It’s the beginning of the 26th year of Next Gen Radio. What began as a well-meaning representation of public radio professionals at annual journalism conferences is now a 700+ member community of journalists, media reporters and editors, visual and graphic designers, developers, UI and UX experts, and PR and communications professionals.
Next Gen Radio is a 5.5-day, audio-focused, digital journalism project. Our hybrid (some people in-person, some not) program is designed to support competitively selected participants in learning how to report and produce a non-narrated audio piece and a companion multimedia story. Those chosen for the program are paired 1:1 with a professional journalist, who serves as their mentor for the week, and are paid a stipend for their work.
I wish I had started keeping a “results” spreadsheet from the first project in 2000 at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Phoenix, AZ. I started one (color-coded, no doubt) in 2013. Since that year, we have produced 93 one-week digital first reporting sprints. We have 526 alumni all over the US and a few other countries. Roughly 80% of our alumni are people who identify as women, and 65-70% people who identify as BIPOC. And we are now easing into becoming our own independent organization, having spun off from our original host, NPR, in late 2025. It’s a very tenuous time in our country, and I have had people question the wisdom of launching a new thing right now.
It’s been about 20 years since I started reading this daily blog by author Seth Godin. In 2007, he published a book called “The Dip.” My understanding of the book is that “The Dip” is a vital moment when we decide what to do at the bottom of a downturn, and those decisions determine how we succeed (or not) going forward. In that respect, starting up something now makes perfect sense.
There are always decisions to make when in a leadership role, and not all of them are obvious. For me, one of these decisions involved my joining the KALW Board last Fall. It was a full-circle moment. The Next Gen program produced three projects in partnership with the station in the early 2000s. Two current Board members are very (very, lol) long-time mentees and recruited me. Ben Trefny is a long-time colleague and friend. Moreover, KALW is already doing many of the things I can see the Next Gen program doing, and I can easily see a lot of ambition. KALW doesn’t rest on its laurels. Finally, I sit on two other boards (Board Chair for one), and I advise another. I feel I can lend what I have learned as the station stretches its arms and reaches for continued impact.
I spent 35 years at NPR. It was wonderful to work there, and the network allowed me to incubate the Next Gen program for a very long time. I worked on all the shows. The field produced for all those famous names of the past, now legends in the ears of listeners.
And yet, it was in the Next Gen program that I maintained my understanding of the unique nature of public service journalism and media. Today I see, hear, and understand that it’s the stations that are the first point of contact with listeners. “Community” stations even more so, and I know KALW hasn’t and never will forget that.
I’m honored to join the board and blessed that my “OG’s” think enough of me to support my entry. Let’s do this…
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This KALW Speaks essay is part of Upset the Setup, a three-part series from KALW Executive Director James Kass that challenges institutions and audiences to rethink what public media can be, and to boldly imagine a more pluralistic, equitable, and human future.
Learn more about the future of public media: From A Whisper To A Roar.
