CPB Awards $600,000 for expansion of NPR’s ‘Code Switch’

Race & Identity Podcast to Add Host, Expand Radio Presence, Hold Events

April 11, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 11, 2022) – “Code Switch,” NPR’s signature podcast on race and identity, is expanding its presence on the radio, through live and virtual events and on social media through a $600,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

“CPB originally invested in Code Switch 10 years ago, and since then, it has been a model of successful innovation in public media,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “We’re pleased to support the expansion of its reach on radio and on multiple platforms to advance needed discussions and awareness about race and identity. This dialogue is crucial to helping us understand one another, which is the basis of a civil society.”

With this two-year grant, NPR is raising the profile of the Code Switch podcast and radio program with an expansion of live and online events and the development of new offerings. With the addition of a new host and a senior editor, the Code Switch team will increase its production of short, news pieces featured on NPR’s flagship news programs, as well as longer features written and produced by influential journalists and scholars, member station contributors, and Code Switch fellows.

“We are grateful to CPB for their support of Code Switch that has allowed it to grow from blog to podcast, radio show and live events program. Code Switch’s fearless conversations about race are more vital than ever now and a key part of public radio’s mission to serve the American public, said NPR President and CEO John Lansing. “Thanks to this grant, the Code Switch team will be able to reach an even broader audience and become a larger forum for discussion, innovation, and thoughtful conversation.”

With a $1.5 million grant from CPB to support digital and broadcast content creation in 2012, the Code Switch news team launched a blog and contributed content to NPR. A podcast was launched in 2016, hit No. 1 on Apple’s podcast chart in the wake of the George Floyd murder and protests in 2020 and was later named Apple Podcasts’ first ever Show of the Year. NPR has offered Code Switch as a public radio show since 2021, now carried by 197 stations with more than 650,000 weekly broadcast listeners.

 

About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook, LinkedIn, and subscribe for other updates.

 

About NPR

NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling that connects with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in-person. NPR strives to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 17 international bureaus, NPR and its Member Stations are never far from where a story is unfolding. Listeners can find NPR by tuning in to their local Member stations (npr.org/stations), and now it's easy to listen to our stories on smart speaker devices. Ask your smart speaker to, "Play NPR," and you'll be tuned into your local Member station's live stream. Your speaker can also access NPR podcasts, NPR One, NPR News Now, and the Visual Newscast is available for screened speakers. Get more information at npr.org/about and by following NPR Extra on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

 

Categories: CPB Funding, Diversity, NPR