Brazilian University Lab Launches Narrative Podcast Map

Where do the stories told by Brazilian narrative podcasts take place? And where are the teams responsible for telling them based? To explore these connections, Lunar—the Narrative Podcast Laboratory at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ)—is launching its latest initiative: the Narrative Podcast Map. The tool is integrated into the laboratory’s digital catalogue, which brings together more than 200 podcasts in the genre.

The map can be explored through two lenses: the narrated territory, referring to places central to the stories, and the production territory, which shows the places connected to how the programmes are made. By selecting a point, visitors can find the podcasts associated with that location and access their profiles in the catalogue. These profiles bring together available information about the programmes, seasons, teams, sources and listening options. The initiative is coordinated by Professor Andriolli Costa, PhD (UERJ).

Comparing the two perspectives reveals differences in the distribution of the connections recorded in the catalogue. In the data published on November 2, Brazil’s North region appeared as a narrated territory in 14 programmes, while only two had documented production ties to the region.

In the Southeast, meanwhile, 70 programmes featured stories set in the region, while 159 programmes had production ties there. Because the figure reflects different types of connections to the territory, including those of production companies and hosts, it indicates a concentration of the links recorded in the catalogue. 

This is also reflected in the recurrence of production companies: Rádio Novelo (16), Folha de S. Paulo (11) and Agência Pública (11) account for 38 production credits across the catalogued programmes—a figure equivalent to nearly 20% of the 201 programmes recorded. A single programme may have more than one production company.

From the list to the map

The project grew out of the catalogue launched by Lunar in 2023, initially featuring 40 Brazilian narrative podcasts. By September 2025, the collection had reached 100 programmes and had begun accepting public recommendations through an online form.

Besides contributing to the preservation of the field’s history, the catalogue was intended to give audiences a glimpse of the medium’s possibilities. The subjects covered, funding initiatives and distribution of roles within production teams are among the details compiled.

As the catalogue expanded, the laboratory began using artificial intelligence to support data organisation, field standardisation and profile editing. The team remains responsible for establishing the criteria, checking sources and deciding what to publish. The references consulted are recorded in each profile.

Among the themes represented in the collection, politics and human rights appear in 50 programmes, about 25% of the total. Life stories and true crime follow, with 42 podcasts each, closely followed by history-related projects, with 41. Because categories can overlap, a programme may be associated with more than one subject.

The survey points to an interest in subjects that require context and interpretation, creating space for in-depth storytelling about events and people.

The map

The map offers a new way to explore the collection. In addition to searching for a podcast by name or characteristics, visitors can start with a region and discover which programmes are associated with it.

Users can switch between narrated and production territories, explore Brazil’s regions and consult records linked to locations abroad. They can also search by podcast, person or production company.

The data is continually updated. An area with few points does not necessarily have little production: it may indicate that some programmes have yet to be identified or that information about their territorial connections is still being researched. Members of the public can contribute to the project through the recommendation form available in the catalogue.

Explore the Narrative Podcast Map and discover the Lunar catalogue.