Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp. and 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station, will welcome and host StoryCorps, the national oral history project, when it stops in Pittsburgh from June 15-28 to record interviews in-person and virtually as part of its 2024 Mobile Tour.
Now in its 17th year, StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs. Its Mobile Tour has facilitated thousands of meaningful conversations between people who know and care about one another.
During its Pittsburgh stop, StoryCorps will partner with WESA and PCBC, the station’s parent organization, and will base its custom recording studio, housed in a signature Airstream trailer, at PCBC’s Community Broadcast Center, 67 Bedford Square, South Side.
StoryCorps may also share excerpts of stories it records there through the project’s popular weekly NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.
StoryCorps is committed to creating a safe recording environment and has introduced several measures to its recording process in Pittsburgh. Participants will have the option of recording in person or via StoryCorps’ Virtual Recording Booth, a video-conferencing platform that can be accessed remotely using an internet-connected device. Participants can learn more about safety precautions for in-person recording at storycorps.org.
In a StoryCorps interview, two people record a conversation with one another about who they are, what they’ve learned in life, and how they want to be remembered. A trained StoryCorps facilitator guides them through the interview process.
After each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a digital copy of their interview. With participant permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.
For information about reservations to record, call StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free line at 1-800-850-4406 or visit storycorps.org.
StoryCorps is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
About StoryCorps
Founded in 2003 by Dave Isay, StoryCorps has given more than half a million Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs, in towns and cities in all 50 states, the chance to record interviews about their lives. The organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ weekly podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.
About PCBC
Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation is an independent, locally owned community-supported public media organization. It is home to Pittsburgh’s NPR News station, 90.5 WESA, and adult alternative music station, 91.3 WYEP, serving Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities of Western Pennsylvania. Its mission is to create and distribute trusted content, build connections, and strengthen our community through public media. Its vision is to foster a community that is well-informed, inclusive, and engaged.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services.
