Becca Costello
Local Government ReporterExpertise: Local politics, housing policy
Education: Cincinnati Christian University, Indiana University, UC Clermont
Contact: bcostello@wvxu.org
Favorite Tri-State Neighborhood: Covington (just don't tell anyone at Cincinnati City Hall).
Highlights
- Reports on all things local government with a particular focus on Cincinnati
- Experienced reporter in public radio and television across the Midwest
- Winner of awards at the local, regional and national level
- Lifelong listener of Cincinnati Public Radio
Experience
Before joining the WVXU newsroom, Becca worked in public radio and TV journalism in Bloomington, Indiana, and Lincoln, Nebraska. Becca has earned numerous awards for her reporting, including from the Heartland Emmys, local chapters of the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists, and contributed to regional and national Murrow Award winners. She grew up in Clermont County listening to WVXU and considers public radio journalism her "dream job."
Education
Becca has a bachelor's degree from Cincinnati Christian University, where she studied Biblical studies and communications, and a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University. She also proudly studied at UC Clermont, of the University of Cincinnati's community colleges, for two years.
About WVXU
The central pillar of Cincinnati Public Radio’s local network — accounting for the lion’s share of its 211,000 listeners each week — 91.7 WVXU is among the most reliable media institutions in the Tri-State region. Our mission is to always be a trusted, independent source of journalism, music and culture, empowering a vibrant, engaged and informed community.
Why trust us
Our team of reporters and editors have decades of experience writing and reporting the news. Our first responsibility is to our listeners and readers. There is no connection between our funding and editorial decisions. When we do cover a funding partner, a disclosure will be mentioned on-air and online. We take pride in our work, editing and fact-checking every story. If an article warrants a correction, we will immediately correct it and explain the correction for complete transparency.
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The Cincinnati metro area grew by about 20,000 people in 2024, according to a new report. But the area is not growing as quickly as many peer cities. -
About 60 households benefitted from the tax relief, which also included free financial counseling. -
In a Sept. 23 filing, Second Avenue called a lawsuit by Cincinnati tenants "baseless." But it also pledged to change many policies challenged in the suit against it. -
City officials say it is in response to concerns raised by bus riders who say they can't access shelters and benches because of non-riders using them to smoke or sleep. -
City Manager Sheryl Long says the space is donated by Urban Sites, meaning it can operate at no additional cost to taxpayers. -
A network of urban farms and neighborhood hubs is planned for Cincinnati neighborhoods with high rates of gun violence. -
All 27 candidates responded to a WVXU survey asking their policy opinions on several key issues, including crime, development projects, and the city budget. -
There are a number of possible paths forward for this project. A spokesperson for the development team told WVXU this week that the team has made no decision about which path to pursue. -
The plan would allocate $4.63 million for police officer overtime and recruitment efforts, plus technology like drones, license plate readers, and more public cameras. -
City Council will vote on whether to repeal the project's Planned Development status. If passed, a citizen-led referendum will no longer be on the November ballot.
