“How much more would people care if [the news] was handed to them fully explained?”

This was one of the questions, explained PhillyCAM Lead Producer Sergio Galeano, that led to the organization’s new program, Philly Unpacked.

“Philly Unpacked is a 30-minute current affairs program where, each month, we partner with a Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative newsroom and focus on a particular issue,” said Laura Deutch, PhillyCam’s education director. “We use a specific article as a point of departure to understand and unpack a larger issue that seems relevant in Philly.”

By partnering with local newsrooms to work on in-production or related stories, Philly Unpacked is able to amplify online and print journalism with the help of PhillyCAM’s audio and video facilities, Deutch explained. 

“We wanted it to be this thing that was genuinely informative,” said Galeano, “It was something we realized was missing, not only from our programming slate, but in Philadelphia for Philadelphia-specific issues.”

Philly Unpacked’s first two episodes tackled the issues of AI, covered by Technical.ly, and affordable housing, covered by the Philadelphia Citizen. Deutch explained that Philly Unpacked takes each newsroom’s beat into consideration when deciding which articles and reporters will appear on specific episodes.

“We want people to know what they should be thinking about, what’s on the horizon, and who they can follow to stay informed,” said Deutch.

“It’s not that we cover housing [once] and go, ‘That was our housing episode and we’re not going to go back to it,’” said Galeano. “I’m hoping we are able to stay on the pulse of what’s going on and what people care about the most.”

Galeano explained how Temple University Master of Journalism students helped PhillyCAM conduct a survey with communities across the city to determine what stories Philadelphians desire. He hopes they can check topics off the list as the show goes on.

This community-centered journalism has been a driving force in determining the structure and focus of Philly Unpacked. By creating relationships between reporters and viewers from the community, Galeano hopes that people feel more connected and inclined to engage with the program.

“I want to create a community of this viewership, of people who care about [this work] and want to contribute and can contribute. That’s the beauty of what PhillyCAM is,” said Galeano.

“When you’re in a community media space, having relationships with community organizations and telling stories about them is the way we do our work,” said Deutch. “Historically, there’s this idea of objectivity in journalism, and separation, and now there’s a reckoning with how to be more engaged.”

While facilitating and enhancing community engagement with already published stories is the program’s current approach, Deutch hopes that local newsrooms begin to integrate Philly Unpacked into their reporting from the jump.

“Something I’d love to see come of it is newsrooms thinking of us when they’re in an editorial meeting for future projects, so we could kind of be producing it a little more in tandem,” said Deutch. “Or they’re like, ‘Oh, this would be a really good story for Philly Unpacked.’ That would be awesome.”

As the lead producer, Galeano sees big things for the future of Philly Unpacked. He hopes that the concept of “public access for all” is clear in the programming and, with the help of host Jordana Rubenstein, Philly Unpacked will become a trusted information source for Philadelphia’s communities.

“It was really a team effort to create something emblematic of what PhillyCAM stood for and try to keep it sustainable,” said Galeano. “I think a show like this will just continue to improve the longer it goes on.”

Philly Unpacked airs Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. on PhillyCAM. Catch up on previous episodes on the series homepageor check out PhillyCAM’s YouTube channel.