Radiowaves | Interviews with the Voices of Public Radio

Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!, Her Life in Independent Media & The Importance of Giving Voice

4/14/2015

Throughout her decades long reporting career, Amy Goodman has distinguished herself as one of America's most outspoken and principled journalists. Not only that, as the host and driving force behind the daily current affairs program Democracy Now! she helped create a worldwide movement in independent media, and a program that now airs on over 1300 stations across the United States and around the world.

“I started in radio and I remember feeling that power of privilege that the microphone gives you, and how important that is. You walk into someone’s house and they open up to you.” - Amy Goodman

In this interview we speak with Amy about her early childhood forays into journalism, about her years at Harvard as an undergraduate and her time spent working in Maine at a co-op where she became increasingly political, and discuss her philosophy as to why a healthy independent media is so crucial to a functioning democracy.

You can listen to our interview with Amy Goodman on souncloud, and For more interviews with the voices of public radio make sure to subscribe to the Radiowaves podcast in iTunes or head to www.radiowavesshow.com

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Alex Blumberg: From This American Life to Startup CEO, Meet the man behind Gimlet Media

3/13/2015

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For over 15 years Alex Blumberg was a producer at This American Life, where he gained acclaim for producing superb and timely investigative pieces like The Giant Pool of Money, and When Patents Attack. But since August he's found himself in a decidedly new role, as the CEO of a startup podcasting company called Gimlet media.

And through a bit of luck and procrastination, we were able to catch up with Alex Blumberg in both roles! So this episode we bring you a very special interview in two parts - both pre and post setting off to found his own company - with radio producer extraordinaire, Alex Blumberg.

Former This American Life and Gimlet Media CEO Alex Blumberg

Alex Blumberg and host Kevin Caners

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Peter Sagal on Hosting Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! & Tripping Into Public Radio

2/23/2015

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It's safe to say that NPR is probably better known for serious in-depth reporting and coverage of domestic and international affairs than for its humor and ability to make listeners laugh, but as one of NPR's most popular programs demonstrates, public radio doesn't have to be serious reporting all the time. In fact, as hard as it can be to imagine (at least while listening to the hourly news) it can actually be a lot of fun!

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is certainly proof of that. Not only is it funny, but it is one of NPR's staple programs, regularly attracting over 6 million listeners and broadcast on more than 500 stations across the country. It's a news quiz, but one that definitely doesn't take itself too seriously, and is more about wit than getting any answers right.

In recognition of this lighter side to public radio. we spoke with the funny and charming host of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Peter Sagal about his unlikely beginnings in public radio, the role of comedy in politics, and about his propensity for being a subversive overachiever from early on.

I was far too self-conscious to be the class clown because the true class clown has to be subversive, the true class clown has to be willing to get him or herself thrown out of the class and that so wasn't my style. I think I was too deferential to authority to be a really great class clown, to be that kind of rebel figure. I was the guy who tried to be funny to make everybody like me, not to get anybody pissed at me - Peter Sagal of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Listen to our interview with Peter Sagal, and for more in-depth conversations with the voices of public radio from Ira Glass to Jad Abumrad subscribe to the Radiowaves podcast in iTunes or Stitcher.

Peter Sagal during a taping of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

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Ira Glass On Anxiety, Fame, and the Early Days of This American Life

2/9/2015

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Part two of our interview with Ira Glass. In this second half of the conversation, Kevin speaks with Ira about the challenges posed by climate change, the (minor) social anxiety he's felt throughout his life, the role of storytelling in the wider world, and how it feels to look back on almost 20 years of This American Life.

Listen to the interview below, or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: bit.ly/1w0FujQ

That's something the radio can do, is it can have compassion. And is it important? I don't know. I don't know if it's important, but it's important to me. - Ira Glass on Compassion in Storytelling

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Ira Glass on Storytelling, Radio and Politics

1/29/2015

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In this first portion of our two part interview with the famed host of This American Life, we discuss with Ira his beginnings in radio, the slow process it took to find his voice through years of doubt, the tension he had with his parents through his 20's as they tried to convince him to find more financially stable work, and the philosophy that he now brings to storytelling.

For more interviews with the voices of public radio subscribe to the Radiowaves podcast in iTunes or Stitcher.

"The only principle I was working on was I just didn't want to be bored in my job, that was literally all I cared about. I wanted to be really actively interested. And so I would just go find stuff that was interesting to me and make stories." - Ira Glass

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Robert Krulwich: A Life of Play, Curiosity and Asking Offbeat Questions

1/15/2015

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For decades Robert Krulwich has had one the most distinctive voices in American public radio and journalism. And I don’t just mean the specific sound created by his vocal cords, but the personality that imbues his pieces and explorations. He has an enthusiasm, and an almost childlike exuberance unlike anyone else I know of on the airwaves.

He’s best known these days as the co-host of WNYC’s Radiolab, where he plays both foil and co-conspirator to Jad Abumrad. But Robert’s connection to radio goes back to the heady early days of National Public Radio. He joined the network in 1978 when it was just getting going, and it was there that he made a name for himself by explaining complex topics, in fun, offbeat ways.

He stayed at NPR until 1985, And while now he is best known for his radio work, he has also reported extensively for television. For 22 years, Krulwich was a science, economics, general assignment reporter at CBS and ABC News and also worked on PBS programs such as Frontline and Nova.

What I love about Robert, and what makes him such a great journalist, is that for most of us, curiosity seems to be a relatively quiet pull, or tug within us. Maybe it drives us to pick up a book, or do a few google searches. But for Robert, curiosity almost seems like a being that possesses him. It’s something that propells him forward, and animates him, and leads him to marvel at all sorts of things that most of us wouldn’t think of to ponder. Things such as 'How much does a Hurricane weigh' or 'what nationality are you if you’re born on an airplane?'

Robert Krulwich is like your favourite mad professor, who is able to turn things that normally seem drab and dull, into questions, and mysteries that you can’t wait to learn more about. And it’s contagious. You can’t help but feel a bit more lust for life after hearing Krulwich talk.

As New York Magazine put it, he’s "The man who simplifies without being simple.” And even more impressive than that for me is the clear joy and fun he has in the process along the way.

I spoke to Robert about his childhood in New York, his early capers as a 'pretend' teenage journalist, and the life long career he's made for himself out of following his own curiosity. Listen to our interview with Robert Krulwich here.

Radiolab's Robert Krulwich during a moment at WNYC

A moment with Radiolab's Robert Krulwich at WNYC in New York

"At some point I realized that what other people might describe as a learning disability was actually for me a huge advantage" - Robert Krulwich

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Jad Abumrad On Curiosity, Doubt, and Finding Moments of Wonder on Radiolab

12/6/2014

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When it first began in its modern form in 2005, Radiolab wasn't quite like anything else in the radio landscape.

Highly produced and full of intricate soundscapes, Radiolab was more like a series of films than a regular broadcast radio show - something hit home by the fact that the program only produced (and still only produces) about 10 or so full length episodes a year.

But even though when it was first being distributed there weren't even programming slots on most stations that would lend themselves to such a periodically produced show, through its captivating explorations of science and philosophy, Radiolab quickly managed to carve itself out a space on stations across the country and a sizeable legion of fans to go along with it. In fact within a couple of years, not only had Radiolab found a place for itself in the radio landscape, arguably it had helped to usher in a new golden age of the form.

More than any other program in recent memory Radiolab showed what could be achieved with the medium of radio, and encouraged others to try to push the envelope of using sound in the service of storytelling. It inspired an entire generation of up-and-coming radio producers to take creative risks and experiment.

As Ira Glass put it in a glowing letter of appreciation, Radiolab “invented a new aesthetic for the medium.” And the program has been hailed everywhere from The New York Times to The Guardian for its thought-provoking pieces, unique sound, and overall approach to storytelling.

Jad Abumrad in the Radiolab Studio

Part of what makes Radiolab so unique is that it uses sound in a way that is oddly visually evocative. Whether it's to give you a sense for how a homing pigeon navigates and 'sees' the world, or the interplay between firing neutrons, the program paints a picture in the mind of listeners in a way that no other show seems capable of. It stitches together voices, interviews, commentary, effects, and music in a way that seems effortless while at the same time highly refined.

But what most sets Radiolab apart for me is not its innovative sound design, but rather its sense of imagination and ability to deal with big questions of philosophy, life and science in a manner that is relatable, and in a way almost visceral. It walks the line between being both serious and playful, incredulous and earnest. It merges multiple worlds, makes connections, and zooms in and out from the tiny to the universal. With Radiolab one moment you might be contemplating the life of an ant, and the next peering over the edge of space trying to conceive of the infinite. The result is that as the listener you're often left in a state of wonder, and contemplative ambiguity about the large mysterious world around you by the end of the program.

Today, almost 10 years since it emerged on the scene, Radiolab is of the most downloaded podcasts in the world and is broadcast on more than 450 NPR member stations across the country.

I had the chance to speak with Jad at WNYC about the birth of the show, his life growing up in relatively undiverse Tennessee as an Arab child, and the bumpy unpredictable ride (with ample servings of self-doubt and failures along the way) he took to end up as one of the most inventive minds in modern radio.

Listen to our interview with Jad Abumrad below, and To hear more of our conversations with the voices of radio, subscribe to the Radiowaves podcast in iTunes.

"For me, walking into journalism was a way of realizing that if you find the right questions to ask, you can suddenly stumble into moments of wonder" - Radiolab's Jad Abumrad

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Brooke Gladstone on Covering The Media Beat

12/6/2014

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Brooke Gladstone's Office at WNYC

This is our first episode of Radiowaves and since admittedly it is a meta concept to have a radio show based on interviewing the voices of radio, we thought what better way than to start off the podcast than by speaking to a radio figure who themselves hosts a meta show? So for our very first episode we spoke to Brooke Gladstone, the co-host of WNYC’s On The Media - or in other words, the media show that examines the media.

In a media world that can often feel absurd, if not downright manipulative On The Media offers up a refreshingly clear-eyed perspective, unraveling the biases and oddities of the we news we consume from main stream outlets. It critiques the prevailing media narratives, analyzes trends in the wider landscape (say if a particular turn of phrase is cropping up with increasing frequency), and isn’t afraid to dig in and point out the contradictions in how issues are framed from the treatment of the Edward Snowden leaks to the on-going tensions in Ferguson.

In a way I like to think of On The Media as The Daily Show meets NPR's Fresh Air because somehow it manages to be irreverent, insightful, serious and witty all at once.

So much of the show's characteristic wit and style owes itself to Brooke Gladstone who not only co-hosts OTM with Bob Garflied but serves as the programs managing director. And that style must be working, because since she and Bob came to the show in 2000 and helped to redesign and relaunch it, On The Media has grown to be carried on over 300 public radio stations across the country.

As they say themselves, “In an age of information overload, On The Media helps you dig your way out." In our interview, we speak to Brooke about her unlikely path into journalism, the beginnings of her time with On The Media, and discuss her thoughts on some of the main problems and pitfalls with how the news is covered today.

Listen to our interview with Brooke Gladstone below, and to hear more interviews with your favourite public radio personalities, remember to subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.

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EPISODES

Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!, Her Life in Independent Media & The Importance of Giving Voice

Alex Blumberg: From This American Life to Startup CEO, Meet the man behind Gimlet Media

Peter Sagal on Hosting Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! & Tripping Into Public Radio

Ira Glass On Anxiety, Fame, and the Early Days of This American Life

Ira Glass on Storytelling, Radio and Politics

Robert Krulwich: A Life of Play, Curiosity and Asking Offbeat Questions

Jad Abumrad On Curiosity, Doubt, and Finding Moments of Wonder on Radiolab

Brooke Gladstone on Covering The Media Beat

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