On the Media

American public radio show and podcast

Radio show

On the Media

Other names| OTM
Genre| News (media analysis)
Running time| c. 50 minutes
Country of origin| United States
Language(s)| English
Home station| WNYC
Syndicates| 300 public radio stations via WNYC Studios
Hosted by| Brooke Gladstone Micah Loewinger
Produced by|

* Eloise Blondiau
* Molly Rosen
* Rebecca Clark-Callender
* Candice Wang

Executive producer(s)| Katya Rogers
Edited by| Brooke Gladstone
Recording studio| New York City
Original release| 1993 –
present
Audio format| Stereophonic
Opening theme| Ben Allison, composer
Website| www.onthemedia.org
Podcast| Podcast

On the Media (OTM) is a public radio show and podcast from WNYC Studios that primarily covers the media. Since relaunching in 2001 with Brooke Gladstone as host, the show has received at least ten awards, including two Peabody Awards.

## Format

[edit]

OTM explores how the news and other media influence the public's worldview. Many stories center on events of the previous week and critique how they were covered in the news. These segments often consist of interviews with reporters about the challenges they face in covering controversial issues, as well as media scholars and analysts.[citation needed]

OTM has covered topics such as the use of video news releases, net neutrality, digital broadcast flags, media consolidation, censorship, freedom of the press, disinformation, the influence of 24-hour cable news television coverage, media bias, and how technology is changing the media.[citation needed]

The show addresses questions about how the media is influenced or spun by politicians,[1] corporations and interest groups with the intent to shape public opinion. This includes an OTM feature that covers the media's use of terminology that may engender biased points of view, such as the use of hot-button issues and code words like "Michael Moore," "torture," "evangelical" and "islamofascist".[2]

In the wake of the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, OTM shifted its editorial focus somewhat to give more time to reporting undercovered stories.[3] Since then, OTM has produced a 2016 series on poverty, a 2019 series on eviction,[4] a 2022 series on right-wing talk radio and Stuart Epperson, as well as a 2018 investigative series, in partnership with The Guardian, on what the media gets wrong in coverage of white supremacists.[5]

OTM's ongoing "Breaking News Consumer's Handbook" series[6] advises the public on how to tell good reporting from bad during the early hours and days of coverage of "a big, tragic story," such as coverage of hurricanes.[7]

## History

[edit]

On the Media first aired February 7, 1993 on WNYC as a local call-in show, initially hosted by Brian Lehrer, then Warren Levinson, and later by Alex S. Jones. During its early episodes it was called "Inside Media," but the title was changed to avoid confusion with a same-named trade publication.[8] In 1997, the show went national in a magazine-style format, hosted by Brian Lehrer. During this period, On the Media was under-resourced, Lehrer had commitments stemming from his own daily show, and On the Media did not have an editor.[9]

In late 2000, Gladstone was brought in by WNYC's director of programming to rethink and relaunch the show.[10] The newly formatted OTM debuted in January 2001, co-hosted by Gladstone and Bob Garfield.[11] In May 2021, WNYC dismissed Garfield over alleged repeated violations of WNYC's anti-bullying policy.[12][13] Gladstone continued as the show's sole host. In July 2024, longtime OTM producer Micah Loewinger was named Gladstone's co-host.[14]

Since 2005, the program has also been available as a podcast.[15]

The show was distributed by NPR until 2015, when WNYC began self-distributing the show.[16]

OTM also publishes a weekly newsletter featuring news on current and past projects as well as relevant links from around the web.[citation needed]

As of late 2022, the show reaches about 1.2 weekly million listeners across the United States.[4]

As of March 2024, the show's website cited more than 300 public radio stations broadcasting the show.[17]

## Awards

[edit]

### Peabody Awards

[edit]

A 2023 Peabody award was given to On the Media for its series "The Divided Dial," which charted the growth of and influence of the broadcasting company Salem Media Group and its impact on far-right politics.[18]

A 2004 Peabody Award for excellence went to On the Media with the judges writing that "On the Media reminds us that the messenger is always part of the message and must be examined as such".[19][20]

### Gracie Award

[edit]

In 2017, producer Meara Sharma was awarded a Gracie Award for her production of the episode "Kidnapped," a special hour on how people around the world get news from Syria.[21]

### Edward R. Murrow award

[edit]

In 2003, the show won the Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting.[22]

### Mirror awards

[edit]

In 2014[23] and again in 2015,[24] On the Media won Best Single Story—Radio, Television, Cable or Online Broadcast Media at the Mirror Awards.

### Other awards

[edit]

In 2016, On the Media was awarded the Silver Gavel Award by the American Bar Association for its episode "Bench Press".[25]

In 2012[26] and again in 2013,[27] On the Media won The Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism.

2003 winner of the National Press Club's Arthur Rowse Award for Press Criticism.[28][non-primary source needed]

## See also

[edit]

* Media literacy
* The Media Project

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Institute, The Poynter (2016-11-07). "Here's (some of) the best political journalism of 2016". Poynter. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
2. ^ Mike Pesca, editor. Word Watch (Audio). On the Media. Archived from the original (MP3) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
3. ^ Mullin, Benjamin (2016-11-10). "On the Media's editorial meeting is a portrait of newsrooms after Election Day". Poynter. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
4. ^ a b Newman, Judith (2022-11-22). "On This Night, She Was the (Other) Story". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
5. ^ Edmonds, Rick (2018-03-19). "Morning Mediawire: After drastic cuts at The Denver Post, what is Digital First's end game?". Poynter. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
6. ^ "The Breaking News Consumer's Handbook". WNYC.org.
7. ^ Funke, Daniel (2018-09-12). "9 tips to avoid spreading misinformation about hurricanes". Poynter. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
8. ^ Gruenewald, Anton (September 21, 2018). "On the Media's Big Bang". WNYC. New York Public Radio Archives & Preservation. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
9. ^ Wakefield, Jeffrey (3 November 2017). "Brooke Gladstone '78". The University of Vermont: University Communications. Retrieved 30 December 2021. "Gladstone's work earned the attention of New York's flagship public radio station, WNYC, which wanted her to relaunch a failing show called On the Media, which had promise but was under-resourced and lacked an editor."
10. ^ Gladstone, Brooke. "Brooke Gladstone", The Transom Review vol. 4, issue #1 (March 1, 2004). Sydney Lewis (ed.)
11. ^ Phillips, Lisa A. (2006), Public Radio: Behind the Voices, New York: CDS Books, pp. 209–222, ISBN 1-59315-143-8, retrieved September 27, 2010
12. ^ "WNYC Fires Bob Garfield, Co-Host of ‘On the Media,’" from The New York Times, 5/17/2021
13. ^ "'On The Media' Co-Host Bob Garfield Fired Over Bullying Complaints". Gothamist. 2021-05-17. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
14. ^ Robey, Denise (2024-07-24). "WNYC's On the Media Names Micah Loewinger Co-Host, Alongside Veteran Host Brooke Gladstone". New York Public Radio. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
15. ^ Friess, Steve (April 5, 2006). "Podcasting Roils NPR Fund Raising". Wired News. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2010. Full episode podcasts began in August 2005.
16. ^ Falk, Tyler (2015-05-29). "WNYC to self-distribute Radiolab, On the Media". Current. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
17. ^ "About On the Media". On the Media website. Accessed March 12, 2024.
18. ^ "The Divided Dial". Peabody Awards. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
19. ^ "NPR Wins Peabody Award for Iraq Reporting" (Press release). April 9, 2005. Archived from the original on October 28, 2005.
20. ^ "On the Media". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
21. ^ "2017 Gracie Winners". Alliance for Women in Media. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
22. ^ "2003 NATIONAL EDWARD R. MURROW AWARD WINNERS". RTDNA. Radio Television Digital News Association. Retrieved 30 December 2021. "NPR's On the Media: Commercials That Masquerade as News. Case in Point: The World Business Review"
23. ^ "Winners Announced in Newhouse School's 2014 Mirror Awards Competition". Syracuse University News. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
24. ^ "2015 Mirror Awards Winners Announced". Syracuse University News. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
25. ^ "2016 Winners". American Bar Association. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
26. ^ Bart Richards Award honors 'On the Media' Penn State University news. Accessed April 6, 2012.
27. ^ 'On the Media' repeats as Bart Richards Award winner. April 2, 2013. Penn State News.
28. ^ "WNYC AWARDS REPORT, 2004—2005", WNYC website. Accessed Sept. 26, 2010.

## External links

[edit]

* The Enduring Allure of the Library of Alexandria \- a Nov. 2022 On the Media story by Molly Schwartz covering Wikidata and Wikimedia.