iHeartRadio Launches New Original Podcast, “Autism’s First Child,” Which Traces The History Of Autism

Premiering Today, The Series is Hosted by Award-Winning Journalists Caren Zucker and John Donvan

Listen to the First Episode HERE

NEW YORK, NY (April 14, 2022) -- iHeartRadio, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, today announced the launch of a new original podcast, “Autism’s First Child,” hosted by award-winning journalists, Caren Zucker and John Donvan.

Each week, Zucker and Donvan will trace the history of Autism through the first person ever diagnosed, Donald Triplett, and hear from the rural community that helped raise him. Donald Triplett’s story is one about empathy and understanding -- now 88 years old, he has lived a full and happy life in Forest, Mississippi. Listeners will meet Triplett, hear about his remarkable life, and his diagnosis that changed history.

"It’s a story with so many layers and side roads that being able to tell it over many episodes gives us a whole story that is greater than parts,” said Donvan.

“When we went looking for the first child diagnosed with autism, we had no idea it would turn out to be such a beautiful story,” said Zucker. 

Zucker and Donvan are also the authors of the book, In A Different Key: The Story of Autism, which was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist in General Nonfiction and producers of the documentary by the same name. 

“Autism’s First Child” is now available on iHeartRadio and all major podcast platforms. Subscribe to listen HERE

About Caren Zucker

Caren Zucker is a director, producer and journalist who has told stories for more than 25 years across a broad range of subjects both domestically and internationally. As a producer for ABC’s World News and Nightline, working alongside Peter Jennings, Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer, she covered civil rights, presidential campaigns, economic issues and social trends. She was honored for her role in ABC’s coverage of 9/11 with two of television’s most prestigious prizes, the Peabody and the Alfred L. DuPont awards. Zucker was the producer and co-writer of PBS NewsHour series Autism Now. Her oldest son Mickey’s autism diagnosis inspired a new direction in her reporting: to bring a better understanding of autism’s realities.
 

About John Donvan

John Donvan is a veteran network correspondent and producer for ABC, CNN and PBS, and host and moderator of the Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates, which are heard on public radio and by podcast. He has also been a contributing editor to The Atlantic. During his journalism career, in addition to anchoring various ABC broadcasts, John served as chief White House correspondent, and held multiyear postings in London, Moscow, Jerusalem and Amman, Jordan. He wrote and reported for the documentary program Turning Point. The winner of four Emmys and the Overseas Press Club Award, he became interested in autism’s impact on families upon meeting his wife, physician and medical school professor Ranit Mishori, who grew up in Israel with a brother profoundly affected by autism, He has two children and lives in Washington, DC.

 

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month. It consists of three business groups.

With its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. Its leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 860 live broadcast stations in over 160 markets nationwide; its National Sales organization; and the company’s live and virtual events business. It also includes Premiere Networks, the industry’s largest Networks business, with its Total Traffic and Weather Network (TTWN); and BIN: Black Information Network, the first and only 24/7 national and local all news audio service for the Black community. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio suite of data targeting and attribution products using data from its massive consumer base.

The iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group includes the company’s fast-growing podcasting business -- iHeartMedia is the number one podcast publisher in downloads, unique listeners, revenue and earnings -- as well as its industry-leading iHeartRadio digital service, available across more than 500 platforms and 2,000 devices; the company’s digital sites, newsletters, digital services and programs; its digital advertising technology companies; and its audio industry-leading social media footprint.

The company’s Audio & Media Services reportable segment includes Katz Media Group, the nation’s largest media representation company, and RCS, the world's leading provider of broadcast and webcast software.

Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.