Crime Writers On... (sometimes stylized as Crime Writers On or CWO) is a twice weekly podcast hosted by four American true crime authors: Rebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Toby Ball, and Lara Bricker.[1] The podcast started on December 12, 2014, as a commentary on and review of the hit true crime podcast Serial.[2][3][4] Crime Writers On grew to cover journalism and a variety of crime-related pop culture topics including other podcasts, films, and television shows.[5] The panel often provides updates on the real life cases discussed in previous episodes as they develop.[6]

'Crime Writers On...'
Presentation
Hosted byRebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Toby Ball, Lara Bricker
GenreTrue Crime, Comedy, Commentary, Arts
UpdatesTwice Weekly: Mondays and Thursdays
Production
Audio formatPodcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3)
No. of episodes395 (as of June 24, 2021)
Publication
ProviderPartners in Crime Media
Related
Websitewww.crimewriterson.com

In March 2018, Crime Writers On won the Discover Pod's Podcast Madness 2018, a March Madness style competition for podcasts.[7][8]

Hosts

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Rebecca Lavoie is the Director of On Demand Audio at New Hampshire Public Radio.[9] Lavoie previously worked as a freelance journalist and has co-authored five true crime books with her husband Kevin Flynn.[10][11] Lavoie also works as a producer, host, or co-host on several other podcasts.[12][13][9] She has appeared as an expert on true crime shows, including on Investigation Discovery.[14][15]

Kevin Flynn, Lavoie's husband and co-author, is a journalist and the author of additional books including American Sweepstakes and Wicked Intentions.[citation needed] Flynn regularly appears as an expert on true crime television programs, including, Deadly Sins, Unusual Suspects, and On the Case with Paula Zahn. He also co-hosts of the Law & Order podcast These Are Their Stories, with Lavoie.[citation needed]

Toby Ball is a crime noir novelist who has written three books.[16][17] Ball is also the Program Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.[18] He runs the Partners in Crime Media account on Patreon and hosts other podcasts including Radio Free Dystopia and Strange Arrivals.[19]

Lara Bricker is a private detective and freelance author of three books[20] Bricker hosts a Patreon-exclusive podcast called Leave it to Bricker and a podcast version of her newspaper column, Exeter Life.[21][22]

Production

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Crime Writers On is produced by Partners in Crime Media in Lavoie and Flynn's home in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, formerly known as Square Egg Studios.[23] Episodes are typically uploaded Mondays and Thursdays and receive around 100,000 downloads.[24] The show includes recurring segments like Crime of the Week, Cat of the Week, and True Crime Update segments. The podcast has a presence on Twitter and Facebook.[25] On July 7, 2020, the Crime Writers On began an exclusive partnership with Facebook. The videocast is released on Facebook Watch the day after the audio podcast release.[26]

Occasional shows feature a guest host or interview with an expert on the programming being covered. Recurring guests have included Colin Miller and Rabia Chaudry, co-hosts of Undisclosed, and JAG Lt. Col. James Weirick (ret), host of Talk and Purpose Radio and the Military Justice podcast.[citation needed]

The show's original theme song was by Rocksteady Freddie and the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble. The new version is performed by Ty Gibbons.[citation needed]

Public appearances and reception

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Crime Writers On has recorded multiple live episodes of the podcast, beginning in 2016.[24] Respective co-hosts have also appeared at conventions and other events to discuss both true crime and their work in podcasting.[27][28][29][30]

On December 5, 2017, the Crime Writers On podcast was parodied by Done Disappeared, a satirical crime podcast, in the "*BONUS EPISODE*".The fictional Crime Writers Off included Vanessa, Steven, Lauren, and Bobby Tall as versions of Lavoie, Flynn, Bricker, and Ball, respectively.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Phew, we've apparently solved 97% of the podcast measurement problem – everybody relax". Nieman Lab.
  2. ^ "Beyond 'Serial': 10 True Crime Podcasts You Need to Follow". Rolling Stone. July 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Locker, Melissa (July 11, 2016). "This week's best podcasts: Code Switch and The Stakes tackle police shootings". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Meltzer, Marisa. "Are True-Crime Podcasts Ready for the #DefundthePolice Era?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "'The Pub' #67: Rebecca Lavoie – public broadcaster, private podcaster". Current. June 10, 2016.
  6. ^ "Everything You Need to Know Before Watching 'The Case Against Adnan Syed'". In Touch. September 19, 2022.
  7. ^ "Podcast Madness 2018 – Announcing the Champs!". DiscoverPods.com. March 26, 2018.
  8. ^ "Best of NH 2018 This & That". nhmagazine.com. June 12, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Rebecca Lavoie now heads NHPR podcast team". New Hampshire Public Radio. December 14, 2021.
  10. ^ "Rebecca Lavoie". Penguin Random House.
  11. ^ "Mike Burke: Holyoke native Kevin Flynn and wife Rebecca Lavoie create another page-turner". Mass Live. May 15, 2013.
  12. ^ "State v. Pamela Lanier – Addendum 2 – Embedded Justice". WBEZ. May 3, 2018.
  13. ^ Turner, Julia (May 4, 2017). "Mom and Dad Are Fighting Twice As Often". Slate.
  14. ^ "Cable's Campiest Channel Has Perfected the Art of Killing Women". Washingtonian. December 10, 2015.
  15. ^ "TV murder mystery show examines 1985 Paquette case". New Hampshire Union Leader. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  16. ^ Bausells, Marta (August 12, 2015). "The best book designs of 2015 – in pictures". The Guardian.
  17. ^ "'Maximum Horror': On Violence in Novels". Publishers Weekly.
  18. ^ "Toby Ball". University of New Hampshire. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  19. ^ "Aaron Mahnke's Grim & Mild Announces New Podcast 'Strange Arrivals'". Nerds and Beyond. March 27, 2020.
  20. ^ "Roger Wood Talks With Lara Bricker on Writing". In Depth NH. October 10, 2021.
  21. ^ "Columnist launches podcast version of Exeter Life". Seacoast Online.
  22. ^ "Murder she wrote: Crime podcaster launches new Exeter mystery series". Seacoast Online.
  23. ^ "Talking with Trendsetters: Rebecca Lavoie, Founder, Partners in Crime Media". EContent Mag.
  24. ^ a b "An evening with crime writers coming to Exeter". Seacoast Online. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  25. ^ "Podcast Success Reinforces Old Lessons in Engagement". EContent Mag.
  26. ^ "'Crime Writers On' now on Facebook Watch". seacoastonline.com. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  27. ^ "Exeter Historical Society: Crime Writers on Podcast". Water Street Bookstore, Inc.
  28. ^ "The Business of Podcasting". Babson. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  29. ^ "SYMPOSIUM: "THE RISE OF THE ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE"". Toronto True Crime Film Festival. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  30. ^ "Could Your At-Home DNA Test Be Used to Crack a Cold Case? A Future Tense Event". Slate. March 11, 2019.
  31. ^ "Oh Hell No: Payne Lindsay is NOT a podcaster, everyone". Mystery and History. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
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