PHILADELPHIA, PA– September 17, 2024 – Leading premium podcast network Audacy Podcasts today announced the launch of “Cement City”, a limited-run documentary series hosted by award-winning journalist Jeanne Marie Laskas that goes inside a local election in the small Rust Belt town of Donora, Pennsylvania.

Over ten episodes, “Cement City” tells the story of a broken-down town at a precipice. Donora’s population is 4,650. The town has no schools, no banks, no grocery stores, no gas stations. Laskas and producer Erin Anderson arrive at a pivotal moment: Donora has hit bottom, but there’s hope. For the first time since the steel mill left 50 years ago, something might be moving into town instead of leaving it – and there’s an unlikely cast of flawed heroes and rainy-day optimists who are determined to make it happen and save their town. 

As we head into the 2024 Presidential election, “Cement City” offers an unprecedented look at the hope and challenges of democracy at work. The series follows the drama of a small town election cycle – and what emerges is a timely allegory of the American political experiment, wrapped in a story of human grit and resilience. Combining classic immersion journalism and sound-rich documentary audio, “Cement City” draws on more than 850 hours of tape collected over three years to create a darkly comic, heart-wrenching portrait of a post-industrial town as it tries to answer the question: Where do we go from here? 

“Cement City” will launch with the first two episodes on September 18, 2024, on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays through November 13. Listen and follow the show here.

“I’ve spent a big part of my career helping Americans understand the lives of other Americans. But ‘Cement City’  took it a whole new level–this time it was an entire town. I never thought I’d stay in Donora, PA for as long as I did, nearly three years. Honestly, it was hard to leave,” said Jeanne Marie Laskas. “We’re dedicating the podcast to the people of Donora who put up with us for so long, and made us feel like part of the family, and I’m glad to be partnering with Audacy Podcasts to tell their story.”

“Jeanne Marie’s reporting from Donora is incisive, illuminating, and paints a compelling picture of this small town and its residents’ hard fought race for survival,” said Maddy Sprung-Keyser, VP, Head of Original Podcasts, Audacy. “Set against the backdrop of the 2024 presidential election, ‘Cement City’ offers an extraordinary look at one community’s people, politics, and perseverance.” 

“Cement City” is written and narrated by Jeanne Marie Laskas, written and produced by Erin Anderson, and edited by Michael Benoist, Deputy Editor, The Daily. It’s executive produced by Jenna Weiss-Berman, EVP, Audacy Podcasts, Maddy Sprung-Keyser, VP, Head of Original Podcasts, Audacy, and Leah Reis-Dennis, VP, Podcast Content Strategy & Business Development.

Jeanne Marie Laskas is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including: Hidden America, To Obama: With Love, Joy, Hate and Despair, and Concussion, the basis for Ridley Scott’s 2015 Golden Globe-nominated film. She’s a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine and her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, GQ, and elsewhere.  

Download the cover art for “Cement City” here.

For more information, visit Audacy.com and CementCity.org.