Audacy Podcasts Launches Limited Run ''Cement City''

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, September 17, 2024

''Cement City''

Audacy Podcasts launches "Cement City," a limited-run documentary series hosted by journalist Jeanne Marie Laskas that goes inside a local election in the small Rust Belt town of Donora, PA. Over ten episodes, "Cement City" tells the story of a broken-down town at a precipice. Donora's population is 4,650. The town has no schools, no banks, no grocery stores, no gas stations.

Laskas and producer Erin Anderson arrive at a pivotal moment: Donora has hit bottom, but there's hope. For the first time since the steel mill left 50 years ago, something might be moving into town instead of leaving it - and there's an unlikely cast of flawed heroes and rainy-day optimists who are determined to make it happen and save their town.

"Cement City" offers a look at the hope and challenges of democracy at work. The series follows the drama of a small town election cycle -- and what emerges is a timely allegory of the American political experiment, wrapped in a story of human grit and resilience. Combining classic immersion journalism and sound-rich documentary audio, "Cement City" draws on more than 850 hours of tape collected over three years to create a darkly comic, heart-wrenching portrait of a post-industrial town as it tries to answer the question: Where do we go from here?

"Cement City" will launch with the first two episodes on September 18, 2024, on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays through November 13.