Maryland needs this podcast. Now.

Does the world need another podcast? In Maryland, some folks improbably think the answer is YES.

Three longtime colleagues and friends – Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz and David Nitkin – are joining forces to launch Maryland Now, a new podcast that will go beyond the headlines to explore the forces shaping Maryland’s politics, policy and public life.

Hosted by veteran journalists and public‑affairs leaders with more than 60 years of combined experience, the show brings depth, context and historical perspective to the issues facing Maryland today. Each episode will blend reporting, interviews, and insider knowledge for a unique perspective on major topics. Listeners will hear directly from those shaping decisions in Annapolis and across the state: agency heads, lawmakers, advocates, strategists, and longtime policy experts.

Nitkin, Kurtz and Henry draw on their decades covering and working in Maryland government to connect past decisions to current debates — revealing how we got here, what’s been tried before and what’s at stake now. And each week, you’ll be able to find the podcast and read a transcript of key portions here at Baltimore Fishbowl, which is the media partner for Maryland Now

Season One will provide deep dives into housing, energy, the state budget, public health, and more – many key issues facing the 2026 General Assembly session. The conversations are smart, candid, and grounded in real reporting — not hot takes.
If you want to understand Maryland — its politics, its communities, and its future — Maryland Now is for YOU.

Please take a moment to listen to the intro episode, and to subscribe. You can find Maryland Now wherever you get your podcasts.

More about the hosts

Dori Henry

Dori is senior vice president of Blended Public Affairs, which is the sponsor of Season One of Maryland Now. Previously, she was chief of staff and communications director for Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. She has served in senior communications roles in state and federal government, including as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor under Secretary Tom Perez during the Obama Administration. Dori started her career as reporter covering the General Assembly and state government for the Daily Record. 

Josh Kurtz

Josh Kurtz is best known as the founder of Maryland Matters, the nonprofit news website focusing on state and local government and politics. Maryland Matters has been around since 2017, but Josh has been writing about Maryland for one news outlet or another for 30 years now. He has also been an editor at Capitol Hill publications, Roll Call, and Environment and Energy Daily, as well as a reporter for newspapers in New York, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.

David Nitkin

David’s name became known years ago when the then-governor of Maryland banned all of state government from speaking to him because of reporting he was doing at The Sun. He went on from State House Bureau Chief to become the Sun’s state political editor, White House correspondent and then head of all Maryland news operations. He then turned to policy and politics, working for Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and Attorney General Brian Frosh. He’s been the executive editor at Baltimore Fishbowl since 2017.

Maryland Needs This Podcast — Now – Maryland Now

Maryland Now is a new podcast from longtime Maryland journalists and public‑affairs veterans Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin — three people who’ve spent decades reporting on, working inside, and analyzing Maryland government and politics.In this trailer, the hosts introduce themselves, share their backgrounds, and explain why this podcast fills a gap in Maryland’s media landscape. With more than 60 combined years covering state and local government, they bring historical context, institutional memory, and a reporter’s instinct for what matters beneath the headlines.You’ll hear:•  How the hosts met in the early 2000s as State House reporters•  Why so many of today’s debates — housing, budgets, energy, public health — are rooted in decisions made decades ago•  What makes this podcast different: deep reporting, not punditry•  The kinds of guests you’ll hear from: agency secretaries, committee chairs, lobbyists, policy experts, and longtime insiders•  How season one will follow the 2026 General Assembly session and election cycle•  Why Maryland’s political history is essential to understanding Maryland’s political presentThe hosts also share personal stories — from newsroom rivalries to being banned by a governor — and reflect on how their careers in journalism, government, and public affairs shape the conversations they want to bring to listeners.If you care about Maryland’s politics, communities, and future, this is the podcast for you.Follow the show, join the conversation, and be part of Maryland Now.