iHeartMedia And McClatchy Team To Develop Podcast Series, 'Longshot' That Starts With 'Return Man'

New Podcast Series

iHEARTMEDIA and news media company, MCCLATCHY are teaming to develop an anthology of podcasts that sit at the intersection of pop culture, sports and social change. The first will be RETURN MAN that investigates the mysterious death of former former pro-football player JIM DUNCAN.

DUNCAN was an NFL kickoff return man and defensive back for the then-BALTIMORE COLTS. He led NFL in kickoff return yards in 1970, and that same season helped the COLTS win the SUPER BOWL Two years later, authorities say, DUNCAN died by suicide inside the police station of his small hometown of LANCASTER, S.C. RETURN MAN is based on the reporting of BRET MCCORMICK, former sports editor for MCCLATCHY's ROCK HILL, S.C. paper, THE HERALD.

MCCLATCHY SVP/News KRISTIN ROBERTS commented, "The depth of reporting presented in RETURN MAN is what makes this podcast and the LONGSHOT series so powerful. The listener hears directly from MR. DUNCAN's family, his coaches and his neighbors. We hear their voices tell the stories of his life. And through them, we take a journey that grapples with the great unanswered questions surrounding the death of a man who was both local hero and a national athlete. We look forward to working with iHEARTMEDIA to bring this important local story to listeners nationwide."

iHEARTPODCAST NETWORK Pres. CONAL BYRNE added, "This is an exciting collaboration with one of the country's premier local media companies that has a rich history of outstanding narrative journalism. This is one of the things that podcasting does best: longform storytelling around layered, complex subject matters that may have fallen off our collective radar. We are so excited to collaborate with MCCLATCHY to bring RETURN MAN and the LONGSHOT anthology to podcast listeners across the country."

You can check out a trailer here.
 

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