New York Public Radio

We produce award-winning journalism, invite courageous conversation, set the industry standard in innovative podcasting, and champion classical music for everyone.

Press RoomBack to Press Room

WNYC Studios’ Death, Sex & Money Presents: “Getting Real About Getting Older”

A Podcast and Radio Conversation About Aging

 Debuts today with a special podcast episode featuring Americans aged 60+ sharing frank reflections on topics including sex, intimacy, health, and financial security, guest hosted by Colorado Public Radio’s Jo Ann Allen

Conversation continues Wednesday, January 13, 8-10 pm ET with a national live radio call-in special for listeners 60+ to share their own perspectives, co-hosted by Jo Ann Allen and Death, Sex & Money’s Anna Sale

(New York, NY – January 6, 2020) – From financial instability and loneliness to shifting family and romantic relationships, there’s a lot about aging that’s confusing and isolating – particularly during a pandemic. Death, Sex & Money– the podcast that explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation – presents “Getting Real About Getting Older,” a podcast and radio special that creates space to talk about aging.  

The projectkicks off today with a podcast episode featuring the voices of people aged 60+, crowdsourced from Death, Sex & Money listeners across the country, sharing their unvarnished perspectives on the highs and lows of older age. Colorado Public Radio’s Jo Ann Allen (67) guest hosts, offering revelatory, vulnerable, and deeply personal interviews with: 

  • Stanley, 62, Illinois: Stanley lives alone, but has become close with a quarantine pod of younger friends he met at church. The connections help, but he’s still struggling with feeling isolated during the pandemic. 
  • Fran, 63, California: In her work as a hospice chaplain, Fran sees death all the time. As she cares for her patients, it’s made her think about how to keep herself safe and healthy as she ages, and how she’ll grieve for her own mother when she dies.
  • Sandra, 73, New York: After a divorce in her 50s, Sandra is figuring out what her 70s will look like. She talks about losing her sister, deciding to end her marriage, dating and sex in her 60s, and finding contentment in living alone today. 
  • Susan, 70, Virginia: Since Susan’s husband died six years ago, she’s been thinking about money — a lot. He was in charge of finances, but she’s now realizing she can afford things that felt out of reach in her marriage. Still, she’s not sure when she can safely retire, and feels too overwhelmed to go through her expenses. 
  • Brian, 65, New Jersey: After nearly four decades of marriage to his college sweetheart Gail, Brian is thinking about how intimacy is changing as he’s aging, and what he’s gaining by expanding his definition of it.   

“Getting Real About Getting Older” continues Wednesday, January 13, from 8-10pm ET, when WNYC and Colorado Public Radio present a live, national two-hour call-in show on public radio stations across the country. Hosted by Allen and Death, Sex & Money host Anna Sale, the radio special will convene an intergenerational dialogue about the stories and issues raised on the podcast and provide a space for listeners to share their own thoughts on aging. The program will also stream live online at WNYC.org, CPR.org, Facebook and Twitter.

Throughout January, “Getting Real About Getting Older” will continue with additional Death, Sex & Money episodes featuring notable guests over 60, including actor and activist Marlo Thomas and singer-songwriter Beverly Glenn-Copeland. 

“We started this project after hearing from a listener who said, ‘Sale doesn’t understand aging!’” Anna Sale said. “And it’s true! I have learned so much listening in on the conversations Jo Ann has had with some of our older listeners. Juicy, secret stuff about this layered, complex phase of life that I am thrilled to hear about in such detail.”

“Aging affords an introspection that flows from the accumulation of time,” said Jo Ann Allen. “When I signed up for Medicare, I wondered how other sexagenarians felt about getting older: Do they celebrate it, despise it, or never think about it? I’m curious about their plans to resolve social, emotional, and financial issues that often crop up in the latter years. I’m hoping this project provides encouragement to live out loud and proud as we age.”

“Getting Real About Getting Older” episodes will be available in the Death, Sex & Money feed wherever podcasts are available. The call-in special on January 13 airs from 8-10pm ET on WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820 in New York, CPR stations across Colorado, and on additional public radio stations across the country. The show will also stream live online at WNYC.org, CPR.org, Facebook and Twitter. Listeners can join the conversation by calling 844-745-8255.

ABOUT WNYC STUDIOS
WNYC Studios is the premier producer of on-demand and broadcast audio, and home to some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and popular podcasts, including Radiolab, On The Media, Trump, Inc., The New Yorker Radio Hour, Death, Sex & Money, Dolly Parton’s America, and The United States of Anxiety. WNYC Studios is leading the new golden age in audio with podcasts and national radio programs that inform, inspire, and delight millions of intellectually curious and highly engaged listeners across digital, mobile, and broadcast platforms. Programs include personal narratives, deep journalism, revealing interviews, and smart entertainment as varied and intimate as the human voice itself. For more information, visit wnycstudios.org.