Introducing: Cement City

Summary

The Commercial Break: Special Preview of “Cement City”

Episode: Introducing: Cement City
Date: September 30, 2024
Hosts: Bryan Green, Krissy Hoadley
Preview: Odyssey & Cement City Productions

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Episode Overview

In this special edition of The Commercial Break, hosts Bryan Green and Krissy Hoadley introduce listeners to Cement City, a new documentary-style podcast by Odyssey. The episode shares a sneak peek of the series, which explores the struggles and enduring hope of the town of Donora, Pennsylvania—population: 4,650. Once a thriving steel town, Donora now faces extreme decline but clings tightly to its identity, traditions, and a flicker of possibility for redemption.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Donora, Pennsylvania (00:00–01:33)

• The show opens with Bryan’s trademark banter and glowing recommendation of offbeat documentaries:
  • “You know I love a good quirky documentary or a quirky podcast, and I think we've got a good one for you...” (00:08, Bryan)
• He sets the stage for Cement City: Donora has lost nearly everything—schools, banks, grocery stores—and now is grappling with its future.
• Donora’s unusual attractions: a smog museum, the nickname “Home of Champions,” and a mayor called Piglet.

2. The Podcast Hosts’ Journey (01:33–02:38)

• Narrator Jean Marie (Jean Marie Laskas) describes her first impressions upon arriving in Donora, a “dying town” she’d only glimpsed from the highway.
• Jean Marie is accompanied by Erin and a microphone—exploring, recording, and seeking answers to: What’s it like to live in a dying town?
• Lighthearted exchanges:
  • “Did you know that there is actually a band, a local Pittsburgh band called Donora?” (01:15, Erin)
  • “I'm not buying a house, honey.” (01:58, Jean Marie)
  • “Then suddenly, I'm buying a house.” (02:03, Jean Marie)

3. The State and Spirit of Donora (02:06–03:16)

• Donora bills itself as “Home of Champions” but has only a single restaurant and a Dollar General left.
  • “And a smog museum. I mean, those are things, you know what I mean?” (02:30, Erin)
• Fatalism and dark humor from residents:
  • “We got smog. Everybody else got pumpkins and apples, we got smog.” (02:38, Resident)
• Despite hardship, a persistent hope underlies the community; Donora “will not go down without a fight.”
• The arrival of a pivotal election—19 days away—raises stakes for the town’s revitalization.
  • “Tick, tick, tick goes the clock. 19 days and there’s an election... the man in the arena. That's what it is.” (02:52, Resident)

4. Local Politics, Corruption, and Hope (03:16–04:05)

• The mayoral race becomes a focus:
  • “We have our hero. Oh my God, he's amazing. He has no idea how good he is to me.” (03:16, Jean Marie)
  • “This is gonna be one of the most important primaries ever. I mean, it’s just mind boggling.” (03:22, Resident)
• The town faces controversy and scandals:
  • “He is indicted.” (03:34, Jean Marie)
  • “It’s a corruption. It’s absolute corruption. And there’s honestly no hope for Donora.” (03:46, Resident)
• Residents debate visions for the town’s future: jobs, taxes, traffic—and whether any of it even matters at this point.

5. Connection, Transformation, and Community Bond (04:05–04:43)

• Jean Marie and Erin spend three years embedded in Donora, forging deep attachments:
  • “And by the end, we won’t want to leave.” (04:21, Jean Marie)
• Residents express pride and cautious optimism despite decades of struggle:
  • “We love this town. We want it to grow, we want it to get better. It’s home and we're proud of it.” (04:29, Resident)
  • “It is magical, that, that, that parade was magical.” (04:26, Jean Marie)

6. Outro & Call to Action (04:43–05:00)

• Show wrap-up by Jean Marie:
  • “From Odyssey and Cement City Productions. This is Cement City, the story of one American town. An Odyssey original podcast, available now.” (04:43, Jean Marie)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Donora’s Unique Character:

  • “Donora’s the home of champions.” (02:19, Resident)
  • “We got smog. Everybody else got pumpkins and apples, we got smog.” (02:38, Resident)

• On Hope and Resilience:

  • “But we stuck around. And what we found was a dying town with one hell of a will to live. Donora, Pennsylvania will not go down without a fight.” (02:46, Jean Marie)
  • “We love this town. We want it to grow, we want it to get better. It’s home and we’re proud of it. And we just keep hoping.” (04:29, Resident)

• On the Challenges Facing Donora:

  • “It’s a corruption. It’s absolute corruption. And there’s honestly no hope for Donora.” (03:46, Resident)
  • “You gotta come up with a vision, guys. What do we want Donora to be? It’s jobs, it’s traffic, it’s taxes.” (03:52, Resident)

• On Transformation and Attachment:

  • “And by the end, we won’t want to leave.” (04:21, Jean Marie)
  • “I just feel like today has been like life changing experience.” (04:22, Resident)
  • “It is magical, that, that, that parade was magical.” (04:26, Jean Marie)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:15 – Show intro, context, and premise of Cement City
• 01:33–02:38 – First impressions of Donora, the smog museum, and settling in
• 02:46–03:16 – The vitality and fatalism of Donora’s citizens
• 03:16–03:52 – Mayoral race, dysfunction, and debates about Donora’s future
• 04:14–04:43 – Jean Marie and Erin’s growing bond with the town and its residents
• 04:43–05:00 – Closing remarks and invitation to subscribe

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Summary & Takeaway

Introducing: Cement City offers a vivid, sometimes poignant, sometimes darkly comic glimpse into the resilience of small-town America. Through the voices of Donora—with its smog, its quirks, and its dogged citizens—the podcast captures both the heartbreak of decline and the stubborn hope for rebirth. Listeners are invited to engage with this “American town with one hell of a will to live,” promising a unique blend of humor, heart, and hard truths.

Listen to Cement City on Odyssey or wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, cats and kittens. Welcome to a special edition of the commercial break. And by the way, best to you. You know, I love a good quirky documentary or a quirky podcast, and I think we've got a good one for you to take a listen to. Our network, Odyssey, is putting out an original podcast called Cement City. And today we're excited to share a preview of that new podcast. Cement City tells the true story of a little broken downtown at a precipice Genora, Pennsylvania. The population is only 4,650. The town has no schools, no banks, no grocery stor gas stations. But it does have a smog museum and a mayor named Piglet. I said that correctly. The name is Piglet. Narrator and writer Jean Marie and her friend with the microphone, Aaron, arrive in town at a pivotal moment. Dinora has hit bottom. But there is hope. For the first time since the steel mill left 50 years ago, something might be moving into town instead of leaving it. And there's an unlikely cast of flawed heroes and rainy day optimists who are determined to make it happen and save the town. As mentioned, Cement City is an original Odyssey podcast in partnership Cement City Productions, and it's now available on the Odyssey app or wherever you're listening to this podcast. So let's do this. Why don't you relax and I'm going to press play on a sneak peek.

[B]

Did you know that there is actually a band, a local Pittsburgh band called Donora. They were driving down the highway and they seen the sign for Donora and they said, hm, that sounds like a really cool name.

[C]

I love that band. What's that? I love that band. I think I like you.

[B]

I'm sure I'm sure I do. I don't remember the other words to it. A few years ago, I pulled off the highway into a dying town I'd never heard of. It was just one of those exit signs I'd always whizzed past on my way to someplace else. And I was curious. I brought my friend Erin. She brought her microphone. We came here with one burning question. What's it like to live here in a dying town?

[A]

See, that's what we really don't need.

[B]

I'm not buying a house, honey.

[C]

Well, that's why I'm asking you.

[B]

And then suddenly, I'm buying a house.

[C]

I think I like you.

[B]

I'm pretty sure I'm Jean Marie Laskas. Welcome to Donora, Pennsylvania 4650.

[C]

So, what did you just say about it's what? It's the home of champions.

[B]

Dinora's the home of champions.

[C]

The sea home of champions.

[B]

There was a billboard announcing it when we first drove into town.

[C]

Talk to some people around here, you'll find out too.

[B]

But it seemed like there wasn't much.

[C]

Else, you know what I mean? Put a gas station in, give us a grocery store.

[B]

Just one restaurant and a Dollar General. And a smog museum.

[C]

I mean, those are things, you know what I mean?

[A]

A bank.

[B]

We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

[C]

Dammit. We got smog. Everybody else got pumpkins and apples, we got smog.

[B]

But we stuck around.

[C]

What the hell are we doing with smog?

[B]

And what we found was a dying town with one hell of a will to live. Dinora, Pennsylvania will not go down without a fight.

[C]

Tick, tick, tick goes the clock. 19 days and there's an election. Tick, tick, tick goes the clock. I need to do this. And they expect someone like me to do this. So I should do this. Theodore Roosevelt, the man in the arena. That's what it is. That's where we're at.

[A]

That's what you gotta do. You wanna do great things for your talented community. You gotta be here from dawn to dust. I'm ready.

[B]

We have our hero. Oh my God, he's amazing. He has no idea how good he is to me.

[C]

This is gonna be one of the most important primaries ever. I mean, it's just mind boggling. Things look good this time. After everything that's happened with a certain rival.

[B]

Well, that's sort of also the elephant in the room. I mean, he is indicted.

[C]

I mean, I don't under. You know, great societies crumble from within and that's all I could think of.

[B]

It seems like there's like.

[C]

It's a corruption. It's absolute corruption. And there's honestly no hope for Tonora.

[B]

You don't think.

[C]

You gotta come up with a vision, guys. What do we want Dinora to be? It's jobs, it's traffic, it's taxes.

[A]

Just come when they make a decision.

[C]

Should it locate in donor, this would.

[A]

Be a boom town.

[C]

I mean, just maybe this is just me, but maybe this topic is irrelevant.

[B]

All in all, Aaron and I will spend three years in Donora.

[A]

He likes me.

[C]

Throws that other boy, but okay.

[B]

And by the end, we won't want to leave.

[C]

I just feel like today has been like life changing experience.

[B]

It is magical that, that, that parade was magical.

[C]

We love this town. We want it to grow, we want it to get better. It's home and we're proud of it. And we just keep hoping. Okay, so who's gonna be it? Drop my cup. Who's gonna be it?

[B]

From Odyssey and Cement City Productions. This is Cement City, the story of one American town. An Odyssey original podcast, available now. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[C]

Well, how you people stay in tonora? I mean, geez, who are here? What's so important that you just keep hanging around the door for it? What's so important? Well, it's a nice bench to sit on, right?