PRX and Futuro Media Announce an Expanded Podcast Partnership With Politics and Culture Podcasts ‘In The Thick’ and ‘Latino Rebels Radio’

The partnership builds on PRX and Futuro Media’s collaboration across national public radio programming and podcasts including “Latino USA,” “Suave,” and “We Imagine… Us” 

Boston, MA (February 1, 2022) — Public media organization PRX and independent journalism organization Futuro Media are expanding their partnership through podcasting, the two companies announced. Beginning today, PRX will distribute the Futuro Media podcasts “In The Thick” and “Latino Rebels Radio” via the PRX Dovetail publishing platform. PRX will also provide sponsorship and promotional support. The shows are produced by teams at Futuro Media. 

This expanded partnership builds on PRX and Futuro Media’s collaboration to bring audio programming to audiences in the service of empowering people to navigate the complexities of an increasingly diverse and connected world. To date, PRX and Futuro Media have also partnered on the national public radio show “Latino USA” and the acclaimed podcasts “Suave” and “We Imagine… Us.”  

“In The Thick” delves into conversations about race, identity and politics. Launched in 2016, recent episodes have explored public health and capitalism, the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and climate change policy. The podcast is co-hosted by award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa (“Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in A Torn America”) and MSNBC columnist Julio Ricardo Varela. Hinojosa is also the founder and president of Futuro Media while Varela serves as the organization’s interim co-executive director and editorial director. Guests on “In The Thick” have included Jelani Cobb of “The New Yorker,” Jamilah King of “BuzzFeed,” Elie Mystal of “The Nation,” and more. New episodes are released twice per week.

“Latino Rebels Radio” offers humor, commentary, and analysis of the U.S. Latino world. Hosted by Julio Ricardo Varela since 2014, the show also welcomes guest experts to discuss issues central to the U.S. Latino community and Latin America. Recent episodes have examined the remake of “West Side Story,” intersections between the food supply chain and migrant workers, and reopening schools during the era of COVID-19. New episodes are released weekly.

“Our partnership with PRX has been spectacular. It all started when ‘Latino USA’ moved to PRX in 2020 and it continued with ‘Suave’ and ‘We Imagine… Us’ in 2021,” said Julio Ricardo Varela, Interim Co-Executive Director and Editorial Director of Futuro Media. “It makes complete strategic sense to add ‘In The Thick’ and ‘Latino Rebels Radio’ to the slate in 2022. This move gives us an even greater presence for the work we do each and every week. We are so excited for this next phase.”

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Futuro Media,” said Jason Saldanha, Chief of Business Development & Content at PRX. “We’re proud to help represent ‘Latino USA’ in the public media marketplace and to continue building on our partnership by helping to bring more of Futuro Media’s vital podcasts to listeners, including ‘In the Thick’ and ‘Latino Rebels Radio.’ We thank everyone at Futuro Media.”

PRX and Futuro Media first announced a partnership in 2020, when PRX began distribution of the national weekly news and cultural affairs public radio program “Latino USA” anchored by Maria Hinojosa. Founded in 1993, “Latino USA” is now heard on more than 310 public radio stations across the United States and is available free on-demand as a podcast. 

In 2021, Futuro Media and PRX also partnered to launch two new podcasts, including “Suave” and “We Imagine… Us.” Nominated for an IDA Documentary Award from the International Documentary Association, “Suave” is a podcast about the system that sentences juveniles to life in prison. Designed to inspire and elevate ideas and solutions around the most pressing problems facing communities across the country in the face of decades of inequality, “We Imagine… Us” includes a fiction adventure coupled with a set of conversations with leading artists and activists, including Ava DuVernay, Michelle Alexander, and John Legend.

“Latino USA,” “In the Thick,” and “Latino Rebels Radio” have been widely acclaimed. “Oprah Daily” named all three shows among the best Latino podcasts of 2021. Also recently, “In The Thick” received a Latin Podcast Award and was named by “Adweek” as the Diversity and Inclusion Podcast of the Year. In 2019, “Latino Rebels Radio” was recognized by iHeartRadio in their inaugural podcast awards as a nominee for Best Multicultural Podcast. This December, the show was lauded as one of the best podcasts of the month by Spotify. Recent recognitions for “Latino USA” include honors from the Edward R. Murrow Awards and the Gracie Awards from the Alliance for Women in Media.

For more about Futuro Media, visit futuromediagroup.org. 

For more about PRX, visit PRX.org. 

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About Futuro Media

Futuro Media is an independent, nonprofit organization producing multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diversity of the American experience. Based in Harlem and founded in 2010 by award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, Futuro Media is committed to telling stories from points of view often overlooked by mainstream media. Futuro Media produces Peabody Award-winning “Latino USA,” the longest running national Latino news and cultural public radio program; “In The Thick,” a politics podcast from the perspective of journalists and issue experts; Latino Rebels, a pioneering digital news outlet founded by Julio Ricardo Varela that reaches millions through its website and podcasts; Futuro Studios focuses on original podcasts and programming; and Futuro Unidad Hinojosa (FUH), a unit within Futuro Media, focuses on investigative journalism and special projects.

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 of iconic public radio programs such as ‘The World,” “This American Life,” “The Moth Radio Hour,” “Latino USA” “Snap Judgment,” and “Reveal,” PRX is also home to a growing body of podcast productions, including via the Radiotopia podcast network. More at PRX.org.