Marketplace and KCET are collaborating on simultaneous radio/TV special

Marketplace from American Public Media and KCET's SoCal Connected are partnering on a program that will run simultaneously on radio and TV. The special report, “Lot 354: A Tale of America’s Housing Meltdown,” will premiere on Jan. 13. Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal traces that specific property over several years. He speaks with the couple who bought the home for a bargain in 2002, improved it, and sold it four years later at almost triple the price; the couple who then bought the home at a high price but lost it to foreclosure; and the couple who recently purchased it at a fraction of that high price. The story also includes Lot 354’s real estate broker, an auctioneer, and a housing banker. SoCal Connected’s Val Zavala and Ryssdal will anchor the program, which will probe how economic forces led to the housing crisis and what the future may bring for buyers and sellers. Online content will include a guide for home buyers and sellers on KCET.org, and Marketplace.org will carry additional interviews and the latest housing market research and statistics.