Neil A. Carousso produces and co-hosts WCBS Newsradio 880’s Small Business Spotlight series with Joe Connolly. Click here to watch the weekly video segments featuring advice for business owners on survival, recovery and growth opportunities.

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  • INTERVIEW: Soledad O’Brien talks new HBO docuseries ‘Black and Missing’

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    By Lynda Lopez

    Produced by Neil A. Carousso

    NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The recent coverage of the Gabby Petito case grabbed headlines across the globe and also helped shine a light on other missing persons cases that have not received the same attention.

    The Black and Missing Foundation works to bring awareness to missing persons of color and their activism caught the attention of Soledad O’Brien, who has now produced a four-part HBO documentary series titled, “Black and Missing.”

    On this week’s 880 Weekly Rewind, anchor Lynda Lopez spoke to the award-winning documentarian and journalist about the series, which chronicles the work of the organization and follows sisters-in-law and Black and Missing Foundation founders Derrica and Natalie Wilson.

    As Lopez reported, Derrica and Natalie Wilson are not just figureheads. They are on the ground doing the work helping families find their missing loved ones.

    “This is their second jobs, this is not even their job. Derrica works in law enforcement, and that’s really what she was able to bring to the table — that she had this tremendous experience of law enforcement. Natalie works in PR, so she was able to sit with families and say, ‘Let me give you some of the scoop on how these things work so we can get publicity for you,'” O’Brien said. “Often they’re just a conduit between law enforcement, which some families in some communities just don’t trust, and the media, and the families themselves. I’m always blown away by the importance of the work they’re doing and also it’s a side gig. Like, it’s insane to me that this is a side job for them.”

    The series has been three years in the making and recently debuted on HBO and HBO Max, where it is currently streaming.

    “We decided that we would reach out and see because of the number of stories of missing white women over the years had gotten so much attention, and I was well aware that there were lots of stories about Black people and people of color, generally, that just never really got any traction and so we met with them,” O’Brien said. “About a couple of months before the doc aired, the story of Gabby Petito became the latest well-known case of a young White woman who had gone missing, and of course she was later found dead. And I remember her dad saying, I thought it was amazing, really at the worst moment of his life before they found her body, he said something like, to the media, ‘You should be looking for all people.’ Even he thought the attention was amazing on helping find what had happened to his daughter, but there were so many other people who also deserved the same kind of attention and so I do think the needle is beginning to move in people’s awareness of the issue.”

    The series not only chronicles the work of the organization, but also highlights the disparities in the media coverage of white and Black missing persons and how the cases are handled by law enforcement.

    “On the media side, I would love to see people really analyze why do we not think this story is important? I do think the media needs to figure out let’s have a conversation about bias and how we think about these stories,” O’Brien said. “I just hope that people really want to understand the issue and walk away recognizing how unfair it is. I knew that progress was being made when Gabby’s own father sort of put a plea out for covering other people. The number of people who were found while they were searching for Gabby, I think it was like eight people, it was insane and so it clearly is an indication that we have to search hard for everybody.”

    Listen to The 880 Weekly Rewind podcast above to hear how the organization is fighting for equal coverage and treatment in the media and by law enforcement of missing persons of color and what needs to change.

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  • Hungerthon 2021: Tom Chapin carries on brother’s legacy fighting hunger, poverty 40 years after his death

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    By Neil A. Carousso, Wayne Cabot and Tom Kaminski

    NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Hunger and poverty is an issue made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, but WhyHunger believes it is solvable.

    “Food is a right, not a privilege,” said musician Tom Chapin of the non-profit organization’s motto.

    WhyHunger helped 1,036,065 people find access to nutritious food and essential services last year through their hotline and online resources. Through its COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund, it has mobilized $845,223 in emergency funding to 42 partner organizations and social movements across 8 countries.

    Those rapid responses include distributing food, medications and PPE to vulnerable people, supporting food banks and pantries to meet rising demand during the pandemic, and developing the capacity of farmers to grow sustainable food while also developing a local distribution infrastructure.

    “Almost 12 million children don’t know what they’re going to eat this week,” said Chapin. “Those numbers are drastic. The good news is, WhyHunger has been, since 1975, putting hungry people in touch with food, helping them towards self-reliance, and really, working toward food justice.”

    As a board member, Tom Chapin has taken the mantle from his late brother Harry Chapin who founded WhyHunger in 1975 with radio DJ Bill Ayers. Harry tragically died in a car crash on July 16, 1981 on his way to a free benefit concert at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, Long Island.

    “As Harry said when he was really a major star, ‘You know, it’s really cool I’m doing this, but being a rock star is not an end in itself,’” Tom Chapin recalled. “He always felt that he had a bully pulpit, which was pretty remarkable. I mean, you think about we talk about this guy now 40 years later and not even about the songs so much but about this idea that he had that so many other people have picked up and carried on. It’s kind of humbling and also just kind of magical.”

    Annually through its Hungerthon auction and various partnerships, including with WCBS Newsradio 880 and the station’s parent company Audacy, WhyHunger brings together radio personalities and celebrities to raise money to put an end to hunger in America. Listeners can bid on exclusive in-person and virtual experiences, including a private concert from Chapin and his band.

    “The real heroes here are not me,” he said, continuing, “It’s the people who have kept it going and the day-to-day people at WhyHunger and all of our partners – those are the real heroes here – and the people we’re talking to who open up their pocketbooks, and say, ‘Yeah, I want to be part of this. I want to help.’”

    See how you can join the fight against hunger and poverty and get a sneak peek of Harry Chapin’s private concert auction item on the video above.

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  • 880 Weekly Rewind: Navigating the Holiday Pandemic Stress as COVID Cases Rise

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    Produced by Neil A. Carousso

    NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Increasing COVID-19 infections are adding anxiety ahead of Thanksgiving.

    Dr. Daniel L. Shapiro teaches conflict resolution at Harvard College and has extensive experience consulting Fortune 500 leaders, hostage negotiators and heads of state. Shapiro also works with families in crisis. On The 880 Weekly Rewind, he shares how people can navigate personal anxieties and different feelings about COVID-19 during the holidays.

    Rewind host Lynda Lopez also looks at how booster shots may be able to squash the fall wave.

    Listen to The 880 Weekly Rewind Podcast for a deep dive into the top stories of the week, produced by Neil A. Carousso for WCBS-AM New York.

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  • New Businesses Flock to Flatiron District as BID Expands in January

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    By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso

    NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The Flatiron District is seeing growing interest from a variety of new companies looking to set up shop in New York.

    In total, 70 businesses have expressed interest or signed new leases since July 2020, according to the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership.

    “We’ve seen a continuing trend of tech, media/info organizations,” said Executive Director James Mettham. “We’ve also seen the start of a life science hub on Park Avenue South, which was invested in before the pandemic. It’s all towards this diversifying of the economy and strengthening our neighborhoods.”

    Mettham told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank, that the business improvement district (BID) is stronger 20 months after the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York because it is no longer relying on one type of tenant or industry for the viability of its neighborhoods.

    “We’re not a one industry town anymore,” he said.

    Office occupancies in the Flatiron District are about 30 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The Delta wave pumped the breaks on the return to the office this fall. Now, the target is early next year for many companies.

    “You have a lot of people, employees, that have found a way to make the most of working from their homes and are comfortable in doing that. At the same time, I think everyone sees the value in coming back together in a creative environment that’s not just confined to the walls that you’re in, but just, the air that you breathe in a neighborhood like Flatiron and NoMad where there’s just an abundance of like-minded organizations/companies that are the future of the kind of the digital economy,” said Mettham.

    The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership is nearly doubling its footprint in January after the New York City Council approved their expansion proposal to cover 20th Street, the Sixth Avenue gateway to the district, and more of NoMad.

    “The core quality of life work that we bring to the table, and actually, to set the table for more vibrancy through commercial and business growth will be brought to the streets inside of NoMad,” said Mettham, continuing, “That means there are supplemental cleaning services, that means there are public safety officers on the beat working with our city agencies, homeless outreach as well, and then, marketing, concerted marketing and district promotions for the business community that resides in this greater footprint.”

    The New York business leader noted the Flatiron District’s Instagram page that promotes local businesses has grown above 27,000 followers.

    BIDs play an important role in supporting local businesses, and in Mettham’s words, “uplifting” families and communities. They can be a great resource for business owners when considering renting, expanding or finding new clients in specific neighborhoods. The Flatiron BID executive director told WCBS 880 he takes a hyperlocal approach to economic development.

    “With jobs, with business entrepreneurship, innovation, mixed in with important public realm improvements like our NoMad Piazza and our slow streets on 23rd and 21st and Broadway – all of that comes together and creates a special mix where commerce can grow and people – as we’ve seen in New York City over the past two decades – want to live, work, and play, and visit,” Mettham said.

    Watch the WCBS Small Business Spotlight video above for more on how the Flatiron District is rebuilding for the post-pandemic future.

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  • 880 Weekly Rewind: Vaccinating Kids and Honoring Our Heroes on Veterans Day

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    Produced by Neil A. Carousso

    NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Doctors are hopeful vaccinating kids against COVID-19 will make a significant dent in fighting the pandemic.

    On The 880 Weekly Rewind, Lynda Lopez asked Dr. Lee Savio Beers, M.D. questions every parent wants to know now that Pfizer’s vaccine is approved for kids ages 5-11, including about symptoms and efficacy.

    Also on Rewind, CBS Evening News Anchor and Managing Editor Norah O’Donnell tells WCBS anchor Steve Scott about some remarkable stories of service that CBS News is highlighting the week of Veterans Day in their series Honoring Our Heroes. O’Donnell talks about growing up as a self-described “Army brat” and explains why stories about military families and veterans’ issues hit close to home.

    Listen to The 880 Weekly Rewind Podcast for a deep dive into the top stories of the week, produced by Neil A. Carousso for WCBS-AM New York.

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