PRX Introduces TRAX

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By David Cotrone, Public Relations Specialist

PRX, a public media organization, has created TRAX, a curated network of free podcasts and multimedia for audiences ages 9–13.

Bringing together podcasts that entertain, empower, and educate, TRAX from PRX will offer tween listeners programming representing their experiences and the importance of their lives, exploring matters such as friendship, mental health, wellness, and race, as well as universalities encountered personally, such as life at school.

“The current public health crisis has created uncertainty in many of our lives and we believe that public media can provide an inviting space for young audiences,” said Kerri Hoffman, CEO of PRX. “We’ve recently seen a notable growth in listenership across podcasts aimed at a younger audience, and believe now is the right time to introduce TRAX as a trusted resource for tweens and caregivers in search of their next favorite storytellers and stories. We look forward to working with a variety of creators to build an open and inclusive suite of shows.”

Members of the TRAX family include a range of beloved independent and international producers:

  • Feeling My Flo, co-created by Mia Warren and Juleyka Lantigua-Williams and produced by Lantigua Williams & Co., with weekly episodes beginning today;

  • Timestorm, produced by Cocotazo Media with season one available now and a new season launching in June 2020;

  • Mic Drop, produced by CBC Podcasts with episodes coming summer 2020; and

  • Tai Asks Why, produced by CBC Podcasts with episodes coming summer 2020.

TRAX will also be home to brand new productions, including:

  • The Magic Sash, from the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission in partnership with PRX and Gen-Z Media, debuting in July 2020. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote. In this historical fiction podcast, an 11-year-old girl and boy voyage back in time via a magic suffragist’s sash; they experience suffrage milestones and meet iconic heroes of the movement first-hand.

  • Milky Way Underground, produced by members of the team behind The Orbiting Human Circus, Adventures in New America, and Night Vale Presents, debuting fall 2020. Taking audiences on an interactive journey, in this new fiction podcast, siblings Lydia and Elijah travel on a surreal new transit system that brings them to strange versions of familiar places, from New York City to far-off forests, swamps, and snow-covered mountains as they search for their missing parents.

In addition, there are an array of productions in development, including a new project saluting stories of adolescent mischief from the makers of the acclaimed storytelling podcast and live event series Mortified. The network will expand to feature programming and producers across genres, with more to be announced by PRX.

“As a mother to a tween, creating this network has given me so much more insight into the TRAX audience, who are at a pivotal point of development in their lives,” said Michelle Smawley, Executive Producer of TRAX. “We hope TRAX will serve as a place where listeners can come to seek entertainment and get lost while also learning more about the world at large.”

A leading force in podcasting, PRX has excelled as a trusted innovation hub within the public media system, helping independent producers leverage emerging technology-based opportunities to create extraordinary programming and to connect with audiences. According to consumption data, amid recent increased demand for family-friendly content in a time of quarantine, PRX has experienced more than a 50% increase in listening throughout its catalog of podcasts for young audiences.

For more, visit TRAX.fm, sign up for the TRAX newsletter, and follow @TRAXNetwork on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Funding for TRAX is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting.

Listen to Feeling My Flo and Timestorm now at TRAX.fm

About PRX

PRX is a public media organization shaping the future of audio by producing and distributing content, building technology, and training talented, independent producers. With an award-winning portfolio ranging from iconic public radio programs such as The World, This American Life, The Moth Radio Hour, TED Talks Daily, The Takeaway, and Reveal, as well as a growing body of podcast-first productions, including the Radiotopia podcast network, PRX reaches more than 28.5 million listeners and generates close to 80 million podcast downloads per month. More at PRX.org.

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