Finding, coaching and training public media's next generation.
Next Gen Radio is a 5-day, audio-focused, digital journalism project. Our hybrid (some people in-person, some not) program is designed to give competitively selected participants the opportunity to learn how to report and produce a non-narrated audio piece and a companion multimedia story. Those chosen for the program are paired with a professional journalist, who serves as their mentor for the week, and the chosen participant is paid a stipend for their work.
NPR’s Next Gen Radio projects are hybrid (remote and in-person). Our selected cohort will report from where they are. Staffing varies with each project, but mentors fit into these general categories.
This Next Gen behind-the-scenes explainer video uses as a backdrop, our March 2023 project at the Wallis Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism at the University of Southern California.
You can also read our Frequently Asked Questions.
IMPORTANT: You must live within the sponsors’ city/state/region. Generally, that means within a one-hour drive.
Here is our 2024 schedule:
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Next Generation Radio is considering the meaning of “home.” We are looking beyond physical space. Home is more of a feeling that changes as we move, work from home, and make other significant life changes. What is home to you?
“I applied to the NextGen project excited for a week of being coached on interviews, sound mixing, and storyline development. A year later, our project editor became my NPR bureau chief and we worked together again. Now, I’m hiring other NextGen alums to fill out new beats in my newsroom.”
Nicky Ouellet, Early Career Fellow MPR 2016