A poetic love letter to Throughline, a history podcast by NPR.

Book 01 Chapter 10 Throughline

How do students’ parents influence their choice of major? What part of our parents’ backgrounds determine whether they will put expectations on us or let us freely decide our course of study? How does this affect our college lives. We follow two students: one whose parents had expectations for their choice of major, and one whose parents inspired their academic choice. We compare how their upbringing, college application process, and college life differ. 

Major Decision

This week on The OUtlet, our look at the 2025 General Election. A crucial funding decision for disability services is on the ballot for Athens County residents, and a new lawsuit in Nelsonville could decide who can legally hold office this November.

The OUtlet - October 31st, 2025

Ever wonder why your local NPR station or PBS News sounds so different from your local TV news? It’s not just tone, it’s money, mission, and mindset.

In this episode of Laid Off and Looking, Domenic and Jenna talk with Stan Jastrzebski, longtime public radio news director for KBIA in Columbia Missouri. He's also a journalism researcher and breaks down why there is a  divide between public media and commercial newsrooms. He covers how funding models can shape coverage, who journalists are actually serving, and why both systems are struggling to survive the digital age.

Stan also explains how public media’s civic mission of serving communities and uplifting marginalized voices often clashes with shrinking budgets and burnout, while in commercial newsrooms journalists find themselves chasing clicks, ratings, and advertisers just to stay alive. 

He also dives into the “snowcap effect” inside news organizations, the diversity gap between leadership and staff, and what happens when communities stop trusting the people who tell their stories.

🎙️ In this episode, we get into:

00:00 - Start
04:08 - Public Media Shortcomings
05:33 - Stan Jastrzebski Interview
07:50 - What Makes Public Media Different
11:54 - Why Be In Public Media?
15:39 - But You Can’t Eat Awards
16:30 - Diversity In Public Media
22:03 - We Need More Stories from Member Stations
23:39 - Can Public Media Grow Your Career?
27:47 - What About the Fundraising Model
34:07 - Be In the Community
39:42 - Is The Most Trusted News Enough?
44:01 - State House Reporting
47:55 - The Public Media Sound
50:01 - Why Did You Become a Journalist?

If you care about who controls the story and what happens when the people disappear but the algorithms stay, this episode is for you.

👇 Tell us in the comments: Do you trust public media more than commercial news? Why or why not?

🎧 Subscribe to Laid Off and Looking for more honest conversations about the future of journalism, AI, and the people keeping truth alive.

Public Media vs Commercial News

This week on The OUtlet, a 50-year firefighting career comes to a close. How a first responder’s impact reaches far beyond the station, and the ongoing government shutdown brings new concerns about America's standing in international agriculture.

The OUtlet - November 7th, 2025

This week on The OUtlet, Amesville packs the community center for a night of swing dancing, and Donkey Coffee introduces its new four-legged team member.

The OUtlet - November 14th, 2025

Three women click into a Zoom. OMG.
Why them? Why now? Why should anyone care?

All it takes is one question -- the first question, “How are you?”  -- and everything we think we knew about each other can suddenly change.  Who are we? How do we come to be who we are? What’s in a name? What’s in a story? What happens when we openly speak our truths? 

Join me for this week's episode of "The Janus Adams Show" with my guests: authors Hasna Muhammad ("BREATHE IN THE SKY: Poems, Prayers and Photographs") and Gail Straub ("HOME INSIDE THE GLOBE: Embracing Our Human Family").

In this unstructured non-interview, three women click into a Zoom and the rest is a reflection of these tense times, our lives and, perhaps, something of your own:  family legacy, the strength to endure amid societal upheaval, the journey of reclaiming identity, the art of holding space for complexity. 

Traveling the globe through our shared stories, we explore  history (up close and personal), current events, justice, injustice, sorrow, and joy.  Reading to and for each other, the conversation delivers a timely blueprint for courageous connection.

GUESTS
- Hasna Muhammad, author, “BREATHE IN THE SKY: Poems, Prayers, and Photographs”
     website: BirthmarkMedia.com    https://www.birthmarkmedia.com/ 
- Gail Straub, author, “HOME INSIDE THE GLOBE: Embracing the Human Family”
     website: GailStraub.com   https://gailstraub.com/ 

THEMES
- Facing challenging times with hope and solidarity
- The meaning and reclamation of identity and legacy
- Generational wisdom, vulnerability, and mutual encouragement
- Navigating and healing divisions—personal, social, historical
- The restorative power of storytelling, poetry, and community

MOMENTS YOU'LL WANT TO EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF
"I am well, I am strong ... There are people around the world, especially those in the war-torn areas, who are starving and dying and bleeding, and they cannot be strong. But I have the opportunity to be strong. ... We must each have our own set of skills, our own ideals and desire to move forward."
— Hasna Muhammad [0:04:49]  

"I read an article recently about prisoners of war and how they maintain hope in those dire circumstances.  A key thing they found was this paradox of fully facing how bad It is and simultaneously, equally at the same time, knowing that they'll get through this. I'm wanting to do that. [But] it's not hope, because that's a complicated word." 
— Gail Straub [0:08:40]  

"I admit to feeling conflicted.  I have a friends who are packing up to leave the country, something I completely understand.  On the other hand, I'm the granddaughter of four immigrants, three of whom left relatively privileged circumstances to emigrate to America. Two came with their young children.  Two met here.  I would not exist had they not dared sacrifice their all and make possible my life. " 
— Janus Adams [0:13:10]

Learn more at JanusAdams.com  https://www.janusadams.com/

THREE WOMEN CLICK INTO A ZOOM...

Check out my interview soundclip with Braxton Cook discussing his experiences on Tiny Desk and what we'd be surprised to know!

Braxton Cook on performing on Tiny Desk and what we'd be surprised to know

This week on The OUtlet, a new mascot helps the community learn to recycle, and a kitchen fire temporarily shuts down Jackie O’s Public House.

The OUtlet - November 21st, 2025

Troy Public Radio's Austin Toy reports for NPR News on events marking the 70th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. 

"Montgomery Marks 70th Boycott Anniversary" TPR's Austin Toy for NPR News, Dec 1, 2025

Award-winning journalists Jenna Flanagan and Domenic Camia found themselves on the wrong side of the news industry's downsizing. Now they take audiences inside the headlines, showing how stories really get crafted and asking who truly shapes what we see and hear. Through candid talks with newsroom veterans and media critics, they explore what's actually at stake when journalism faces major challenges. The news is changing, Jenna and Dom are telling the story!

New episodes every Friday.

Welcome to WOUB Digital, the online home for WOUB Public Media. This is the home of our best audio content, including news, sports, culture and entertainment. 

Troy Public Radio is proud to serve its listeners in the tri-state coverage area of central and southeast Alabama, southwest Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. Our network offers world, national and regional news, arts and cultural programming and is affiliated with National Public Radio, Public Radio International, the Associated Press and the Alabama Broadcasters Association.

Troy Public Radio also broadcasts in HD (Hybrid Digital). Our HD service is provided free to listeners (HD receiver required to receive HD stations). HD 2 broadcasts a mix of classical and jazz while HD 3 broadcasts BBC World News. All of the Troy University Public Radio stations and HD channels offer listeners a commercial-free radio experience.

THE JANUS ADAMS SHOW, a weekly public radio program, is show about race and courage.  The show airs and streams live Saturdays at 11:00 am ET on WJFF -- www.WJFFradio.org.

New tracks tagged #npr