Audacy Podcasts launches 10-episode Cement City podcast

For the MVI

Leading premium podcast network Audacy Podcasts announced the launch of “Cement City,” a limited- run documentary series hosted by award-winning journalist Jeanne Marie Laskas that goes inside a local election in the small rust belt town of Donora.

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.

Heading into the 2024 presidential election, “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” launched with the first two episodes on Sept. 18 on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays through Nov. 13 at https:// www.audacy.com/podcast/ cement-city-68fc0/episodes/ introducing-cement-city-ithink- i-like-you-c88e6 “I’ve spent a big part of my career helping Americans understand the lives of other Americans. But ‘Cement City’ took it a whole new level–this time it was an entire town. I never thought I’d stay in Donora, Pa., for as long as I did, nearly three years. Honestly, it was hard to leave,” said Laskas. “We’re dedicating the podcast to the people of Donora who put up with us for so long, and made us feel like part of the family, and I’m glad to be partnering with Audacy Podcasts to tell their story.”

“Cement City” is written and narrated by Laskas, written and produced by Anderson, and edited by Michael Benoist, deputy editor, The Daily.

Laskas is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including: “Hidden America,” “To Obama: With Love, Joy, Hate and Despair,” and “Concussion,” the basis for Ridley Scott’s 2015 Golden Globe-nominated film. She’s a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, GQ, and elsewhere.