Viewers Like Us explores who gets to tell America’s multitude of stories in public media today. Host and independent filmmaker, Grace Lee, along with reporter and filmmaker Akintunde Ahmad, investigate a history of systemic inequities at PBS, the Public Broadcasting System, and envision what the future could look and sound like if PBS centered a diversity of experiences and perspectives.
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Host Grace interviews Emmy-nominated filmmaker Yael Bridge and independent documentary producer Kristin Lesko about navigating public media funding cuts and building alternative distribution and coalition models.
3 Oct 2025
Now What?
“You’ve gotta respect the incredible amount of hustle that independents bring, that our communities bring, that is defined inside of the history in public broadcasting. There's been a lot of hustle. That hustle's not going away.” - Joaquin Alvarado
In the final episode of Season 2, Grace and her fellow Viewers Like Us co-creators, Ken Ikeda and Joaquin Alvarado, reconvene in Oakland, California for a candid roundtable conversation about the fraught state of the public media union. The trio reflects on lessons learned from making Season 1 of the podcast, from 2021 to the present, and uplifts resonant takeaways from a series of interactive worldbuilding sessions organized by VLU in 2022. Facilitated by Tony Patrick, these sessions allowed industry peers and leaders in the arts, documentary, and media sectors to collectively envision more dynamic, sustainable paths forward in support of all those who are eager to tell an abundance of American stories. Grace, Joaquin, and Ken also call in young makers to join the critical fight to build a better, more innovative future for public media — albeit in whatever new, reimagined forms it may take in the months ahead.
Explore show notes and more at viewerslikeus.com (https://viewerslikeus.com/)
3 Oct 2025
No Surprises
“The worst thing that can happen is that [young makers] stop. That's what they're trying to do. They're trying to scare folks into not creating, not sharing their voices, not telling our stories. And that’s not acceptable. We're not going back.” - Leslie Fields-Cruz
Grace continues to unpack the devastating fallout from the Republican-led rescission package to defund CPB—the conduit for federal funding to NPR, PBS, and their member stations—alongside Leslie Fields-Cruz, executive director of Black Public Media, and Don Young, executive director of CAAM. Leslie and Don share their respective organizations’ origin stories and reflect on what prior decades of independent maker-led organizing, particularly the work of veteran indie filmmaker and producer Loni Ding, made possible for public media.
Explore show notes and more at viewerslikeus.com (https://viewerslikeus.com/)
3 Oct 2025
Feet to the Fire
“Being able to give people things to discuss, to have an honest and intelligent discussion, is important. Dialogue leads to action, and we can't lose that.” - Erika Dilday
Following the passage of the Trump administration's rescission package to defund public media, including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Grace speaks with Erika Dilday in her capacity as executive director of American Documentary, Inc., and executive producer of its award-winning documentary series POV on PBS. Erika shares potential ways forward from her corner of the public broadcasting world; addresses the censorship claims related to Jane M. Wagner’s debut feature documentary, "Break the Game" (2023), the focus of this season’s fourth episode; and discusses her experiences of collaborating with Ken Burns on a forthcoming documentary series, "Emancipation to Exodus."
Explore show notes and more at viewerslikeus.com (https://viewerslikeus.com/)
30 Jun 2025
Left in the Dark
Filmmaker Jane M. Wagner discusses her documentary, Break the Game, which follows trans gamer Narcissa Wright and explores online harassment, mental health, and the challenges of distributing films through public media in this interview with Grace Robertson.
13 Jun 2025
What Are We Preserving?
Filmmakers Cecilia Aldarondo, Marjan Safinia, and Michèle Stephenson discuss the removal of educational materials related to their films from PBS LearningMedia in an interview with Grace Lee, highlighting concerns about censorship and the need to protect independent voices.
13 Jun 2025
The Upside Down
WXXI's Chris Hastings discusses staff layoffs and federal funding cuts impacting public media with Grace Lee, emphasizing the importance of preserving trusted information during challenging times in this interview.
9 Jun 2025
Death by a Thousand Cuts
Filmmaker Alicia Sams discusses with Grace Lee how PBS allegedly censored her film about Art Spiegelman, revealing potential threats to independent filmmakers and free speech within public media in this interview.
14 Jan 2022
Interview Excerpt: Randall Pinkston
Journalist Randall Pinkston discusses the history of broadcast license challenges and audience influence in the United States, in an interview with Akintunde Ahmad.
30 Dec 2021
It’s Not Over
Hosts Grace and Tunde explore the future of public media with Jihan Robinson from Hulu's ONYX Collective and filmmaker Kristi Jacobson, emphasizing investment, solidarity, and accountability for systemic change in an interview.
17 Dec 2021
Don't Go Chasing Watersheds
Dacia Mitchell, Representative Joaquin Castro, Darnell Hunt, and Richard Jean So discuss data transparency and accountability as essential components for delivering long-overdue change in public media in this interview episode.
23 Nov 2021
An American Experience
Professor Myrton Running Wolf discusses the harm of whitewashed narratives in Indigenous history and veteran journalist Callie Crossley reflects on authentic storytelling, in an interview about BIPOC contributions to PBS.
7 Nov 2021
Minority Report
Grace Aneiza Ali and Tunde Aladese investigate a 14-year-old PBS Diversity Report, revealing accountability limits within public media's complex structure in this interview episode.
15 Oct 2021
Endless Loop
Grace Lee and Beyond Inclusion members challenge PBS leaders about the lack of Latinx representation in historical documentaries, while Loni Ding questions public broadcasting's accountability in this interview episode.
29 Sept 2021
America's Storyteller?
Grace Lee questions PBS's reliance on Ken Burns's perspective as "America's storyteller," sparking a discussion about inclusivity in public media.
21 Sept 2021
Introducing: Viewers Like Us
Host Grace Lee and Akintunde Ahmad introduce "Viewers Like Us," a podcast investigating systemic inequities at PBS and envisioning a future centered on diverse experiences, in this interview.
Inside a recent episode
Less Talking, More Doing
Published 11 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] I'm just curious to hear more about your film and are you doing anything differently with the rollout of this film, given the current climate? Yeah. Well, so the film is coming out. We're doing a week at IFC in September, and then we have around 30 cities booked now. We're partnering with different local unions and organizers in each of the cities. We're just really specifically focused on the film as a tool. We're at this point where union density is the lowest it's been in U.S. history, but union popularity is the highest it's been in U.S. history. So we're trying to capitalize on that moment to use our screenings. as much as we can to really help you figure out if you want to join a union. […]
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