Best of Contemporary Radio


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This page highlights a quality radio program from the previous week.

Click for previous picks from 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009


Week of 22-28 August 2010:

Sleuthing Out "Charlie Chan" on On Point from WBUR

Very rarely does a talk show bring up a cultural topic on which I am somewhat ignorant, discuss it at length, bring up another cultural topic on which I am totally ignorant, and have callers offering great insights into the interplay between the two. On Point from WBUR and NPR this week managed to do that in a 46-minute show on the character of Charlie Chan which at the insistence of a rather obnoxious guest branched out to Guan Gong. This was public radio talk at its best.

Listen to MP3 of On Point "Sleuthing Out 'Charlie Chan'"


Week of 15-21 August 2010:

"Mario Andretti" on the Ronn Owens Show from KGO Newstalk 810

In the realm of general talk, there are relatively few masters of the trade, and one of them is Ronn Owens of KGO in San Francisco. Granted, Mario Andretti is an easy guest on the radio because of his laid-back style and good humor, but Owens does a great job of handling callers in this 54-minute segment of his show. Furthermore, for those familiar with Owens' show and his attempts to bring his guests into the Sleep Train ad, Andretti offered a challenge that might have been the most amusing I've heard yet.

Listen to the Ronn Owens Show "Mario Andretti"


Week of 8-14 August 2010:

"Divorce Evolution" on Asunder from CBC Radio One

A CBC summer series that I thought had substantial potential value was Asunder, a show about divorce. I haven't learned much from the majority of the episodes, but this week's show, which focuses on cohabitation and the consequences to break-ups presents a perspective that I hadn't heard before in the 27-minute program.

Click on Episode 7 - "Listen" at this link to listen to streaming media of Asunder "Divorce Evolution"


Week of 1-7 August 2010:

"Escape from the USA" on Promised Land from CBC Radio One

One of the interesting concepts for summer shows from the CBC this year has been "Promised Land," which tells stories of escapes from other countries ending in immigration to Canada. Some of the stories have been amazing. This week, it seemed like the show might become cliche in its 27-minute broadcast as it followed a Vietnam War deserter from the United States. Instead, it proved just as gripping as the rest of the series, and ended with considerable insight into the two cultures.

Listen to MP3 of Promised Land "Escape from the USA"


Week of 25-31 July 2010:

"Carren Strock" on Newshour from the BBC World Service

It's not often that a hard news program presents a concept that one hasn't heard before. The weekend version of the BBC Newshour sometimes does just that, this week presenting Carren Strock's views on female sexuality. What makes this interview especially interesting is listening to how host Julian Marshall handles the fact that the other guest doesn't provide a sharp counterpoint to Strock in the second half of this 48-minute podcast.

Listen to MP3 of the BBC Newshour "Carren Strock"


Week of 18-24 July 2010:

"Marketplace Minute" on the Marketplace Morning Report from American Public Media

Bill Radke is best-known for the wit he brings to broadcasting, honed as a stand-up comedian, host of the canceled satire show "Rewind," and even as local host of Morning Edition at KUOW-Seattle. Some say his talents are wasted on a hard news show like the Marketplace Morning Report, but he manages to make one minute a week count--the Friday "Marketplace Minute" commentary. This week's, available as a video podcast, is one of the best he's done yet.

Watch MP4 of Marketplace Morning Report "Marketplace Minute"


Week of 11-17 July 2010:

"What If Americans Ran America" on The Osgood File from the CBS Radio Network

Dave Ross is one of the masters of short-form radio. Filling in for Charles Osgood this week, listen to how he works in a variety of actualities to create an amusing set of juxtapositions that develop a politically untenable position that, viewed in pieces, would seem to be popular in this two-minute commentary.

Listen to MP3 of The Osgood File "What If Americans Ran America"


Week of 4-10 July 2010:

"The House Goes to Quebec" on The House from CBC Radio One

Sometimes, the shows from the normal CBC schedule atrophy during the summer. Not so with the political program The House this week. Guest host Tim Duboyce offered the best primer on Quebec politics that I've ever heard, featuring a rare interview with Premier Jean Charest as well as shorter perspectives from the other three major parties and independent analysis in a 48-minute program. This show should be in the Canadian citizenship package.

Listen to MP3 of The House "...Goes to Quebec"


Week of 27 June-3 July 2010:

"Battles Over the Brand" on ReVision Quest from CBC Radio One

Prepared for another Indian Summer? (That's their line, not mine.) For the third straight year, CBC has solicited new episodes of ReVision Quest, the comedic look at contemporary native issues. The season started with a heady topic, the use of aboriginal names for sports teams, and managed to make it amusing, including a fake conversation between a tribal leader and a team manager.

Listen to MP3 of ReVision Quest "Battles Over the Brand"


Week of 20-26 June 2010:

"Is E-Mail Going the Way of the Dinosaur?" on Future Tense from American Public Media

I've long admired John Moe since his days on the staff of Seattle's public radio station KUOW. In the era of this feature, he has been working on American Public Media shows that I didn't find particularly enticing. However, he's now doing the five-minute daily "Future Tense" broadcast on technology, a very good outlet for his Generation X humor exemplified by a look at the future of e-mail that aired this week.

Listen to MP3 of Future Tense "Is E-Mail Going the Way of the Dinosaur?"


Week of 13-19 June 2010:

"Social Contract" on This American Life from Chicago Public Radio

Living within listening distance of Buffalo radio stations, I hear a fair amount about New York state politics--and am sometimes shocked that only the largest scandals make the national media. The best story-telling I've heard about New York politics in the recent Spitzer-Paterson era came this week on that show of story-telling, This American Life. In addition, the 59-minute show featured another informative Planet Money segment.

Listen to streaming media of This American Life "Social Contract"


Week of 6-12 June 2010:

"Big College Football News" on Art Thiel Conversation from KPLU News

Saturday morning has become the morning for sports on public radio in the United States, in the case of some programs the only day of signifiant sports coverage. The Saturday coverage runs from local segments to hour-long programs, and in the former category Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Art Thiel's conversations with KPLU's Kirsten Kendrick show the best of the genre, often offering insights beyond sports as was the case this week in a five-minute segment.

Listen to MP3 of Art Thiel Conversation "Big College Football News"


Week of 30 May-5 June 2010:

"The Upside of Irrationality" on Quirks and Quarks from CBC Radio One

Most of us realize that human beings are irrational, but few of us have thought about how this might actually be beneficial from an evolutionary perspective. Author Dan Ariely of Duke University talked about our "stupid brains" in this 18-minute interview, with insights for laypeople and scientists alike.

Listen to MP3 of Quirks and Quarks "The Upside of Irrationality"


Week of 23-29 May 2010:

"Negative Advertising" on The Age of Persuasion from CBC Radio One

There's a lot of stereotyping of negative advertising in the mainstream media, so an inside take on its art from a practitioner in the industry turned out to be quite informative, not blowing away the stereotypes but adding a lot of nuance. The clips from past famous examples of negative ads alone would make this 27-minute show from Terry O'Reilley and company worth listening to without any other reason.

Listen to Flash audio of The Age of Persuasion "Negative Advertising"


Week of 16-22 May 2010:

"Mexican Drug War" on Dispatches from CBC Radio One

It's been a long time since I cited Dispatches, and this week they really earned it with a joint investigation with NPR News into the Mexican drug war. Good production values combine with in-depth reporting to provide a solid example of investigative journalism in the first segment of the 54-minute show.

Listen to streaming MP3 of Dispatches "Mexican Drug War"


Week of 9-15 May 2010:

"Fatima Bhutto" on The Current from CBC Radio One

I normally avoid book tour interviews as they tend to be over-publicized, but one came up this week of a different nature. Fatima Bhutto of the famous Pakistani political family offered an interesting perspective on that family and on the country in this 24-minute interview with guest host Gillian Findlay.

Listen to streaming MP3 of The Current "Fatima Bhutto"


Week of 2-8 May 2010:

"50 Great Voices: Roy Orbison" on All Things Considered from NPR News

Summarizing one person's influence on music and culture in eight minutes is a challenge, but Eric Westervelt managed to so a great job of capturing the essence of Roy Orbison and including stories about him that I had never heard before in this segment of the newsmagazine All Things Considered from NPR.

Listen to streaming media of All Things Considered "50 Great Voices: Roy Orbison"


Week of 25 April-1 May 2010:

"Barbara Budd Tribute" on As It Happens from CBC Radio One

The importance of acting skills to making quality radio, in particular for news shows, is often overlooked. In their 30-minute tribute to outgoing co-host Barbara Budd, the CBC show "As It Happens" managed to present a variety of examples of how Budd used her skills to create exceptional radio.

Listen to streaming MP3 of As It Happens "Barbara Budd Tribute"


Week of 18-24 April 2010:

"Bishop's Man" on The Current from CBC Radio One

One of the things that CBC Radio One's "The Current" has traditionally been quite good at is providing an overview of a subject. A great example came this week as Anna Maria Tremonti interviewed Patrick Wall, a former Catholic Priest. The 20-minute interview covered just about everything one needs to know about the ongoing priest sexual abuse scandal.

Listen to streaming MP3 of The Current "Bishop's Man"


Week of 11-17 April 2010:

"Privacy" on the Age of Persuasion from CBC Radio One

Privacy is a hot topic in the Internet age, and Terry O'Reilly and company provide a marketing perspective on the Age of Persuasion this week. As usual, the 27-minute show was full of amusing examples--but this time there were some downright scary stories as well.

Listen to MP3 of The Age of Persuasion "Privacy"


Week of 4-10 April 2010:

"Limits" on Radio Lab from WNYC

Science is one of the hardest topics to communicate to a general audience--particularly on the radio. Radio Lab found a way to talk about the scientific perspective on limitations by using very human examples, making it much more accessible in this 59-minute program.

Listen to MP3 of Radio Lab "Limits"


Week of 28 March-3 April 2010:

"Saving July 4th" on The Dave Ross Show from KIRO-FM

One of the lost axioms of radio is that it is at its best when it is truly local. Dave Ross demonstrated the power of local radio this week in Seattle. After doing a secondary monologue on the apparent lack of an Independence Day fireworks display in Seattle on his talk show, restaurateur Tom Douglas called in to suggest raising money from small businesses and made an opening pledge. After a call to the traditional organizers confirmed that the display could still occur, the fund-raising drive was on, and in about a day the needed $500,000 was raised. That was not only local action--it was good radio.

Listen to the Dave Ross Show "Saving July 4th"


Week of 21-27 March 2010:

"NUMMI" on This American Life from Chicago Public Radio

Story-telling, documentary, economic analysis, news value--this week's episode of This American Life had just about everything. The 59-minute program on a soon-to-close auto manufacturing plant in Fremont, California was really about General Motors, sociology, culture and many other issues.

Listen to streaming media of This American Life "NUMMI"


Week of 14-20 March 2010:

"The Glory Hole and The Helmet" on Imagination Theater from Jim French Productions

This week, Imagination Theater ran a tribute to recently-deceased radio actor and writer Paul Herlinger. The two episodes are truly radio drama classics. The first stands as one of my all time favorites, "The Glory Hole," and the second is one of the best-written episodes, "The Helmet." Both live up to the title of the program, Imagination Theater.

Listen to streaming MP3 of Imagination Theater "The Glory Hole and The Helmet"


Week of 7-13 March 2010:

"AfroReggae and Rio's Favelas" on On Point from WBUR

Ideally, a call-in talk show is driven by the callers, in which they add as much to a conversation as the guests. This is all too rare in today's radio landscape, but there was a wonderful example this week from On Point in a show about Brazilian Favelas. The music discussed may not be widely appreciated, but the variety of insightful calls made the show, so much so that even featured guest Damian Platt chose to comment on it near the end of the 46-minute program.

Listen to streaming Windows Media of On Point "AfroReggae and Rio's Favelas"


Week of 28 February-6 March 2010:

"Passing the Baton" on Metro Morning from CBC Radio One

Last shows often have substantial value with retrospective segments or other rare audio. Andy Barrie's last show and Matt Galloway's first show as permanent host of CBC Radio One Toronto's Metro Morning was special even in this genre, as discussions included big issues like the evolution of the CBC and the medium of radio in general, in addition to personal moments. About an hour of the best clips have been posted to show web site from the three-hour program.

Listen to streaming Windows Media of Metro Morning "Passing the Baton"


Week of 21-27 February 2010:

"How Should Medicare Pay Doctors?" on All Things Considered from NPR

Radio is all about good story-telling, and this story has it all, at least in terms of health care policy--medicine, politics, economics, and lobbyists. "How Should Medicare Pay Doctors?" did the best job I have heard of describing the history behind a current, comparative minor issue in medical pay in just a six-minute segment by Planet Money's David Kestenbaum and Chana Joffe-Walt which aired on All Things Considered.

Listen to streaming MP3 of All Things Considered "How Should Medicare Pay Doctors?"


Week of 14-20 February 2010:

"Jennifer Heil Profile" on The Current from CBC Radio One

There has been a lot of Olympics coverage in the past week, but I thought the best moments came early in the week when the CBC's Anna Maria Tremonti interviewed Canada's first medalist, Jennifer Heil. Tremonti did a great job of interviewing in front of a live audience, finding ways to bring up issues like not getting a gold medal in tactful ways, and Heil handled herself and told stories in a truly inspirational way in the 22-minute segment.

Listen to streaming MP3 of The Current "Jennifer Heil Profile"


Week of 7-13 February 2010:

"Hive Mind" on To The Best of Our Knowledge from Wisconsin Public Radio

On what program in the course of an hour can such diverse items as E.O. Wilson talking about ant pheromones, the Borg from Star Trek, and Jason Lanier talking about Web 2.0 be woven together cohesively? To The Best of Our Knowledge, of course. The Wisconsin Public Radio program came up with another winner this week, a 53-minute show on Hive Minds.

Listen to streaming RealMedia of To The Best of Our Knowledge "Hive Mind"


Week of 31 January-6 February 2010:

"Persuasion Fail" on The Age of Persuasion from CBC Radio One

One of the things that radio does all too infrequently is take one back to nostalgic moments. In this week's 27-minute episode of the Age of Persuasion, Terry O'Riley brings up almost too many past marketing failures to count in such a short program--worth listening to just to see how much can be packed into a half-hour show, never mind the memories.

Listen to streaming MP3 of The Age of Persuasion "Persuasion Fail"


Week of 24-30 January 2010:

"The Wonders of Physics" on To The Best of Our Knowledge from Wisconsin Public Radio

Technically, I am breaking the rules this week, as this program first aired in 2009, but for some reason I passed it over at the time, and it was the best program I heard in the past week on its re-run. In exploring physics, Wisconsin Public Radio's premier interview show To The Best of Our Knowledge brought out insights from Richard Muller's reasoning on why a president should understand physics to the idea that all chemists are gangsters. There is just enough scientific "inside baseball" to hold my attention in the 53-minute program while being presented in an accessible way for a general audience--a feat not easy to attain.

Listen to streaming RealMedia of To The Best of Our Knowledge "The Wonders of Physics"


Week of 17-23 January 2010:

"Google vs. China" on Search Engine from TVO

TVO's Search Engine with Jesse Brown has previously been cited on this blog as an exceptional example of niche media. This week, the podcast was a nice demonstration of the influence of the Internet on media more broadly, as it interviewed Watson Meng, editor of Boxun, a Chinese citizen-journalism news site. His take on the Google-China dispute from the past week is interesting, but like anything else on the Internet, can it be trusted in this 10-minute podcast?

Listen to streaming MP3 of Search Engine "Google vs. China"


Week of 10-16 January 2010:

"Animal Minds" on Radio Lab from WNYC

I'm slightly reluctant about this week's pick because it raised far more questions than it gave answers, which is not my preference for a science show. Yet, it's hard to deny that this 59-minute episode of Radio Lab told some very compelling animal stories in an engaging way, even if the explanation for the behavior is unclear. Stay tuned to the end--the final story about a seal trying to feed a human may have been the highlight of the whole show.

Listen to streaming MP3 of Radio Lab "Animal Minds"


Week of 3-9 January 2010:

"Marketing the Unpleasant" on The Age of Persuasion from CBC Radio One

Terry O'Reilly is back with another season of the excellent radio show on marketing, The Age of Persuasion. The 27-minute program made quite an impression in its first show of the season, taking on the task of how to promote unmentionables. Especially interesting was a process I watched in my own life, how HIV changed what content was acceptable on the air. This was a well-done retrospective, a great example of how to make history interesting to start the year.

Listen to streaming MP3 of The Age of Persuasion "Marketing the Unpleasant"


Click for previous picks from 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009


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(C) 2006-2010 Lance Gleich - Last Updated: 28 August 2010