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What’s Next?
Mondays and Wednesdays at 11am

What’s Next?  uncovers and discusses the issues and topics pertinent to marginalized and underrepresented populations of Western New York and Southern Ontario.

Days after the racist shooting in Buffalo on May 14, 2022, the show tasked itself to be a champion for social equity and justice. "What’s Next?” amplifies voices from all parts of our shared community to celebrate our individuality as well as our commonalities.

Listen to the one-hour broadcast Mondays and Wednesdays at 11am on BTPM NPR, with rebroadcasts on Sundays at 6pm. It is also available on-demand through our website, the BTPM Listen app, on our YouTube channel, or wherever you get your podcasts.

We encourage our listeners to join the conversation by using the “Talk to Us” feature in the BTPM Listen app. By using this in-app feature, listeners can send audio recordings directly to the newsroom. You can also reach the production staff by emailing us at WhatsNext@btpm.org.

Latest Episodes
  • Buffalo’s East Side is growing, creating, and healing in ways that deserve the spotlight. On this episode of What’s Next?, we explore two community-driven forces shaping that future.
  • On this episode of What’s Next? we speak with Terry Abrams, curator at the Niagara History Center, about the often-overlooked consequences of the Erie Canal on the Haudenosaunee people. Through his exhibit and public talks, Abrams invites audiences to reconsider a familiar chapter in American history and confront the deeper, more complex legacy of the Erie Canal.
  • On this episode of What’s Next? we speak with Dr. LaGarrett King following his “Black Boy Joy, Black Girl Magic” conference, which brought together nearly two hundred attendees to examine the history of Black childhoods and the creativity and resilience of Black youth.
  • On this episode of What’s Next? we sit down with Tom Ulbrich, President and CEO of Goodwill of Western New York, and author Megan Gorman about her latest book, All the President’s Money.
  • In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we reflect on the life of Ely S. Parker, Tonawanda Seneca leader, engineer, and Civil War officer who helped draft the surrender at Appomattox.
  • We return to the Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) for part two of our tour. We hear contributor Ekua Mends-Aidoo, high school senior Lillyan Goines, former student Teira Newell, adult learner Giselle Akal, and Senior Program Director Charisma DuBois.
  • On this episode of What’s Next?, we explore how cooperative businesses are driving change in Western New York. Jay Moran speaks with Andrew Delmonte, Executive Director of Cooperation Buffalo, and Terra Dumas of Farmer Pirates Compost.
  • On this episode of What’s Next we explore leadership and opportunity in Buffalo’s education landscape with Jennifer Mecozzi, a candidate for re-election to the Buffalo School Board’s West District, and Gina Burkhardt, the President and CEO of Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology.
  • On this episode of What’s Next?, we focus on advocacy and community support for those facing trauma and health challenges in Western New York. We sit down with Judy Torres, Director of Domestic Violence Services at Hispanic United of Buffalo, and Sharon Sanford of the Sadie Strong Project.
  • On this episode of What’s Next?, licensed clinical social worker Carolyn Kirkwood shares her path from foster parent to therapist, and how her work at Kirkwood Therapy is helping break generational cycles through culturally informed care.