Picture this: You meet up for drinks with a friend. They’re well-read, occasionally funny and far too in-tune with the news. They have other interesting friends, too, who are more than happy to info-dump about their areas of expertise. It’s a good time, and when you part ways, you’re excited. Your brain feels fresh and full of new things to ponder.
That’s the feeling behind “Flagship,” the AJC’s brand-new weekly news podcast hosted by me, AJ Willingham. It’s a variety-style show with a mix of investigative reporting, culture, politics, sports, history and humor, all with unmistakable Southern flair.
The show premieres July 16, with new episodes every Thursday. Listen to the trailer below:
Now, we’re all choosy with our podcasts. I get it. Let me make a case for this one.
It will be a delicious, nutritious part of your balanced news diet.
I also write A.M. ATL, the AJC’s morning newsletter. Before that, I wrote other morning newsletters and even began my career working on an incredible Atlanta-based morning show.
There’s a specific ethos to morning news that paves the way for a healthy media relationship: You want to keep people informed, yes, but you don’t want to completely ruin their day before the coffee gets cold.
That’s the sweet spot. The news doesn’t have to hurt so much. It can even be, dare I say it? Fun. It’s fun to learn new things, after all. Even with tough topics, keeping a curious mind empowers and energizes, leaving you ready to change the world.
Or at the very least, not feel so much of its crushing weight. We’re journalists, not magicians.
You’ll get to know the AJC
We’ll also take you inside the newsroom to see how the journalism sausage is made, and meet the people who make it.
Every story from the AJC has another, equally fascinating story behind it. Maybe it’s the lifelong passion for nature an environmental reporter brings to their work, or a months-long assignment that leaves an investigative team with far more information about a topic than they could ever put in an article.
You’ll be shocked at how much random knowledge journalists have knocking around up there, and how very badly we want to share it.
You’ll get to know Georgia and the South in a whole new way
This is your city, your state. This is your home. It’s our home too, and together we’ll dig in to new facets of our culture and local identity. You like weird lore? Got it. Fun history facts? Say less. Do you want to argue about how locals pronounce “Atlanta”? We can do that.
After all, we’re not called the “Substance and Soul of the South” for nothing.
‘Flagship’ premieres July 16 wherever you listen to podcasts
If you like the sound of that, then you should listen in to ‘Flagship.’ You never know where the conversation will go.
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