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 Citizen Complaint Authority has been without a permanent director since August 2023. -
If the amendment passes, the Cincinnati Elections Commission would receive much more frequent campaign finance information for local candidates. -
Although 46 people pulled petitions, 16 did not submit by the deadline and two were determined to have insufficient signatures. As of Thursday afternoon, 25 candidates have filed sufficient signatures and three more are under review. -
Longtime community leader Iris Roley is in the headlines as some call for the city to end her consulting contract, while others are rallying behind her. -
The new citywide curfew is 11 p.m. for anyone under age 18 that is not accompanied by an adult. Within a "special extended curfew district" the curfew begins at 9 p.m. -
Cincinnati planned to use the grant to build a community solar array on a former landfill site, giving low-income households a break on energy bills. -
The city's longstanding curfew for unsupervised minors is now 11 p.m., and City Council established a new curfew district downtown that begins at 9 p.m. Five Cincinnati Parks will also close earlier. -
WVXU’s Becca Costello explains how the Cincinnati Police Department tracks and analyzes crime data, and how you can best understand those numbers. -
Public safety plans starting this weekend include expanding the footprint for SWAT and Civil Disturbance Response Team patrols. -
About a hundred people attended a meeting on Downtown public safety Tuesday night, organized by the Downtown Residents Council.
