Does the media shape your reality more than you realize? What makes Japanese horror so effective? Why does “Jaws” still make us so nervous about the ocean? Get answers to these questions and more in CCBC’s “Know-It-All” podcast.

Launched in 2025, each three-to-five-minute episode of “Know-It-All” is hosted by a different CCBC student. The format allows the audience to quickly learn something from a new host each time. Whether exploring “The Jaws Effect” or uncovering the secrets behind Japanese horror, there’s always something intriguing to learn in just a few minutes.

Under the guidance of Beth Baunoch, associate professor of Communication and Media Studies at CCBC, students choose their topics, conduct their own research and record the episodes themselves. All content—written, narrated and produced—is created by CCBC students.

NPR picked up the series for distribution, began broadcasting episodes in February and hosts them on their website.

“'Know-It-All' showcases the intelligence and creativity of our students,” says Baunoch. “At the same time, by having NPR as a distributor, it highlights the vital role community colleges play in serving the community.”

The inaugural season features CCBC students, but Baunoch hopes to eventually include student voices from community colleges nationwide. This is part of a continued effort to challenge the thinking around community colleges and the students who attend them.

In 2020, Baunoch and CCBC students launched the award-winning “Good School.” podcast, where the community college students explored what makes a “good school.” Funded by the American Council of Learned Societies and the Mellon Foundation, the project gave students hands-on experience in writing, producing and hosting a podcast, while unpacking perceptions and misperceptions around higher education and what makes a good experience.

“At the end of ‘Good School.,’ I realized amplifying students’ voices is what’s really important,” Baunoch said.

“Know-It-All” does just that.