On Spec podcast is coming back for a fourth season! Our listenership has tripled and stretches from Saudi Arabia to Brazil.

On Spec podcast is seeking reporters and producers for its fourth season about borders. What is a border and how does it define us in the context of global issues, like climate change, migration, war, economic disparity, or even family and community? It’s a familiar theme, and we are exploring stories behind actual walls — who’s profiting from these walls, and how are they impacting communities. But we are particularly interested in metaphorical walls, like what’s it like to be bi-racial? What walls are built between families in politically divided communities, and how does that affect relationships?

On Spec will produce seven to eight, half-hour narrative stories on the theme of borders in the English language. The reporter MUST be in the story with a personal connection. That doesn’t mean the reporter has to be from that exact community they’re reporting on, but they should have a depth of knowledge about it.

We are hiring a reporter and producer to work as a team for each story. The reporter comes up with the idea, collects audio in the field, edits the audio and writes the script with the help of the producer. The reporter also narrates the story, preferably in a studio. The producer will help the reporter shape the story, edit the script, edit the audio and mix it with music. If you are already an audio team, we encourage you to apply.

For this season, we already have stories from Peru, the U.S., France/UK and Afghanistan. So we do NOT want pitches from those countries. We are particularly interested in stories from Australia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. This season is being funded partially by the European Journalism Centre.

On Spec will pay a flat fee of $1,000 for each reporter and $1,000 for each producer with no advances.

On Spec is an independently produced podcast based in Istanbul, Turkey. We’re a team of freelance journalists from diverse backgrounds living across the globe. On Spec provides deep dives in international news through storytelling from far corners of the world. Please listen to our stories before pitching on Apple Podcasts, Anchor or www.onspecpodcast.com

Please send your pitch or any questions to onspecpodcast at gmail.com by October 10.