MetroFocus: The Podcast

This show originally aired November 2, 2022. Now streaming on HBO Max, 38 AT THE GARDEN chronicles the extraordinary ascendance of point guard Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks. Lin, an undrafted Harvard graduate, shocked fans, stunned his teammates and galvanized Asians around the world when he scored 38 points at Madison Square Garden against the Los Angele...

“HOW THE WORD IS PASSED”: HOW ACCURATE IS OUR HISTORY OF SLAVERY? “How different might our country look if all of us fully understood what had happened here?” On this Juneteenth weekend, that is the question author Clint Smith sets out to answer in “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History Of Slavery Across America” through visits to nine places that memorialize or distort their link t...

ACCLAIMED FILM HISTORIAN REFLECTS ON 35 YEARS OF CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS AT THE 92NY For the past 35 years, the 92nd Street Y has hosted a regular discussion series called “Reel Pieces,” focused on giving New Yorkers an inside look at the biggest movies of our times. Since its inception, the 92NY’s signature film series, which has featured conversations with actors, directors, and early preview scree...

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Can true diversity be achieved if inclusion remains a barrier? Teen Vogue editor in chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner and Lauren Sherman, chief correspondent for The Business of Fashion talk about the barriers and hurdles that exist for people of color as they climb the corporate ladder behind the scenes and how the fashion industry is trying to figure out how to level the playing field.

Ever felt left out of the latest fashion craze because you simply weren't a sample size? You're far from alone. As the fashion industry inches its way towards better size inclusiveness, business insiders Samantha Barry, editor in chief of Glamour, and Lauren Sherman, chief correspondent for The Business of Fashion talk about industry resistance to let consumers decide who can wear what.

Host Jenna Flanagan tours the world famous auction house, Sotheby's New York, for it's summer transformation into a public museum for an exhibition of parts of the privately held Devonshire collection from Chatsworth House Chatsworth House in England.

Is the Hudson Valley the “new Brooklyn?” The region, particularly Ulster County, is experiencing a rapid gentrification. Brian Mahoney, editorial director of lifestyle magazine, Chronogram, joins host Jenna Flanagan to discuss the transformation of the Hudson Valley and explore the migration path many are taking from Kings County .

Meet two women who are transforming the literary scene in Bronx, New York. Noëlle Santos is a Bronx resident, avid reader and the owner of The Lit. Bar, the only book store in The Bronx. Saracia Fennell, also a Bronx resident and literary publicist, founded The Bronx is Reading, also known as The Bronx Book Festival. Santos and Fennell join host Jenna Flanagan to discuss how they’re getting people...

Host Jenna Flanagan travels to Greyston Bakery in downtown Yonkers, New York, to explore why their specialty isn’t just the brownies they make. As part of our Chasing the Dream initiative, reporting the stories of poverty and opportunity in America, Jenna learns about how re-thinking traditional business models can change the culture of companies and communities with the 'open hiring' model.

The MetroFocus podcast is back with new episodes every Wednesday! This week, host Jenna Flanagan talks to Jim Bachor, a mosaic street artist, who exhibits his work in an unexpected location – the potholes of New York City. Bachor discusses his unique installation process, safety precautions and bumping up against the New York City Department of Transportation.

Host Jenna Flanagan heads to the Cortelyou branch of the Brooklyn Public library for Drag Queen Story Hour with Lil Miss Hot Mess. Lil Miss Hot Mess sheds light on the program and explains its mission of celebrating diversity, self-identity, and acceptance.

On last week’s episode host Jenna Flanagan explored the transformation of the Hudson Valley and the migration path many are taking from Kings County. This week she shares her personal journey to Ulster County.

New Yorkers take their upstate-downstate divide seriously. But what caused this fierce separation? Edmund J. McMahon, founder and research director of the Empire Center for Public Policy, joins host Jenna Flanagan to explain. McMahon will also shed light on what once made New York State's economy great, and which region he believes is poised to make a comeback.

The opioid epidemic is ravaging communities across the country. Matthew Pfisterer, director of the Middletown Thrall Library, joins host Jenna Flanagan to talk about the surprising role librarians in this Hudson Valley community are taking in the battle against addiction.

Does it seem like winter will never end? Host Jenna Flanagan talks to Anthony Broccoli, a professor and chair of the Rutgers University Department of Environmental Sciences, who offers an explanation for the seemingly never-ending season. Professor Broccoli explains how rising global temperatures may actually be prolonging the colder than normal temperatures and illuminates the impact rising sea l...