All Sides with Ann Fisher Podcast - All Sides with Ann Fisher

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Fascinating Ohio: an artist, an author and a professor/kidney donor Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Sometimes, it’s the people we least expect who will change the direction of our lives. For many, our parents teach us about the world and how to exist within it. But for others, family is found.

Family can be found in many ways, for Richard Durate Brown, it was through his passion for art.

Sports are a platform for athletes to speak out against racial injustice. The Civil Rights Movement was greatly advanced by athletes like Muhammed Ali and Jesse Owens.

We’ll meet an author who highlights Jim Brown, the former football player for the Cleveland Browns, who is more than an athlete.

Prior to being a pop culture professor, we will meet someone who was also a flying trapeze artist, cliff diver, stunt driver, and also became a life saver.

It's all coming up on this week's edition of Fascinating Ohio.

Guests:

Richard Durate Brown, artist and art educator
Robert A. Bennett III, associate professor, Denison University/author, More than an Athlete: Jim Brown, Black Capitalism and the Black Economic Union
Montana Miller, associate professor of popular culture, Bowling Green State University

How can academic leaders position higher education for the future? Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Higher education is costing more and some say it's delivering less.

In a world of fast-paced technology and micro-credentials, are public universities becoming relics of the past?

A group of experts in higher education, including former Ohio State President Gordon Gee, will gather at Ohio State to discuss ways to modernize universities.

From expanding AI to strengthening transparency. From rebuilding trust to aligning education with real-world needs.

How can academic leaders position higher education for the future?

Guests:

Gordon Gee, president emeritus, The Ohio State University
Steve Gavazzi, professor of human development and family science/director of CHRR, The Ohio State University
David Rosowsky, senior advisor to the president, Arizona State University

photo: Mark Duncan / AP

Tech Tuesday: Driverless semis could soon be on roadways Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Driverless trucks may seem to be a thing of the future, but it's coming faster than we think, and it's being tested right in our backyard.

What does it mean for a truck to have no driver? How does it work? Is it safe?

Meta will soon be signing a very large check: a $16.7 billion check to be exact with money flowing to dozens of states, including $319 million to Ohio.

The tech giant also pledged to make substantial changes to the platform to protect kids. So what exactly will be different?

Are you looking to upgrade your old iPhone? It might be best to wait to save on deals. Apple typically releases its new models in September. This year it might include a foldable iPhone.

And what if earbuds could listen and hear?

We're discussing all of these topics on this week's edition of Tech Tuesday.

Guests:

Abbi Failla, chief administrative officer, EASE
Paresh Dave, senior writer, WIRED
Russell Holly, director of commerce content, CNET

photo: Gene J. Puskar / AP

What are the financial and leadership challenges currently facing many local nonprofits? Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

In many U.S. cities, you'll find a partnership between civic leaders, local businesses, and nonprofits working to better the community.

Here in Ohio's capital city, it's known as the "Columbus Way."

However, economic challenges and social forces have some feeling that local nonprofits are losing their way.

We're talking about why it may be time to reimagine nonprofit leadership.

Guests:

Mark Barbash, lecturer, Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs
Karen Mozenter, CEO, Jewish Family Services/vice chair, Human Service Chamber

Cinema Columbus Film Festival showcases Ohio filmmakers Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

The Cinema Columbus Film Festival has moved from May to September and it's an annual showcase for Ohio filmmakers.

This year's topics are timely and topical, including a Columbus native of Haitian descent exploring the Haitian experience in America.

Another filmmaker tells the story of Columbus through interwoven stories. An Ohio State University professor-turned filmmaker explores modern marriage and traditions in China. And that's just a sampling of what's in store.

Guests:

Brett Reiter, festival director of the Cinema Columbus Film Festival
Logan St. Hilaire, filmmaker
Claudia Owusu, filmmaker

Weekly reporter roundtable: Amy Acton, Vivek Ramaswamy woo voters in Ohio governor's race Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

From political attack ads to unexpected policy positions, we look at how the two candidates, Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, for Ohio's next governor are trying to woo voters.

Stark differences emerge in the U.S. Senate race between Senator Jon Husted and former Senator Sherrod Brown and a grief-stricken family asks Husted's campaign to remove a political ad.

We'll also look at Flock cameras and how misusing the technology would be a felony under a proposed Ohio bill. Plus, an Ohio judge kicked off the bench and suspended is on the November ballot.

Finally, did you know, Ohio children received more free books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library than any other state. We'll discuss all this and more on our Weekly Reporter Roundtable.

Guests:

Jeremy Pelzer, chief politics reporter for Cleveland.com
Haley BeMiller, state government and politics reporter for the Columbus Dispatch
Jake Zuckerman, reporter for Signal Ohio

Fascinating Ohio: A breakfast influencer, a women’s advocate and a math educator Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

There are so many ways to fix breakfast. But what makes a restaurant’s breakfast special, special?

Columbus has some serious chef talent, and a food and travel writer is spotlighting that talent.

Hardships can be a part of any life, but doing something with them and turning it into something positive can be difficult, but this is what one woman did.

Math is difficult for many students. It can be very challenging to learn new math skills and kids often become overwhelmed and discouraged by its challenges, but one teacher decided to fix this problem.

Guests:

Nick Dekker, food and travel writer, Breakfast with Nick
Dureti "Mimi" Tadesse, CEO and founder, Cawwaaqee Guuttatta Women’s Empowerment
Caroline Farkas, certified teacher and educational content creator/founder, Doodles and Digits

What can Columbus Blue Jackets fans expect in the upcoming season? Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Columbus Blue Jackets fans are nothing if not loyal.

They've rolled with many punches over the years, but it's been a summer of discontent for local hockey lovers. Firings, team shakeups and trade rumors have rattled, well, pretty much everyone who cares about the team.

With training camp just around the corner, can the team end a six-season playoff drought?

We are talking all things Blue Jackets on this hour of All Sides.

Guests:

Aaron Portzline, senior reporter, The Athletic
Todd Sharrock, vice president of communications, Columbus Blue Jackets
Jody Shelley, TV color analyst/former Blue Jackets forward

photo: Jay LaPrete / AP

Book highlights the history of Black police officers in America Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

The Black Lives Matter movement was monumental in calling out police brutality in our nation. It brought to light countless gruesome stories of victims and officers who dodged accountability.

But the police force has had a long history of brutality against the Black community, even Black police officers.

To fight back against the discrimination they faced, Cleveland police officers began the Shield Club, an organization representing Black officers. For decades, the group tried to bring reforms to the police system. Sometimes the efforts were fruitful, but many times, a lost cause.

How did Black police officers reconcile working for the same system that they felt put their own community at risk? And can you really fix a system from within?

Journalist Wilbert L. Cooper uncovers the story of being a Black cop in America in his recent book The Black Shield.

He shares the stories of his own family members, who were almost all police officers, and shares the history of one of the country’s oldest Black policing organizations.

Guest:

Wilbert L. Cooper, journalist, The Marshall Project/author, The Black Shield

photo: The Black Shield Police Association / facebook

Does Columbus' lack of identity impact people's view of the city? Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

The phrase, "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there," sums up some people's feelings about the “downtown” of a city.

According to a national study, city leaders' efforts to bring people back downtown have a long way to go.

The most recent nationwide City Pulse survey found that nearly 75% of city residents say their central business districts offer a great experience but fewer than half visit weekly.

This statistic applies to Columbus as well. Columbus is the fastest growing city in the Midwest, but the survey found that the city lacks an identity.

On this hour of All Sides, we’re talking about what it takes to turn around some of those views.

How are leaders working to promote Columbus and what is the city’s identity?

Guests: