New York Public Radio

New York Public Radio, home to Radiolab, is planning a new program—Radiolab Presents: SCOTUS. Now in its thirteenth season, Radiolab’s current program is heard around the country on more than 500 public radio stations, reaching an estimated 1.4 million each week via broadcast, with an additional 5 million monthly downloads. The program has won both the National Academies Communication Award and two Peabody Awards. This new initiative will use Supreme Court cases as a springboard to examine contemporary constitutional issues, and the state of American democracy. The program seeks to increase interest and broaden public understanding about how issues resolved in the insular world of the Supreme Court affect lives outside the Court, from the rights of the individual and the needs of the collective, to the expectation of privacy and the demand for security.

New York Public Radio is home to WNYC, the most popular public radio station in the country, serving the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The tri-state region is also home to one of the country’s largest congressional delegations, with six senators and 27 House members in WNYC’s listening range alone. Currently, no other local broadcast news organization has a full-time reporter exclusively focused on covering the region’s congressional delegation. Through interviews with members, surveys of the tri-state delegation, live events, and non-partisan election guides, this grant will support the WNYC newsroom and its award-winning public affairs program The Brian Lehrer Show, to provide in-depth reporting on the tri-state delegation. The station reaches a local radio and digital audience of up to 2.5 million, with potential to reach national audiences. If successful, this could provide an important model for enhancing local coverage of congressional delegations in other states.

New York Public Radio is home to WNYC, the most popular public radio station in the country, serving the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The tri-state region is also home to one of the country’s largest congressional delegations, with six senators and 27 House members in WNYC’s listening range alone. Yet coverage of Congress is meager. This gap in reporting on the day-to-day activities of Congress can create a lack of journalistic scrutiny and government accountability, as well as detachment of citizens from their representatives. WNYC is a mission-driven, listener-supported public radio station reaching 26 million listeners on radio and digital. With a polarized Congress and a disillusioned electorate, WNYC is continuing coverage of what is happening in Congress, in particular the tri-state delegation, at a time of limited access. This final two-year grant will support WNYC to continue its coverage of Congress in the region.