Centennial, Colo., Nov. 1 - Colorado Public Radio is proud to present a new podcast created and produced by Spaceship Media. “The Wedge” follows journalist Erica Anderson as she strives to maintain a relationship with her mother despite their diverging beliefs about Covid-19.
“I walked on eggshells about it, which is in contrast to the rest of my relationship with my mom,” Anderson said. “Usually we talk about anything from my sex life to my dog's poop and what I'm eating for dinner. But there didn’t seem to be any way to have a conversation about Covid.”
Anderson didn’t want Covid to ruin their relationship. Instead, she and her mom Kini Christie dove deep into a frank and intimate conversation about family, Covid-19, trustworthy information and disconcerting trends in holistic wellness culture, including the Colorado community where Anderson was raised. Anderson and her mom bravely took on the kind of dialogue that so many people are not just avoiding, but dismissing.
“It’s a powerful story that begins in Colorado and takes listeners to unexpected places,” Brad Turner, executive producer of CPR’s Audio Innovations Studio, said. “When Erica and her team first shared a rough cut of the series, I wasn’t really interested in another podcast about the pandemic. Within the first few minutes, what I heard instead was a powerful, relatable story about the kinds of disagreements many families have dealt with lately. It took guts for Erica and her mom to have these conversations.”
“The Wedge” demonstrates how to have difficult conversations productively, with empathy and clarity, without villainizing and dehumanizing one another. These types of conversations are the specialty of Spaceship Media, which launched in 2016 with a mission to reduce polarization, build communities and restore trust in journalism.
“What we have learned over the years of hosting difficult conversations is that when given a chance – space and support – people can engage productively across deep social and political fault lines,” said Spaceship Media co-founder Eve Pearlman. “Even more importantly, it feels good to be able to do this. Living at odds or in disharmony with those around us is toxic. It feels far better to remain connected.”
“The Wedge” will be distributed by Colorado Public Radio, with six episodes released on Fridays, starting Nov. 11, 2022. A trailer is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the CPR website.
Media inquiries: Clara Shelton, [email protected]. Photos and graphics related to this release are available here.
###
About Spaceship Media: Journalism to Bridge Divides
Spaceship Media is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization launched after the 2016 election with a mission to use journalism to bridge divides. Spaceship Media partners with news organizations around the country to design, create and host journalism-supported conversations about polarizing issues such as guns, abortion, immigration and electoral politics. Past partners include TIME, Minnesota Public Radio, Advance Local, Digital First Media, The Seattle Times and Univision. Spaceship Media is funded by grants, donations and paid consulting. “The Wedge” is its first podcast. For more about our work and opportunities to collaborate visit www.spaceshipmedia.org or reach out to [email protected].
About Colorado Public Radio
Colorado Public Radio is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization delivering meaningful news, music, and cultural experiences to everyone in Colorado using the power of the human voice in all its forms. Roughly 95 percent of CPR’s funds come from the private support of listeners, businesses and foundations. For more information, visit www.cpr.org.
- CPR News delivers in-depth, insightful and impartial news and information from around the world, across the nation and throughout Colorado, examining its relevance to our state and connecting it to our community.
- CPR Classical takes listeners on an in-depth exploration of thoughtfully curated music – with an emphasis on Colorado’s classical community – providing context to a broad range of meaningful and compelling works from past to present.
- Indie 102.3 takes listeners inside the world of new and independent music – exposing them to up-and-coming artists and highlighting Colorado’s local music scene.
- Denverite is an online news source dedicated to Denver's curious and concerned.
- KRCC is a public radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serving Southern Colorado. KRCC is operated by Colorado Public Radio in partnership with Colorado College.
