Billy Penn celebrates 10 years with his fans, his heroes and a look back and forward

About 200 Billy Penn readers and fans gathered at WHYY Wednesday night to celebrate 10 years of the news website and hear from the publication’s seven Billies Award winners.

Launched as a startup in 2014 and acquired by WHYY in 2019, the nonprofit news website strives to cover Philadelphia “like a friend who happens to know” the city very well. Its reporters guide readers through the latest news on elections, sports, transport, development, arts and culture, and the city’s food scene.

“I always saw Billy Penn as more independent journalism, and that appeals to me,” said Brian Smith, who relied on the publication’s early coverage of city government and politics to learn about Philly after relocating -se in the city 10 years ago.

Philadelphia arts and civics writer Conrad Benner accepts a Billie Award at WHYY’s 10th anniversary celebration on Oct. 23, 2024. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

In the decade since, Billy Penn has covered the weird and wonderful parts of Philly, as well as the serious.

“Billy Penn has truly been a gem for us in telling stories about the city,” said Sarah Glover, WHYY Vice President of News and Civic Dialogue. Current staff includes investigative reporter Meir Rinde, deputy editor Heather Chin and breaking news reporter Nick Kariuki, as well as editor Kevin Donahue.

Wednesday’s event was a celebration of Philadelphia notables profiled by Billy Penn. They include Chinatown business mogul Albert Lee, social media sensation Terrill Haigler, aka Ya Fav Trashman, the man who turned to eating whole roast chickens for exercise on an abandoned dock, and Dave Cline, the bachelor from West Philly who rented a billboard this summer. to find a date.

“I think I’m the first person to win an award for being single,” Cline said. “If I made you smile, it was all worth it.”

Billy Penn Editor Kevin Donahue (right) presents Dave Cline (left) with a Billie Award at WHYY’s Billy Penn 10th Anniversary on October 23, 2024. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

Billy Penn was the first media outlet to interview Cline about his billboard, he said. Other outlets, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, later picked up the story.

“The press has been generally, super positive,” he said. “It seems like everyone who’s dating right now is going through a similar experience, which is that it’s really hard to get a date. And the articles always seem to reflect that.”

Billy Penn’s coverage also helped raise Terrill Haigler’s profile. The former sanitation worker, professional dancer and City Council candidate is currently working to hire returning citizens and youth to clean up their own neighborhoods, he said Wednesday.

“It doesn’t matter your zip code, you deserve to live on a clean street,” he said. “Billy Penn was very important to me pitching and being recognized nationally.”

Donahue, who joined the publication in June with experience in news and service journalism, says the Billies Awards are an example of the kind of journalism that Billy Penn does well.

“It reflects people you don’t know, but you wish you did after reading the story,” Donahue said.

When Spirited Media first launched Billy Penn in 2014, the company aimed its content at millennials.

“We had this idea of trying to reach younger city dwellers primarily through cell phones, and using a voice and an attitude and an energy that wasn’t prevalent at the time in traditional media,” said co-founder Jim Brady in a video played in the event.

A few years later, WHYY saw the Billy Penn purchase as an opportunity to cultivate a new generation of public media consumers, said WHYY President and CEO Bill Marrazzo.

“It’s been fascinating and satisfying to see over the last 10 years that, while millennials traffic in Billy Penn, anyone of any age who is interested in the community they live in is also participating in the consumption of Billy Penn,” he said. .

Retired teacher Jane Roosa is an example of a loyal reader who isn’t a millennial. He recalls finding Billy Penn’s coverage of Chicken Man amusing, and he also turns to the news site for upcoming events.

“It tells us what we can do in the city … things we didn’t know about going to visit: parks, shows,” he said. “It’s our social life.”

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