcast features female comedians, comedians of color, and LGBT comedians, in an effort to represent people from different backgrounds. The podcast's guests includeNaomi Ekperigin,Nore Davis,Aparna Nancherla, andMichelle Buteau.[55] On April 6, 20162 Dope Queens reached #1 on the iTunes chart.[9] The last episode was released November 14, 2018, and featured an interview with former First LadyMichelle Obama.[56]
Hosted by comediansMichelle Buteau andJordan Carlos,Adulting was launched in May 2019.[57][58] The podcast was taped in front of a live audience, and featured hosts Buteau and Carlos discussing topics surrounding adulthood with guests.[59][60][61][62] Guests includedPhoebe Robinson,Wyatt Cenac,Jim Gaffigan,Samantha Bee, andVanessa Williams.[63][64][65][66] The last episode was released September 3, 2019.[67]
Hosted byRoger Bennett, co-host of theMen in Blazers television show and podcast,American Fiasco was a ten-episode podcast series that told the true story of theUnited States men's national soccer team's surprising failure in the1998 World Cup. It included interviews with former players, coaches, executives, and TV personnel, as well as archival audio from key matches.[68][69][70][71]Awful Announcing said the series "showcases great storytelling."[72]
The Anthropocene Reviewed was a podcast hosted by author andYouTube personalityJohn Green in which he reviewed different facets of theAnthropocene, theepoch that includes significanthuman impact on the environment, on a five-star scale. This can include completely artificial products likeDiet Dr. Pepper, natural species that have had their fates altered by human influence like theCanada goose, or phenomena that only influence humanity such asHalley's Comet. Episodes were released monthly and typically contained Green reviewing two topics, accompanied by stories on how they impacted Green's own life.[73][74][75] Green announced that the podcast is being adapted into a book that is set to be published byDutton Penguin in May 2021, his first nonfiction book.[76]
Launched September 2020,Blindspot: The Road to 9/11 was an eight-part narrative podcast series that explored the history of the lead-up to theSeptember 11 attacks.[77] The podcast was hosted by Jim O'Grady, aWNYC and formerNew York Times reporter. It was a co-production withHISTORY, and was based on the channel's television documentaryRoad to 9/11.[78][79][80][81][82]
Blindspot: Tulsa Burning, hosted by KalaLea is about a Tulsa, OK neighborhood that was deliberately set on fire on May 31, 1921.[83] The podcast features stories from survivors and their descendents. A co-production of The History Channel and WNYC Studios, in collaboration with KOSU and Focus Black Oklahoma.[84]
Caught was a nine-episode podcast series that examined juvenile justice in America.[85][86][87] Hosted byKai Wright, it featured contributions fromWNYC reporters, as well as poet and activistReginald Dwayne Betts.[88] In 2018Caught won a duPont-Columbia Award.[89][90]
Launched in April 2020,[91]Come Through with Rebecca Carroll was a limited-run podcast series that featured a range of guests discussing issues of race amidst the backdrop of the pressing issues of the day, including theCOVID-19 pandemic and the2020 Presidential election.[92][93][94]
Hosted by theGreen brothers: authors and YouTubevloggersHank Green andJohn Green. First released on June 15, Hank and John Green answer questions e-mailed by listeners, give "dubious" advice and talk about the weekly news from the planetMars and the 3rd tierEnglish football clubAFC Wimbledon. Episodes are typically around 45 minutes in length.[95][96] Upon the podcast's debut, it reached the number 4 position on the US iTunes performance chart and hit a peak position of number 2 two days later.Dear Hank & John has also been charted on iTunes in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, Australia and Brazil.[97] WNYC Studios was a co-producer of the show from November 2018 to November 2020.
Death, Sex + Money is an interview-style podcast hosted by Anna Sale that discusses the big questions "often left out of polite conversation."[98][99] The podcast launched in May 2014 features celebrities, experts and listeners on topics of finance, grief, love and relationships.[100][101] Stella Bugbee, editor in chief ofThe Cut hailed Sale as "a master of the craft."[102] WNYC canceled the show in late 2023 and it was later acquired bySlate.[103]
Created in September 2010,Freakonomics Radio is a weekly public radio show and podcast hosted by journalistStephen Dubner, with economistSteven Levitt as a regular guest.[104] The two had previously collaborated on the 2005 bookFreakonomics. In July 2018 production moved from WNYC Studios toStitcher Radio.[105]
Free Shakespeare on the Radio was a co-production with WNYC Studios andThe Public Theater that reimagined the Theater's annualFree Shakespeare in the Park into a multi-episoderadio play.[106] The production was conceived after theCOVID-19 pandemic prevented the annual outdoor play from taking place, the first time in nearly 60 years.[106][107] The originally scheduled performance ofRichard II was adapted for radio and directed by Shaeem Ali. The performance was dedicated to theBlack Lives Matter movement and featured a cast composed predominantly ofBIPOC actors, includingAndré Holland,Phylicia Rashad, andLupita Nyong'o.[108]The New York Times said the cast "delivered electric performances, spotlighting the aural delights of Shakespeare's language."[109]
Here's the Thing is a podcast interview series hosted by actorAlec Baldwin. On October 24, 2011, New York City'sWNYC released the first episode of Baldwin's podcast,[110] a series of interviews with public figures including artists, policy makers and performers.[111] It was announced that WNYC Studios will no longer be producing the show after November 10, 2020.[112]
Launched in February 2021,La Brega is a dual-language podcast series, co-produced with Futuro Studios, about life, politics, history, and music on the island of Puerto Rico. All episodes are available in English and Spanish. Season 1, "Stories of the Puerto Rican Experience," focuses on challenges faced by people who live in Puerto Rico. Season 2, "The Puerto Rican Experience in Eight Songs," debuted in 2023. "La Brega: El Álbum, " a companion album to season 2, appeared April 11, 2023.[113] WNYC canceled the show in October 2023.[114]
Hosted by Kathy Tu and Tobin Low, Nancy was a podcast that featured stories and conversations exploring the LGBTQ experience.[115] The show ran from 2017 to 2020.[116]
Note to Self is a podcast hosted by Manoush Zomorodi featuring interviews about the impact of technology on everyday life.[117] Before she began hosting Note to Self, Zomorodi was a television reporter for theBBC.[118]
Only Human was a health-oriented podcast produced by WNYC Studios.[119] The podcast was hosted by Mary Harris, who previously covered health for ABC News.[120]
Launched in October 2019,[121] Scattered was a six-part podcast billed as an "audio memoir."[121] The series traced comedian Chris Garcia's search to discover more about his father's life after his father died due to complications fromAlzheimer's disease. Garcia first spoke publicly about his father's Alzheimer's onThis American Life.[122] He also appeared on2 Dope Queens,[123] recorded six days before his father died and what Garcia has called the "best set of my life."[124]Robin Williams had called one of Garcia's many sets about his father, "beautiful, fearless, and straight from the heart."[125][126][127]
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