Radiotopia is a

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

network founded by

Roman Mars Roman Mars is an American radio producer. He is the host and producer of ''99% Invisible'', a KALW radio show and podcast, and a founder of the podcast collective Radiotopia, which he describes as efforts "to broaden the radio landscape ndmake ...

(host of ''

99% Invisible ''99% Invisible'' is a radio show and podcast produced and created by Roman Mars that focuses on design. It began as a collaborative project between San Francisco public radio station KALW and the American Institute of Architects in San Franc ...

'') and run by the

Public Radio Exchange The Public Radio Exchange (PRX) is a non-profit web-based platform for digital distribution, review, and licensing of radio programs. The organization is the largest on-demand catalogue of public radio programs available for broadcast and internet ...

. The network is organized as a collective of some two dozen shows whose producers have complete artistic control over their work. Since its launch, podcasts in the network have been downloaded over 19 million times per month.

History

Radiotopia, founded by

, was launched in February 2014 with an initial group of seven shows: Jonathan Mitchell's ''

The Truth The Truth may refer to: Film * ''The Truth'' (1920 film) starring Madge Kennedy * ''The Truth'' (1960 film) or ''La Vérité'', a French film by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Brigitte Bardot * ''The Truth'' (1988 film), a Hong Kong trial cri ...

'', Lea Thau's ''

Strangers A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity (social science), identity and Character structure, chara ...

'', Benjamin Walker's ''Theory of Everything'', Nick van der Kolk's ''

Love and Radio ''Love and Radio'' (stylized ''Love + Radio'') is an American audio podcast directed by Nick van der Kolk and produced by Phil Dmochowski and Steven Jackson. ''Love and Radio'' originally began in 2005 as a series of self-distributed episodes, a ...

'', the Kitchen Sisters' ''Fugitive Waves'' (later renamed '' The Kitchen Sisters Present''), ''Radio Diaries'', and Roman Mars' own flagship show ''

''. Without the support of traditional

radio broadcasting Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...

, these independent producers banded together to instead target a growing audience of podcast listeners. The podcast network was initially supported by a US$200,000 injection from the

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

. The network is run by the

(PRX) who described it as "somewhat like an independent record label". In October 2014 a

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

campaign was started to support the growth of the network; it raised over US$600,000, making it the most-funded radio or podcast project on the site. This money allowed the network to expand, as well as add four new shows. In May 2015, the network received a further US$1 million from the Knight Foundation to fund more shows. In September of that year,

Julie Shapiro Radiotopia is a podcast network founded by Roman Mars (host of ''99% Invisible'') and run by the Public Radio Exchange. The network is organized as a collective of some two dozen shows whose producers have complete artistic control over their work ...

was hired as Radiotopia's executive producer. Around the time of Radiotopia's launch, the network's podcasts received around 900,000 downloads per month. This figure increased to 7.5 million by May 2015, 8.5 million in September 2015, 13 million as of June 2016, and more than 19 million times by the end of 2019. Within its first year, Radiotopia grew from seven to eleven shows, adding '' The Heart'' (formerly ''Audio Smut''), Phoebe Judge's ''

Criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

'', Helen Zaltzman's '' The Allusionist'', and ''The Mortified Podcast'' based on the popular international stage show and documentary series. Within the company's second year, Radiotopia adopted Hrishikesh Hirway's ''

Song Exploder ''Song Exploder'' is a music podcast created and hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway, which debuted in January 2014. It is part of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. The show features musicians talking about the creative process behind an individua ...

'' and Nate DeMeo's ''

The Memory Palace ''The Memory Palace'' is a monthly historical podcast hosted by Nate DiMeo that debuted in 2008. The program features historical narratives concerning such subjects as the Cardiff Giant and the CIA project Acoustic Kitty. It is currently dis ...

'' from the

Maximum Fun Maximum Fun is an independent, worker-owned cooperative podcast and radio show production organization founded by Jesse Thorn. The organization originated with Thorn's college radio show ''The Sound of Young America'' which continued in an adapt ...

network, as well as Megan Tan's show ''

Millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...

''; it has continued to add new shows to its roster ever since.

Podcasts

Timeline of shows

Current shows

Radiotopia members include the following podcasts:

''Adult-ISH''

''Adult-ISH'' features interviews, storytelling and advice by and for people in their 20s. Hosts Nyge Turner and Merk Nguyen highlight topics central to their own lives, such as

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

, professional goals, personal identity, music, and relationships. The show debuted in 2018 through YR Media and partnered with Radiotopia for its second season.

''Articles of Interest''

Avery Trufelman's podcast ''Articles of Interest'' is about clothing, fashion, and power. Originally a miniseries appearing on ''99% Invisible'''s podcast feed, it was given its own feed in December 2018 and publicly announced in March 2019. Its debut season put ''Articles of Interest'' on many best-podcast-of-the-year lists, including that of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'', and ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

.'' Its third season focuses on American ivy, and was highlighted in ''The New York Times'' best-of-year list.

''Ear Hustle''

''Ear Hustle'' is a podcast about life inside prison, produced by two inmates at

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...

Earlonne Woods Earlonne Woods (born August 13, 1971) is an American podcaster and author, best known for co-hosting and co-founding the podcast ''Ear Hustle'' in 2017, and co-authoring the book '' This Is Ear Hustle'' in 2021. Woods helped create ''Ear Hustle' ...

and Antwan Williams, together with Nigel Poor, a

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

artist who volunteers at San Quentin. The show beat out 1,536 other entries to win ''Podquest'' – a 2016 contest organized by Radiotopia for new podcast ideas. The term "ear hustle" is

prison slang Prison slang is an argot used primarily by criminals and detainees in correctional institutions. It is a form of anti-language.Mayr, A. 2012. Prison Language. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Many of the terms deal with criminal behavior ...

for eavesdropping or being nosy. On November 21, 2018, Earlonne Woods' sentence was commuted, with ''Ear Hustle'' cited as a significant contributor to his reformation.

''Everything is Alive''

''Everything is Alive'' is an unscripted interview show in which the host, Ian Chillag, interviews an actor inhabiting the role of a different inanimate object each episode. Interview "subjects" in the first season included a can of generic cola, a bar of soap, and a mousetrap. These interviews are punctuated by conversations between Chillag and a real person that further explore topics touched upon in the main interview. Before joining Radiotopia, Chillag was a producer on NPR's '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' and ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosl ...

'', and had previously co-hosted the now-defunct podcast ''How to Do Everything''.

''The Heart''

''The Heart'' originally aired in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

under the name ''Audio Smut''. It changed its name when moving to Radiotopia in 2015. On December 8, 2017, it was announced that ''The Heart'' would not be producing new shows in 2018. After December 2017, the show took a hiatus while its producers made a serialized fiction podcast called ''

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...

'' for the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

in 2018. In 2019 producer Kaitlin Prest announced the founding of a new audio arts production company, Mermaid Palace, that will make shows in partnership with Radiotopia and the CBC, including a new season of ''The Heart'', which launched in January 2020.

''The Kitchen Sisters Present''

''The Kitchen Sisters Present'' is a podcast produced by Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, who are collectively known as the

Kitchen Sisters The Kitchen Sisters are Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, who are National Public Radio radio producers in the United States. About Nelson and Silva met in 1979, in Santa Cruz, California. Silva was curating museum exhibits about local history, ...

. They have had long careers in radio production, with shows like ''Hidden Kitchens'', ''Lost & Found Sound'', and ''The Hidden World of Girls''. Their podcast, then called ''Fugitive Waves'', was one of the founding members of Radiotopia. In it they present pieces from their archive of stories built up over their careers, which they describe as "stories from the flip side of history".

''The Memory Palace''

''The Memory Palace'' is a monthly historical podcast hosted by Nate DiMeo. ''The Memory Palace'' moved to Radiotopia from the

network in 2016.

''Mortified''

''Mortified'' is a podcast based on the popular stage show of the same name. Both the podcast and the original show feature adults sharing things they wrote as teenagers, such as diaries, letters, and poems, that now seem embarrassing in retrospect. The show was started in Los Angeles by David Nedelberg in 2005, whence it spread to other cities. Nedelberg also turned the show into the book ''Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic.'' Together with Neil Katcher, he also created a documentary series, ''The Mortified Sessions'', that ran on

Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States). * Sundance Channel (Canada) * Sundance Channel (Netherlands) * Sundance Channel (Europe) Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV Sundance TV ...

for two seasons in 2011 and 2012, and a 2013 documentary movie, ''Mortified Nation''. The podcast, which was also created by Nedelberg and Katcher, joined Radiotopia in 2015. Celebrity guests who have appeared on the ''Mortified'' podcast include

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. Wood made his film debut with a minor part in ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989) at the age of eight and achieved recognition in the early 1990s as a child acto ...

Kate Micucci Kate Micucci ( ; born March 31, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and musician who is half of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates with Riki Lindhome. Some of her roles include Stephanie Gooch in '' Scrubs'', Ally in '' 'Til Death' ...

Chvrches Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish synth-pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriv ...

Alison Brie Alison Brie Schermerhorn (born December 29, 1982) is an American actress, writer, and producer. She earned recognition for playing Trudy Campbell in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), and had her Breakthrough role, breakthrough starring ...

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

, and

Busy Philipps Elizabeth Jean "Busy" Philipps (born June 25, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), ''Dawson's Creek'' (2001–2003), and '' ER'' (2006–2007), and for her po ...

''Normal Gossip''

''Normal Gossip'' is a conversation podcast co-produced by

Defector Media ''Defector Media'' is a subscription-based sports and culture blog and media company founded in September 2020 and based in Manhattan. The Defector blog is primarily written by former employees of the ''Deadspin'' sports blog. In October and No ...

, hosted by Kelsey McKinney and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Each episode explores an anonymized story of interpersonal drama alongside a celebrity guest.

''Oprahdemics: The Study of the Queen of Talk''

Each week, historians and longtime friends Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur dive deep into the cultural significance and contributions of

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

. Discussion topics have included diets, the

LA riots Los Angeles riots or protests may refer to: *1992 Los Angeles riots, following the acquittal of police officers accused of using excessive force against Rodney King *Watts riots, of 1965, following an arrest for drunk driving in the Watts neighborh ...

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Madea, Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her ...

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...

, and

Oprah's Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show '' The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a novel, for view ...

''Passenger List''

A serialized fiction podcast starring

Kelly Marie Tran Kelly Marie Tran (born Loan Tran, January 17, 1989) is an American actress. She began acting in 2011, with most of her roles being in short film and television. She came to global prominence for her role as Rose Tico in the ''Star Wars'' sequ ...

in which a plane has disappeared mid-flight between London and New York with 256 passengers on board. Tran plays Kaitlin Le, a college student on a quest to discover the truth behind the missing aircraft. The first eight-episode season ran in the fall of 2019. A second season launched on May 10, 2021.

''Radio Diaries''

Radio Diaries Inc. is a production company started by Joe Richman in 1996. Richman and his staff give everyday people a tape recorder and ask them to record their daily lives, which is then edited to create an episode-length story. Richman's pieces have appeared on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', and ''

This American Life ''This American Life'' is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is ...

'', and on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

. In 2013, Richman started the ''Radio Diaries'' podcast, as a showcase for his pieces. The podcast later became one of the founding members of Radiotopia.

''Radiotopia Plus''

In 2018 Radiotopia created a short-form exclusive podcast for its financial supporters. Each episode of ''Radiotopia Plus'' poses a question that each of the network's show hosts and producers answer.

''Radiotopia Presents''

In 2017 Radiotopia launched a podcast feed under the name ''Showcase'' after putting out an open call for new podcast proposals. From over 1,500 entries, four were chosen to run as limited series with weekly episodes all sharing the same podcast feed. After a successful run, four more limited series were chosen in 2018. In 2020 the feed was renamed ''Radiotopia Presents''. The series broadcast so far have been: * Summer 2017:

Damon Krukowski Damon Krukowski (born September 6, 1963) is an American musician, poet and writer. He was a member of the dreampop band Galaxie 500 and the psychedelic rock band Magic Hour (band), Magic Hour, and is half of the psychedelic folk duo Damon & Naomi ...

's six-episode treatise ''Ways of Hearing'' about how humans listen to music. * Fall 2017: ''The Polybius Conspiracy'', a podcast about

urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...

s. * Winter 2018: ''Secrets'' by Swedish producers Mohamed El Abed, Martin Johnson, and Åsa Secher, about the secrets people keep. * Spring 2018: ''Errthang'', by

Al Letson Al Letson (born August 8, 1972) is an American writer, journalist, and radio and podcast host. Since 2013, he has served as the host of the radio show and podcast '' Reveal'' from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX. Before that, he c ...

and Willie Evans Jr. This is the second season of the podcast – the first season ran as an independent show. * Summer 2018: ''The Great God of Depression'' by Karen Brown and Pagan Kennedy, a five-episode documentary about the author

William Styron William Clark Styron Jr. (June 11, 1925 – November 1, 2006) was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work. Early life Styron was born in the Hilton Village historic district of Newport News, Virginia, the so ...

and his neurologist Alice Flaherty. * Fall 2018: ''The Stoop'', by Leila Day and Hana Baba, a four-episode series about stories regarding

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

. * Winter 2019: ''Spacebridge'', by Julia Barton and Charles Maynes, a four-episode documentary about

U.S.–Soviet Space Bridge The US-Soviet Space Bridge was a series of experimental, international telecasts between Soviet and U.S. viewers, performed by group of communication enthusiasts during the late Cold War era. Translated from the Russian word ''telemost'' (literall ...

''Song Exploder''

''Song Exploder'' is a biweekly music podcast hosted and produced by

Hrishikesh Hirway Hrishikesh Hirway (born February 1, 1979) is an American musician, producer, and podcast and television host. He has made four albums under the name The One AM Radio, and has a side project with Lakeith Stanfield called Moors. He is the creator a ...

. The show features musicians talking about the creative process behind an individual song while "deconstructing" the song into its component parts. The podcast launched on the

network, went independent in February 2015, and joined Radiotopia in June 2015.

''Theory of Everything''

Producer Benjamen Walker ended his

WFMU WFMU (91.1 MHz) is a non-commercial educational station, non-commercial, listener-supported, independent radio, independent community radio station city of license, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey, with studios in Jersey City. It is owned by ...

radio show ''Too Much Information (TMI)'' to start ''Theory of Everything'' as a founding member of Radiotopia. ''Theory of Everything'' focuses on stories as they relate to new technologies and shifts in culture, and Walker has used the podcast format to excerpt and serialize old episodes of ''TMI''.

''This Day in Esoteric Political History''

Hosted by journalist Jody Avirgan and historians

Nicole Hemmer Nicole Hemmer is an American historian. She is an associate professor of history and director of the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Center for the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University. She specializes in the history of conservative media ...

and Kellie Carter Jackson, ''This Day in Esoteric Political History'' looks back at notable moments in the history of American politics and government for insights on current-day issues and developments.

''ZigZag''

''ZigZag'' is the first production by Stable Genius Productions, a startup formed by

Manoush Zomorodi Manoush Zomorodi is a journalist, podcast host and author. She was the host of the WNYC podcast '' Note to Self'', which explores humans' relationship with technology through conversations with listeners and experts. In 2018, Zomorodi quit WNYC ...

, the former host of

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

's podcast '' Note to Self'', and her colleague Jen Poyant. The show itself is a documentary of the early days of the new company.

Former shows

''99% Invisible''

''99% Invisible'' is an independently produced radio show created by

that focuses on design and architecture. It began as a collaborative project between San Francisco

public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

station

KALW KALW (91.7 MHz) is a non-commercial FM public radio station, owned by the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Its studios are in Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School off Manse ...

and the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

in San Francisco. In April 2021 the company that produces the show (99% Invisible Inc.) was acquired by

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

, with ''99% Invisible'' moving to the

Stitcher Radio Stitcher was a media company that specialized in the creation, distribution, and monetization of Podcast, podcasts. Stitcher created original shows through networks such as Earwolf and Witness Docs. Stitcher provided ad sales and distribution ser ...

network.

''Appearances''

''Appearances'' is a semi-autobiographical podcast by Sharon Mashihi, an audio artist, screenwriter, and story editor, that had a limited run on Radiotopia.

''Criminal''

''Criminal'' is an independently produced podcast that focuses on true crime. The show describes itself as telling "stories of people who've done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle". In 2021, ''Criminal'' host

Phoebe Judge Phoebe Valentine Judge is an American journalist, best known as the host and co-creator of the podcasts ''Criminal'' and '' This Is Love.'' Early life and education Judge was born to parents Valentine and Tony Judge, and named after her aunt, P ...

announced the show would move from Radiotopia to

Vox Media Vox Media, Inc. is an American mass media company founded in Washington, D.C. with operational headquarters in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in November 2011 by CEO Jim Bankoff and Trei Brundrett to encompass ''S ...

. Judge attributed the change to a wish to grow the podcast and spend more time on storytelling over business running. The founders expressed gratitude towards Radiotopia in a PRX newsletter. ''Criminal'' left alongside ''This is Love'' and ''Phoebe Reads a Mystery''.

''Love + Radio''

''Love and Radio'' is an American audio podcast directed by Nick van der Kolk and produced by Brendan Baker. It originally began in 2005 as a series of self-distributed episodes, though the show later received some support and distribution from

and

Chicago Public Media Chicago Public Media (CPM) is a not-for-profit radio and print media company. CPM operates as the primary National Public Radio member organization for Chicago. It owns three non-commercial educational FM broadcast stations and one FM transl ...

. In 2014, the show joined Radiotopia as one of its seven original members and began producing episodes on a more regular monthly schedule. In 2019, during the mid-season break after completing its 7th season, ''Love and Radio'' announced that they would be leaving the ad-supported Radiotopia network to join the subscription-supported podcasting service Luminary, starting with their 8th season in May 2019.

''Millennial''

''Millennial'' was a semi-autobiographical podcast created by Megan Tan in 2015, when she graduated from college and was unemployed living with her boyfriend in Portland, Maine. It became part of the Radiotopia network in 2016. The podcast focused on the transition between university and work from the point of view of a person in their twenties. In 2017, Tan decided to end the podcast, and the final episode aired on August 16, 2017, making it the first show on the Radiotopia network to end its run. Tan went on to work as a producer of ''The Habitat'' from Gimlet Media.

''Strangers''

''Strangers'' is hosted by Danish-born producer Lea Thau. Initially part of

KCRW KCRW (89.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is an NPR member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programming ...

's Independent Producer project, ''Strangers'' became a founding member of Radiotopia in 2014. In 2017, Thau decided to leave the network and to continue producing the show independently. The show's last episode on the Radiotopia network aired on December 12, 2017, followed by an unofficial hiatus and a 2019

Patreon Patreon (, ) is a monetization platform operated by Patreon, Inc., that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products. It helps artists and other creators earn a recurring income by provid ...

-backed revival.

''The Allusionist''

''The Allusionist'' is a podcast about the English language. Zaltzman was already the co-host of the ''

Answer Me This! ''Answer Me This!'' is a comedy podcast by Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann first broadcast in 2007, in which they answer questions submitted by the general public. It was one of the first independent British podcasts to gain success, and led to ...

'' podcast and was looking at the possibility of starting a new podcast focused primarily on English etymology, a subject she was interested in. Roman Mars helped Zaltzman find funding for the podcast, which eventually became ''The Allusionist'', and debuted on the Radiotopia network. Caroline Crampton of ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'' put it on her list of podcasts of 2016. Zaltzman and the podcast left Radiotopia in October 2020 to free up more resources to address the mostly white line-up at the network.

''The Bugle''

''The Bugle'' is a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

news podcast created by

John Oliver John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British and American comedian who hosts ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' on HBO. He started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom and came to wider attention for his work ...

and

Andy Zaltzman Andrew Zaltzman (born 6 October 1974) is a British comedian and statistician. His comedy largely deals in political and sport-related material. He has worked with John Oliver, with their work together including '' Political Animal'', ''The Dep ...

in 2007. Its focus is global news stories, primarily on UK/US news items. Initially produced independently and distributed by

TimesOnline ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...

, the show was launched in 2007 following John Oliver's move to New York to work on ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'', allowing Oliver and Andy Zaltzman to continue a partnership that had previously enjoyed success with '' Political Animal'' and ''

The Department ''The Department'' is a satirical comedy on BBC Radio 4 about a secret organisation with the power to influence every aspect of your life. The show is written and performed by Chris Addison, John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman (cancelled after ...

''. The show joined Radiotopia in September 2016 after Oliver's departure. In late 2018 Andy Zaltzman announced that ''The Bugle'' would leave Radiotopia at the start of 2019.

''The West Wing Weekly''

''The West Wing Weekly'' was an American podcast hosted by

and

Joshua Malina Joshua Charles Malina (born January 17, 1966) is an American film and stage actor known for playing Will Bailey on the NBC drama ''The West Wing'', Jeremy Goodwin on ''Sports Night'', U.S. Attorney General David Rosen on ''Scandal'', and Caltec ...

, in which the hosts discussed one episode of the popular television program ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

,'' which originally aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

from 1999 to 2006. The podcast featured various cast and crew members including series creator

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, playwright and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized f ...

, director Tommy Schlamme,

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...

Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...

Richard Schiff Richard Schiff (born May 27, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''The West Wing'', a role for which he received an Emmy Award. Schiff made his television directorial debut with ''The West Wing'', directing an ...

Janel Moloney Janel Moloney (born October 3, 1969) is an American actress, best known for her role as Donna Moss on the television series ''The West Wing'', a role for which she received nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress ...

Marlee Matlin Marlee Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, activist, and author. Deafness, Deaf since she was 18 months old, Matlin is known for her portrayals of deaf women, and for her activism on behalf of deaf individuals in Cinema of the ...

, and

Dulé Hill Karim Dulé Hill (; born May 3, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series ''The West Wing'', for wh ...

, as well as former government officials, academics, and pundits. The podcast finished its run with their discussion of the series' final episode on 29 January 2020.

''This Is Love''

''This Is Love'' was launched in 2018 by

, Lauren Spohrer, and Nadia Wilson—the team behind ''Criminal'', another Radiotopia show. The show ran for a short six-episode season in early 2018, with a second season airing at the end of the same year. As of 2022, it had five seasons. The show tells stories on the subject of love. ''This is Love'' left the Radiotopia network in 2021 along with ''Criminal'' and ''Phoebe Reads a Mystery''.''''

''Trump Con Law''

and

UC Davis School of Law The University of California, Davis School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of California, Davis. The school received ABA approval in 1968. It joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1968. UC Da ...

Professor Elizabeth Joh developed the podcast ''What Trump Can Teach Us About Constitutional Law'' (often abbreviated as ''Trump Con Law'' in conversation and distribution), which was first launched in June 2017 and used the circumstances surrounding then-president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

to discuss

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...

in a format accessible to laypersons. The show is now distributed independently of Radiotopia under the title ''What Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law''.

''Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast''

''Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast'' is hosted by Fred Hampton Jr. and

Elvis Mitchell Elvis Mitchell (born December 6, 1958) is an American film critic, host of the public radio show ''The Treatment'', and visiting lecturer at Harvard University. He has served as a film critic for the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'', the ''LA Weekly ...

and accompanies the film of the same name. The show was produced by

Proximity Media Ryan Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is a recipient of ten NAACP Image Awards and four Black Reel Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy ...

and ''

'' and in partnership with

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American film studio, filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and th ...

. The last episode aired March 12, 2021.

''The Truth''

''The Truth'' was a biweekly fiction podcast that sought to re-imagine what audio drama is and can be. Stories were developed as a collective where frequently the dialogue was completely improvised. Additionally, recordings were made on location and then taken into the studio to be edited. Work by ''The Truth'' has been heard on many nationally syndicated public radio programs, including ''

'', ''

Studio 360 ''Studio 360'' was an American weekly public radio program about the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and ''Slate (magazine), Slate'' in New York City. The program's stated goal was t ...

'', ''Snap Judgment'', and ''The Story'' (see Links below).

Accolades and awards

In 2015 Fast Company ranked Radiotopia among the top 10 most innovative Kickstarter companies, and in 2017 as a top 10 innovator in media. Of the 50 best podcasts as ranked by ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' in 2016, eight were part of Radiotopia, and a similar list from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' included five Radiotopia shows. In January 2019, VertitechIT listed ''ZigZag'' as one of the Top IT Podcasts of 2019. The network won "Podcast Network of the Year" at the 2019 '' Adweek'' Podcast Awards.

References

External links

* {{Radiotopia 2014 establishments in California Podcasting companies