Calling public media geeks nationwide! WNYC's New Tech City wants your stories. Details and contact info is below. Go for it!! -Mia
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Hello radio friends,
For those of you I don't know me, I'm Alex Goldmark the producer for WNYC's New Tech City hosted by Manoush Zomorodi.
We want your freelance pitches!
We are a good place to pitch if you think about the human side of tech or if you want to experiment with format, length or storytelling style.
What is New Tech City?
We are a lively young public radio podcast and broadcast about how technology is changing… people. Yes we are a tech show, but what we want the show to become is a great, storytelling program about your life in a turbulent time. About how the old way of doing things is being replaced by a new normal because of technology. And how we should feel about it.
We love personal stories. We love trying things out on ourselves. We love riding along with someone as they show us how life has changed because of tech. We like humor, relish absurdity, and can't help calling out brogrammers when appropriate (that's just how it is as one of the only tech shows hosted by a woman).
We air as a 7 minute show on WNYC each week during Morning Edition but our heart really goes into our podcast which tends to be about 15-25 minutes. (By all means subscribe, please. iTunes / RSS)
What is a New Tech City story?
It can be a feature or it can be you talking with Manoush and playing tape. Or a mix. It can be anywhere between 5 minutes to 25 minutes.
We want narrative examples of how technology has changed a person's life, business, or the way something is done. Something that raises a bigger issue or question along the way.
Is there an industry that has been totally upended? Find us the plainspoken holdout. Or the earnest early adopter.
Is there a trend you see? A new technology infiltrating intimate moments? A therapist making great strides in treating patients through text message stickers? An elderly community group revived by Skyping with their families more often? Pitch me those stories!
Many news outlets want to have all the answers, we embrace stories that raise unanswerable questions like "where do you draw the line?"
Human-centered tech coverage as the buzzwordy lingo goes.
So please pitch me your ideas for radio stories that can:
– raise a moral puzzle about tech adoption; or …
– show our audience how some old way of doing things is going away; or …
– explain some tech trend we should all understand better through story and character; or …
– or anything else you think gets at how technology is changing the way we live.
Surprise us!
*Please don't pitch me any stories on learning to code classes (we've done that too much), gadget reviews, or pie in the sky far-off futurism that doesn't come with some emotion or feeling!
How to pitch?
Email me at agoldmark@gmail.com
Stick "NTC PITCH" somewhere in the subject heading so I'll find it faster.
I should respond within a week, even to just say maybe or ask a follow up question. Nagging me later on is totally OK.
Pay is consistent with big public radio station rates and we can be flexible depending on how much work the story requires. Get ambitious!
Send me links to previous stories, especially ones that show me your voice and style. We want personality to come through!
Looking forward to hearing from you all.
Dancing toward the dream,
Alex Goldmark
Senior Producer :: WNYC's New Tech City :: 646-829-4333 :: agoldmark@gmail.com :: @alexgoldmark