Motive
Motive is an American true-crime podcast produced jointly by the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Motive is a narrative true-crime podcast produced by the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ. It debuted in 2019 and uses a seasonal, serialized format: each season investigates a separate case or subject across approximately eight to ten episodes, with episodes generally running about 30 minutes. Rather than functioning as a general daily crime-news program, the series is structured as a focused piece of investigative and documentary audio journalism. The first season examines the case of Thaddeus “T.J.” Jimenez, a young boy who was convicted of murder and later released in his thirties after serving time for a crime he did not commit. The reference material reports that Jimenez received $25 million in compensation for the wrongful conviction. The season places the individual case within the broader consequences of a criminal-justice failure, including the effects of conviction and imprisonment on a person’s life. The second season turns to the death of Lauren Bajorek. Bajorek was studying abroad in Spain and was found dead outside an apartment owned by a Spanish tour guide on her twenty-first birthday in 2015. The season follows the circumstances surrounding her death and the questions raised by the investigation. The third season broadens the program’s scope from an individual criminal case to organized extremist movements. It examines white-supremacist groups in the United States, with particular attention to Chicago during the 1980s. This season reflects the program’s ability to use a specific place and historical period to explore the development and consequences of extremist activity. Motive has been described by WBEZ’s vice president of communications as one of the organization’s most successful shows, with downloads reaching several million. The program has also received recognition in journalism and civic-reporting competitions. It won in multiple categories at the 2019 Peter Lisagor Awards and was a finalist in 2020. The fourth season received a Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2023. These honors position Motive not only as an entertainment podcast but also as a form of public-interest journalism. The available reference material does not establish a current release schedule, a formal corporate owner separate from its producing organizations, a dedicated official website URL, or the names of the program’s hosts, reporters, editors, or other executives. Those details are therefore left unspecified.
History
Motive was created as a collaboration between the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ and debuted in 2019. Its editorial approach is based on the long-form investigative podcast model: each season concentrates on a distinct story rather than presenting a succession of unrelated weekly cases. Seasons generally contain eight to ten episodes, with individual installments lasting roughly half an hour. The first season centers on Thaddeus “T.J.” Jimenez, who was convicted of murder as a young person and later released in his thirties. The account presented in the reference material identifies the conviction as wrongful and states that Jimenez received $25 million. By following an individual case over multiple episodes, the season examines the personal and institutional consequences of a serious criminal-justice error. The second season shifts to Spain and investigates the death of Lauren Bajorek. Bajorek was studying abroad and was found dead outside an apartment owned by a Spanish tour guide on her twenty-first birthday in 2015. The season demonstrates the program’s recurring interest in unresolved or contested circumstances surrounding a death and in the investigative process used to reconstruct those circumstances. The third season expands the subject from one victim or defendant to a broader political and social phenomenon. It examines white-supremacist groups in the United States, focusing specifically on Chicago in the 1980s. This change in scale shows that Motive can treat true crime as historical and structural reporting as well as as a case narrative. The program’s reported audience and critical profile grew alongside its journalism recognition. WBEZ’s vice president of communications described it as one of the organization’s most successful shows and said it had been downloaded several million times. Motive won in multiple categories at the 2019 Peter Lisagor Awards and remained a finalist in 2020. Its fourth season later won a Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2023. The available material does not identify the program’s individual hosts or production staff, specify a permanent headquarters, provide a confirmed current status, or give a direct official website address. It also does not supply complete details for every season, so the historical record here is limited to the seasons and awards documented in the supplied reference.
- 2023
Fourth season receives human-rights journalism recognition
[1]The fourth season won a Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.
- 2020
Peter Lisagor Awards finalist
[1]Motive was named a finalist at the 2020 Peter Lisagor Awards.
- 2019
Podcast debut
[1]Motive debuted as a serialized true-crime podcast produced by the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ.
- 2019
Recognition at the Peter Lisagor Awards
[1]The program won in multiple categories at the 2019 Peter Lisagor Awards.
Products and positioning
Motive is positioned as a serialized investigative podcast that combines true-crime storytelling with accountability journalism and human-rights themes. Its season-by-season structure allows the producers to explore one case or subject in depth, while its association with the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ places it within a metropolitan news and public-radio reporting tradition.
Serialized true-crime podcast season · 2019
Season 1
The first season investigates the case of Thaddeus “T.J.” Jimenez, who was convicted of murder as a young person and released in his thirties after a wrongful conviction. The season uses the case to explore the human consequences of criminal-justice failure.
Serialized true-crime podcast season
Season 2
The second season examines the death of Lauren Bajorek, an American woman studying abroad in Spain. She was found dead outside an apartment owned by a Spanish tour guide on her twenty-first birthday in 2015.
Historical investigative podcast season
Season 3
The third season examines white-supremacist groups in the United States, focusing on their activity and context in Chicago during the 1980s. It broadens the program’s focus from an individual case to organized extremism and its historical setting.
Serialized true-crime podcast season
Season 4
The fourth season is documented as having won a Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2023. The supplied material does not provide a detailed description of its subject or episode structure.
Recent events
EA reports layoffs across multiple studios[2]
Reported:
EA's reported round of layoffs affected hundreds of positions across multiple studios, including BioWare, Maxis, Full Circle, Ripple Effect, Motive and Respawn. The article says the specific number of layoffs at each studio had not been fully disclosed.
- Unconfirmed
Motive launches Agents[3]
Reported:
Motive recently launched Agents, an AI technology designed to identify fleet operational problems and take actions such as contacting drivers, opening maintenance work orders, and alerting managers.
- Unconfirmed
BetterUp acquires Motive[4]
Reported:
BetterUp acquired Motive, a software company specializing in emotion AI and people technology.
Sources4 sources
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