For me, the pandemic struggles of the past 12 months will forever be intertwined with the excitement of reimagining how we make radio.
In the midst of our separation, our team has somehow become closer. We see each other with more compassion and empathy, as human beings not just colleagues. We also engaged in a months-long structured process of rethinking everything we do on the show in the hopes of creating a smarter, more effective In the Moment.
This restructuring effort invited the remarkable guidance of Jim Russell, a national consultant (perhaps best known as one of the creators of NPR’s original Marketplace). The leaders of SDPB also gathered community members, contributors, and staff members from across the state to seek input about what this program did well and what we could do better.
We listened. We asked questions. We listened more deeply.
Here’s what we learned: The people of South Dakota are incredibly supportive of In the Moment. You crave the civil discourse. You appreciate the thoughtfulness of our interviews. You find the show essential listening. But you also want to hear more from your own neighbors. And you want to hear more of what makes us unique: Our arts, our history, our culture, our communities.
Here’s one more insight, and this one’s my favorite: We all want to have more fun.
Why not? After a year of hanging on every news segment as if lives depended upon it (and sometimes, frankly, all of our lives depended upon unbiased reporting) why not soak up a little entertainment too, laugh a bit more, look out the window and smile because you live in South Dakota?
After all, we are so much more than our politics and our COVID count.
We’ve already broadcast more than 1,000 shows of In the Moment. Since we average six segments per episode, that means we’ve brought you roughly 6,000 live radio interviews since we launched this program in January 2017.
What if we brought elements of In the Moment to listeners throughout the day, instead of once? What does a clearer sense of purpose and place sound like? What if we helped clarify the news of the day, featured a spotlight segment of in-depth conversation, and dedicated a full third of the program to arts and culture coverage?
Careful listeners might have noticed hints of these changes as we tested them out these past few weeks. We imagined we were hearing the show for the very first time, and we sorted through pages of feedback about what people love and want more of. We had a lot of fun playing with the possibilities.
You can now tune in to a one-hour In the Moment at 12 pm CT / 11 am MT. We’re also on at 7 pm CT / 6 pm MT. Can’t listen during those times? Subscribe to the In the Moment podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You’ll hear top reporting from SDPB’s Jackie Hendry (host of South Dakota Focus on SDPB-TV), and beat reporters Lee Strubinger, Seth Tupper, and Richard Two Bulls. You’ll hear signature stories from Victoria Wicks and Lura Roti. And you’ll still hear your favorite contributors: Kevin Woster, Nate Wek, Rick Kahler, David Wiltse and Lisa Hager, Mike Wagner, Joe Santos, Eliza Blue, and our team of Dakota Political Junkies to name a few.
You’ll still hear me, your host Lori Walsh, guiding you through the broadcast and sitting down with the sharpest and most delightful conversationalists in the state to explore who we are and what’s happening. Producers Chris Laughery, Steve Zwemke, and Josh Haiar, along with the SDPB engineers, are still working diligently behind the mic to craft a program that matters and has meaning.
Listen as well for some new voices. Some of those voices might be yours. In the days ahead, we’re giving you plenty of opportunities to be heard on air, responding to the stories that mean the most to you.
If the past year taught us anything in the news business, it was that the rest of the nation cares about what happens in South Dakota. What we do here matters. We believe the best South Dakota stories come from people who live and work here. With your support, South Dakota Public Broadcasting brings you those stories every day.
We remain dedicated to shining our spotlight across the places we call home — telling stories about what it means to be a South Dakotan. Now we’re telling those stories with a crisper focus and easier access so you can share them with your friends and family across the world: Here. This is who we are. This is who we were. This is who we are becoming.
We hope that In the Moment feels smart and fresh and fun to you. We sure had fun reimagining it.
More About In the Moment:
Follow Lori Walsh on Instagram: sdpbinthemoment and on Twitter: @MomentSDPB.
You can watch access the full show archives here. Have an idea for the show? Email us at [email protected] or text 605-956-7372
