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Host, co-creator of 'Serial' podcast Sarah Koenig to speak at UB Center for the Arts

by jmaloni

Submitted

Mon, Sep 14th 2015 11:35 am

Tickets on sale Friday

The Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo presents "Sarah Koenig - Binge-Worthy Journalism: Backstage with the Host & Co-Creator of 'Serial' " at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 11, 2016. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18.

After it launched in the fall of 2014, "Serial" became the fastest podcast to reach 5 million downloads in iTunes history. Co-created by veteran radio journalists and producers Koenig and Julie Snyder, "Serial" quickly went on to become the most popular podcast in the world, downloaded more than 80 million times.

At a time when being first and being fast dominates the media, and quick sound bites are offered at every turn, "Serial" did exactly the opposite: in season one, it presented a 12-part series centering on one legal case, taking its time and proving slow-motion journalism could captivate and sustain its vast podcast listenership.

In her live presentation, Koenig will take the audience backstage in the creation of this cultural phenomenon. Using some of her favorite tape, she'll tell behind-the-scenes stories, explain how she constructed certain episodes, and allow the audience to follow the ups and downs of creating a new form of modern journalism.

After spending the early part of her career as a newspaper reporter, Koenig became a producer at the radio show "This American Life" in 2004. She has guest hosted "This American Life" several times. And she's produced and reported some of its most popular shows, including "Switched at Birth," "Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde" and "Habeas Schmabeas," a Peabody Award-winning show about Guantanamo Bay.

In 2015, Koenig was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. "Serial" received a 2014 Peabody Award.

Tickets are available at the Center for the Arts box office (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays) and tickets.com. To charge tickets, call 1-888-223-6000. For more information, call 716-645-2787 or visit www.ubcfa.org.

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