Podcasting is often thought of as a vessel for storytelling. It can also work to amplify the voices of communities that have historically been suppressed.

This past September, the CPI was a sponsor for the first-ever PodSummit YYC. The two-day event brought podcasters from across the country to downtown Calgary. They shared stories of innovation and inspiration, while exploring the future of Canadian podcasting.

The CPI’s Brad Clark hosted a panel discussion bringing together Alberta-based podcasters who share the stories of marginalized communities mainstream media often overlooks.

By sharing their experiences and insights, they explored their challenges and successes, and how podcasting can be a force for change.

To learn more about the CPI, visit our website at thepodcaststudio.ca or find us on social media at @communitypodyyc.

It feels like politics and the media have become increasingly divisive in recent years.

On top of that, the words we use to describe our values — like democracy, truth and freedom — are loaded with dual meanings, leaving many of us wondering: Can we reclaim our political language?

Award-winning author and journalist Carol Off joins host Gabriela Perdomo to discuss her newest book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in the Age of Rage, and how journalists can continue to seek the truth in an age of misinformation.

This episode is a collaboration with J-Source. You can read the full article here.

To learn more about the CPI, visit our website at thepodcaststudio.ca or find us on social media at @communitypodyyc.

There are more than 16,000 Canadian podcasts out on the Internet — but how many can you name?

In the last episode of the season, Meg Wilcox talks to Kattie Laur, a podcast producer, writer and consultant. She also writes Pod the North, a bi-weekly newsletter on all things about podcasting north of the 49th parrallel. Hear why Kattie started Pod the North, what she sees as the biggest challenges for Canadian podcasters, and how starting her new series, Canardian, helped her rekindle her podcasting joy.

You can find Kattie at kattielaur.com, and subscribe to Pod the North at podthenorth.com.

To learn more about the Community Podcast Initiative, you can visit the website at thepodcaststudio.ca or on social media at @communitypodyyc.

We'll see you in September for season 3!

It's no secret weekly reading assignments are a core component of most university courses. But could listening to podcasts act as another option?

In this episode, we're exploring how listening to podcasts could become an alternative to weekly reading assignments in university classrooms.

CPI co-director Meg Wilcox and associate producer Kelsea Arnett sit down with Mount Royal University Journalism and Digital Media students, Emma Miller, Sean Gillanders and Ava Free to discuss whether they feel assigned listenings influence their learning.

Meg also breaks down her current research on the potential effectiveness of listening versus reading assignments.

To learn more about the Community Podcast Initiative, you can visit the website at thepodcaststudio.ca or on social media at @communitypodyyc.

In this episode, we’re exploring how we can make Canadian legacy media more diverse and equitable. In December, CPI associate producer Kelsea Arnett participated in an event called Bridging Research and Experience: Exploring EDI Practices in Canadian Broadcasting and Journalism. She was one of several undergraduate students from Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary who presented their research. The panel also heard from working journalists about their experiences turning research into practice.

Moderated by CPI co-director Brad Clark, the panel also considered the overrepresentation of certain groups in the media and how journalists from diverse backgrounds navigate an industry which hasn’t always been very inclusive.

Special thanks to Dr. Victoria Guglietti and Dr. Amanda Williams for organizing this event and their support in making this episode.

To learn more about the Community Podcast Initiative, you can visit the website at thepodcaststudio.ca or on social media at @communitypodyyc.

In this episode, we're bringing you a look at decolonizing media with the Canadian Mountain Podcast.

CPI co-director, Meg Wilcox, is also a senior producer on the Canadian Mountain Podcast. The show focuses on knowledge mobilization, highlighting research and important discussions from Canada’s Rocky Mountains and around the world.

This year the show is wrapping its fifth and final season. In Part One, Meg and co-senior producer Kyle Napier, along with student producers Sherry Woods, Julie Patton and Catalina Berguno, sat down to reflect on the show’s evolution and commitment to decolonizing media practices.

To learn more about the Community Podcast Initiative, you can visit the website at thepodcaststudio.ca or on social media at @communitypodyyc.

In this episode, we look at the sometimes-blurry ethical boundaries in podcasting.

Earlier this year, CPI co-director Brad Clark was part of a panel discussion with media instructors from across North America at the annual Broadcast Education Association conference in Las Vegas.

The educators considered a range of issues, everything from the responsibility of podcast hosts to provide truthful information, to using “red herrings” in true crime stories, to incorporating other people’s work in your show.

Ben Bogardus, from Quinnipiac University, chaired the panel, which included Lindsey Sherrill, from the University of North Alabama, Francisco Suarez from State University of New York/Oswego, Dennis Conway of Valdosta State University, and Brad.

To learn more about the Community Podcast Initiative, you can visit the website at thepodcaststudio.ca or on social media at @communitypodyyc.

About 70 TV Ontario workers have been on strike since August 21st. Wage increases and contract employment were the key sticking points in finding an agreement, which broke down after months of negotiation.

Six weeks into the strike, on Sept. 28th, the public broadcaster brought the membership what they called their “final offer” – which maintained the existing contract protections in the current collective agreement, but came in lower than the union’s ask for wage increases. The union voted against the deal – and are back to the picket lines.

Meredith Martin is the President of the TVO chapter of the Canadian Media Guild, and she joined CPI co-director on October 4th to talk about the strike, where the members go from here, and what this means for Canadian journalism in the bigger picture.

This episode is a collaboration with J-Source; you can find the full article here: https://j-source.ca/why-precarious-work-endangers-the-future-of-public-broadcasting-and-journalism-in-canada/

To learn more about the CPI, visit our website at thepodcaststudio.ca or find us on social media at @communitypodyyc.