This grant supports the WNYC Health Unit’s ongoing coverage of health care policy, health economics, and the complexities and contradictions of the U.S. health care system. Over the three-year grant period, Sloan funds will help WNYC produce 45 to 50 broadcast segments each year on a range of health topics including the Affordable Care Act under the Trump administration, the opioid and obesity epidemics, and the gap in hospital billing between what hospitals charge and the real costs of care. Segments will be aired on several of NPR’s most popular radio programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The Takeaway, and the Brian Lehrer Show. In addition to these weekly segments, WNYC will produce two to three episodes of its Only Human podcast each year. The long-form serial podcast allows WYNC to take a deeper dive into complex health care issues, with a focus on extensive research, immersive storytelling, and rich characters. WNYC will also convene annual workshops, bringing together leading health care practitioners, economists, and policy experts to discuss the health care system and potential reforms. Last, grant funds will support a new radio drama, produced in collaboration with Radiolab, on the life and work of John Bonica, an anesthesiologist and a world champion wrestler also known as the “father of pain management.”

Funds from this grant support efforts by PRX Incorporated to develop, distribute, and promote podcasts featuring high-quality scientific content or that explore scientific themes. Over the next two years, PRX plans to produce 10 episodes of the Orbital Path podcast, a new monthly program hosted by astronomer Michelle Thaller which covers astronomy, space science, and cosmology; 12 episodes of The Outside, an outdoor-focused podcast about survival science and the science of adventure; 1 science-themed episode of The Moth podcast 2 science-themed episodes of the 99% Invisible podcast 1 science-themed episode of the Theory of Everything podcast 12 episodes of Go Flight, a podcast developed in partnership with the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum 12 episodes of Sidedoor, a new podcast developed with the Smithsonian that tells stories about science, art, history, humanity and their surprising interconnections. In addition, PRX will continue to develop and promote Transistor, a broad science channel that showcases audio pieces from the open-call STEM Story Project and tests new ideas and formats from independent producers. PRX intends to use this platform to develop a new signature podcast and will launch with 18 new episodes.

Funds from this grant continue support for the production of Planet Money, National Public Radio’s award-winning, signature foray into exploring the changing American economy via in-depth stories that examine key economic issues for a general audience in an accurate, accessible, and engaging way. Grant funds support production of the twice-weekly Planet Money podcast, shorter segments that air on NPR’s popular Morning Edition and All Things Considered, multipart series to explore complex subjects at greater depth, and experiments in  "participatory journalism" like "Planet Money Bought Some Oil," where Planet Money journalists directly participate in specific industries to help illuminate their processes. Planned activities over the two-year grant period include  a 10-part series on the history of the U.S. economy over the past 200 years that will examine subjects such as central banking, national debt, and the modern, multinational corporation; and new participatory journalism projects such as exploring the business of commercial space satellites.

This grant provides continuing operational support for the successful science radio show and podcast Radiolab. Expected outputs include 21 science-themed podcasts per year plus one hour-long broadcast per week (distilled from original and archival podcasts). The Radiolab production team will also continue to produce live events to supplement their online content, with eight communication events or lectures planned each year and two annual live events. Grant funds will provide core operating support for Radiolab for two years.

This grant continues support for efforts by the WNYC Health Unit to produce high-quality radio reporting on health care economics and policy. With Sloan funds, WNYC convenes an annual workshop with leading health care practitioners, economists, and policy experts to discuss health care reform and policy change resulting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to identify subjects for news coverage that focus on health care policy and the economics of the health system in New York and the tristate region. Subjects identified for coverage are then often featured on WNYC’s weekly podcast, Only Human. Potential topics to be covered over the next two years include maternal health care costs in New York, how race and income affect costs and health outcomes, the funding crisis faced by New York City's public hospitals, comparing New York’s state-based health care exchanges to New Jersey’s federal exchange, millennials and mental health, and the Affordable Care Act after Obama. In addition to reporting, WNYC will also launch four community engagement projects that empower listeners with information and encourage beneficial behavioral changes and two to four public events aimed at raising public understanding and engagement with health issues.

Funds from this grant provide continued support for the production and distribution of Science Friday, the only regular weekly public radio program that devotes two hours to all things science. Grant funds will support the production of 50 radio segments per year, 5 digital videos per year, 12 articles per year produced and disseminated through the show’s website, an annual multimedia spotlight on a science topic, a yearly Book Club event, and a single special remote broadcast of the show. Science Friday’s audience—the program reaches over two million people each week via its radio show, web streaming, podcasts, blogs, online videos, mobile apps, and social media presence—makes it one of the single most effective channels for dissemination of high-quality, engaging content about the increasingly central role science plays in modern life.

This grant provides two years of continued support for production of National Public Radio’s Planet Money podcast. Grant funds will help produce in-depth economic content to be disseminated via the Planet Money podcast and blog and on NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, NPR One, and This American Life. Additional funds will support the production of multimedia pieces to supplement and enhance the broadcast content on the web, a series of interactive “sound walks” that explore economic history, and several experiments in participatory journalism.