The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is pleased to announce that Shane Backler has been hired as the newsroom’s senior audio producer.
After 25 years in radio, almost all of it working for Cox Enterprises, Backler will be responsible for producing current podcasts like the AJC’s “Breakdown” and “Politically Georgia,” and helping to assist newsroom talent and to help grow new shows.
“Shane is a producer in the truest sense of the word,” said Jay Black, the AJC’s podcast manager. “He knows how to push the right buttons to get the best out of talent and push them to a level they didn’t know they had. Everyone from a seasoned broadcaster to a rookie podcaster will be better working with Shane. He is also an elite sound designer, which you can hear in ‘Breakdown.’ ”
Backler moved from his hometown of Orlando, Florida, to Atlanta in 2006 to join WSB Radio. During that time, he worked behind the scenes to help develop, coach, and launch some of WSB’s most successful talk shows. Most notably, he was executive producer of the “Herman Cain Show.”
He also helped launch Erick Erickson’s radio show when Cain ran for the White House in 2012, and also worked with Shelley Wynter and Malani Kai to develop “Word On the Street.”
“Most of the hosts I’ve worked with never had any experience behind a microphone,” Backler said. “I start from the ground up, getting hosts comfortable, and giving them direction and guidance so they’d be able to tell stories, deliver analysis, and present their opinions with confidence.”
In 2019, he collaborated with the AJC to produce season seven of the “Breakdown: Judgement Call” podcast..
Backler also started doing freelance podcast producing in 2022, most notably working with AJC contributor Wes Moss.
He can be reached at shane.backler@ajc.com.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the leading journalism organization in the Southeast, focuses its reporting staff on local matters and closely monitors state and local governments, the local economy, entertainment and sports.
Its journalists seek to uncover the truth, protect the public’s right to know and hold community leaders accountable for serving the public. Reporters, editors and photographers aggressively document the region’s moments, milestones and people. Every day, whether in print or on its digital and social platforms, the AJC informs and empowers its readers who value credible, in-depth journalism.
The newspaper traces its roots to 1868, the founding date of The Atlanta Constitution. The Atlanta Journal debuted in 1883. The papers have been under common ownership since 1950 and fully merged in 2001. The newspaper is owned by Cox Enterprises, a family-owned company that has been in Atlanta since 1939. While the newspaper is owned by a private company, its news decisions are made by the journalists in the AJC’s newsroom.
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