In 2020, the Las Vegas Review-Journal launched Mobbed Up, an 11-part podcast series examining the role organized crime played in the rise of Las Vegas. The idea behind Mobbed Up was to grow audience and revenue for the paper. The Better News Initiative recently spotlighted the Review-Journal’s successful foray into narrative podcasting.

As Mobbed Up’s creators put the finishing touches on its upcoming second season, Jim Prather, the Review-Journal’s executive director of programming, spoke to Michael O’Connell for the Better News podcast.

The Better News podcast is a partnership between It’s All Journalism and the American Press Institute to a) showcase innovative/experimental ideas that emerge from the  Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and b) share replicable strategies and tactics that benefit the news industry as a whole. Sign up for the Better News newsletter to receive news about the latest resources, case studies, and insights. For more news about the It’s All Journalism podcast and future episodes of Better News, sign up for the weekly IAJ newsletter.