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Marketplace

Impact Report—February 2024

Marketplace podcasts boost financial literacy for all

Donor support powers Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and American Public Media (APM), making brands like Marketplace—and its wide range of programs and podcasts—possible. Marketplace, from American Public Media, produces broadcast shows, podcasts and digital reporting and is committed to covering business and the economy in ways that everyone can understand. Its mission is to raise the economic intelligence of the country and Marketplace shares economic perspectives and realities relevant to all communities—especially those who often go unrepresented in financial news. Marketplace works to reach and expand its audience through innovation and information that makes listeners smarter about financial subjects.

The Marketplace broadcast portfolio is heard by more than 11.5 million listeners each week on more than 800 public radio stations nationwide. Marketplace also reaches more than 2.6 million listeners across its podcasts, including Financially Inclined and This Is Uncomfortable.

Your generosity inspires and enables innovative content that makes financial literacy possible for all of our listeners.

VIEW PAST MARKETPLACE IMPACT REPORTS

Impact:

Financially Inclined—Marketplace’s first video-first podcast on YouTube—recently completed its second season aimed at young adults and the questions they have about money. Each week, financial literacy advocate Yanely Espinal and a rotating cast (influencers, high school students and a few experts) make learning about money simple by sharing money lessons that empower teens to make smart choices including budgeting basics, how to buy a first car, tips for responsible credit card use, and much more. Financially Inclined is created by Marketplace, in collaboration with Next Gen Personal Finance. Season 3 is planned for next year.

  • One of the most popular episodes of Financially Inclined is “Budgeting 101 (How to Budget: Simple and Easy Tips)”. In this episode, Yanely Espinal talks with her guest about easy and practical ways to budget and shows that making a plan for your money can be empowering.
  • Financially Inclined podcasts and content will be used in an economics course at Seattle University in early 2024 “to empower and equip the next generation with crucial financial skills essential for navigating in this modern world.”

This Is Uncomfortable is an award-winning narrative podcast about life and how money messes with it. Each week, host Reema Khrais digs into stories about the unanticipated ways money shapes our relationships, identities and the choices we make. Reema dives into uncomfortable topics like friends borrowing money, relationships and the other varied ways money shapes who we are. The podcast begins its ninth season—“The cost of being your ‘best self’”—this winter.

Reema suggests first-time This Is Uncomfortable listeners check out the following episodes: “Why don’t you fix your teeth?” and The price of egg donation”. This Is Uncomfortable has received numerous awards and nominations over the past few years including:

  • 2023 Radio Awards, Bronze Winner, presented to Marketplace for “This Is Uncomfortable”—“Breaking the Oath”
  • 2023 The Gracie Allen Award, honorable mention in Podcast—Lifestyle [DM—National] category, presented to Marketplace for “This Is Uncomfortable”
  • 2022 Webby Award, nominee in Podcasts, Business category, presented to Marketplace staff & American Public Media for “This Is Uncomfortable”—“No More Money, Please”

Reach:

This Is Uncomfortable was a

top 30
Business
podcast

during Season 8 (#29 in Podtrac based
on US Audience size, May 2023).

This Is Uncomfortable is growing!
Monthly downloads have grown
an average of

0%
season to season since 2022.

For an experiment with a hybrid
video/audio product, in its first
season
Financially Inclined
achieved a total of 

0
combined podcast downloads and video views.

was the clear video winner of the first
season of
Financially Inclined, but
podcast listeners favored

Financially Inclined has been
included in Amazon’s

“Kids & Family”
Editor’s Picks. 

Numbers reported reflect the data as of January 2024.

I’ve been listening to the podcast a lot. I find comfort in it, and I found that it has not only helped me feel less alone in some of my struggles with money but also gave me new ways of looking at how I interact with money, how to save and spend it, how I can shift my feelings towards it, and the different ways society and social institutions can shape our relationship with it for better, but mostly for worse.”

This Is Uncomfortable listener

I never understand how we are expected to figure out money when we’re taught not to talk about it. This podcast is much needed, and I can’t wait to hear from these amazing guests about cars, credit cards, budgets and more. I love following Yanely and she really lives up to her internet name @missbehelpful with this show.”

Financially Inclined listener

This donation is a “thank you” to Reema Khrais and the rest of the This Is Uncomfortable team for bringing me such entertaining and honest conversations about a topic I have so much trouble talking about.”

– This Is Uncomfortable listener

Watched all episodes with my 7th and 8th grade Financial Literacy class and students wrote responses to the questions and prompts on the listening pages. We had terrific class discussions on the variety of topics presented by Yanely.”

– Financially Inclined listener

I love your podcast ‘This Is Uncomfortable.’ I’ve always had a difficult emotional relationship with money, and the show frequently helps me to see I’m not alone, ways to be better, and most important, how to be kinder to myself in my thoughts.”

– This Is Uncomfortable listener

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