Greetings,
My (not exactly) quarterly newsletter from the On Point EP’s desk is dropping into your inbox a little later than intended because I have been waiting for the ink to dry on a really exciting new editorial partnership that I want to share with you. More on that in a moment.
Before that, more exciting news to share with you. First we were delighted to learn that in the latest Nielson audience survey (Fall 2023), On Point’s total national audience (cume) went up by a whopping 49% to more than 2.1 million weekly listeners. That audience growth is primarily driven by carriage, meaning that more stations are choosing to add On Point to their schedules. On Point is now on more stations than ever in the show’s history and that involves choices you have made. We know such decisions are not taken lightly — Meghna, me and all of us at On Point are hugely grateful for the trust you have taken in On Point to deliver compelling stories and conversations for your audience.
And so it’s doubly gratifying that the kind of editorial choices we make at On Point, the kind that we think make us distinct, have again been recognised by the RTDNA. If you haven’t heard already, On Point is the 2024 recipient of a Regional Murrow award for best news documentary. In the winning episode of On Point, “The border crisis arrives in Chicago,” we brought national attention to how the border crisis has been impacting historically blue Chicago, as the city planned to house and care for migrants being bused from the border in historically Black neighborhoods. The episode demonstrated, with passionate but informed voices, how the so-called crisis at the southern border is impacting communities far away and pitting neighbor against neighbor.
It is the fourth straight year that On Point has won a Murrow award in the best news documentary category. That would be a huge achievement for any show, let alone one that goes to air five days a week as a daily, live show. I think it speaks to the value of On Point, with its premium on depth and understanding of complex stories, especially when they involve a breakdown in public trust.
And maybe that is something the folks at the investigative journalism website ProPublica recognized when they reached out to us to ask if we would consider producing some episodes of On Point shaped by their original journalism. We were intrigued by the shared idea of crafting jointly produced editions of On Point that could go beyond just interviewing their reporters. After a little deliberation about what that might look like and what it would take, of course we said yes. This is the editorial partnership — which will run until the end of the year — that I have been itching to tell you about. We have hired a full-time dedicated producer, Katelyn Harrop, who will work to craft these new special episodes of On Point. Katelyn started just this week and I think it’s fair to say that she, On Point and ProPublica are enthusiastic for the potential of this partnership to deliver truly outstanding journalism for your listeners
One other thing I should mention before I sign off – and with summer vacations right around the corner! We heard from many enthusiastic listeners last year about how much they enjoyed and appreciated our Week of Wonder in which we let awe inspire us. It was the perfect summer break listening people were hungry for…so we’re doing it again. We’re working now to bring you a week of shows dedicated to exploring what captivates our mind, illuminates our humanity and both delights and confounds us. It might just be the break we all need, whether or not we are actually on vacation. Listen out for that starting July 22.
And I hope that’s not the only break you get this summer.
Best wishes from all of us at On Point,Jonathan Dyer
Executive Producer, On Point