Radio Times

Latest Episodes:

William Still: Father of the Underground Railroad Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

William Still, a leading 19^th century abolitionist working in Philadelphia, conducted hundreds of enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad, but his name is often forgotten. In a new biography, historian ANDREW DIEMER returns William Still to his rightful place in history alongside the more widely recognized figures like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas and John Brown. Diemer details Still’s life, from poverty, to becoming a leader in the abolitionist movement, then a wealthy coal merchant.

Born in 1821, Still grew up in the New Jersey Pinelands, the youngest of 18 children to parents who had once been enslaved. He came to Philadelphia with nothing, taught himself to read and write and secured a job at the Anti-Slavery Society, starting his abolition work. In addition to helping hundreds of people escape slavery, Still also kept detailed records of his work and published an 800-page book, “The Underground Railroad: A Record of Facts, Authentic Narrative, Letters, Etc,” which remains an important historical account. Diemer joins us to talk about Still’s life and contributions and why his story has been overlooked. His book is, Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad.

Regional Roundup: November 7, 2022 Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Philadelphia had one of its biggest sports weekends in history, but both the Phillies and the Union missed their chance at being crowned champions. Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist MARCUS HAYES join us to talk about the tough losses and the brighter side of Philly sports in a so-far undefeated Eagles season.

Midterm election day arrives Tuesday, and over a million Pennsylvanians have already cast their ballots. With many Americans fearing “radical” candidates in several states, we talk with former Republican New Jersey Governor CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN about moderate politics and a centrist movement in the Forward Party.

To celebrate what’s been a fantastic arts scene in the region this year, we’re revisiting our standout interview with actor RICHARD THOMAS and our conversations with Mushroom playwright EISA DAVIS and solo-performer STEVEN ENG.

Bonus Interview: Imani Perry Travels ‘South to America’ Nov 05, 2022

Show notes

If you’re from the South, live there, have visited or even just skim headlines about the region, you probably have an opinion on this distinct area of the United States. Princeton University African American studies professor IMANI PERRY argues understanding the complicated history and character of the South as the nation’s heartland is key to understanding America.

In South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, she explores the varied land and much of its painful history as she searches for her enslaved ancestors. From Maryland to Texas, to her birthplace of Birmingham, Perry narrates her travels, the memories visited, and answers questions about how life in the South has shaped the culture of a nation.

From the archive, we revisit our interview with Perry, whose work continues to receive collective praise for her framing of history and politics in the United States.

What will Musk’s Twitter look like? Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

“The bird is freed,” Elon Musk tweeted after taking the helm at Twitter—and it’s been a busy week since. He fired the executives and Friday morning mass termination emails are going out potentially half the employees. He floated charging for verification, assured advertisers that the social media app wouldn’t be a “a free-for-all hellscape,” tweeted a conspiracy theory to his 113 million followers and talked with civil rights leaders about hate speech after the N-word increased 500% in one day since the takeover.

Twitter users and observers have reasonable cause for wariness as the world’s wealthiest man, with strong views against censorship, takes control of what he hopes will become the world’s “digital town square.” Today, we discuss Musk’s ideas for remaking Twitter, what we can glean from his use of the social media platform and what it might mean for the future of the platform, free speech and public discourse.

Guests

Will Oremus, writes on technology and society for The Washington Post. @willoremus

Issie Lapowsky, chief correspondent for Protocol. @issielapowsky

Election security and the threats to it Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Election officials are holding their breath this midterm election cycle with heightened political rhetoric, impassioned voters, close races and misinformation and conspiracy theories swirling. The FBI has warned that extremist groups could pose a threat. And we’ve already seen voter and election official harassment and a shocking act of likely political violence against Nancy Pelosi’s husband.

Some Republican candidates are preemptively questioning the election results, a worrisome tactic, particularly because many races could take days to finalize, leaving time for false claims to flourish. In addition, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court just ordered county election officials to set aside undated mail-in ballots — a victory of the Republican groups who filed the lawsuit to remove them from the count.

Today, we’ll talk about security in our election system and if it can withstand the pressure and attacks. We’ll also look at how false election claims have been used to sow distrust in our electoral process and how to counter them.

Guests

Leigh Chapman, Pennsylvania’s Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth,

Al Schmidt, President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy

Nick Corasaniti, national politics reporter for The New York Times.

Screenagers: the digital lives of young people Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Most teens look at screens for hours every day, scrolling through TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube. Meanwhile, there’s an adolescent mental health crisis with record rates of anxiety and depression. And last year, a whistleblower revealed that social media companies know the detrimental effect their apps have on some young people—and may be exploiting it. All this has sounded an alarm about the issue of kids and their screens.

But Harvard University Project Zero researchers EMILY WEINSTEIN and CARRIE JAMES say there’s a lot adults have gotten wrong about young people’s digital lives. They’ve spent a decade researching adolescents and screens and most recently interviewed 3,500 teens about their relationship with phones and social media – what they like, dislike, how it makes them feel and what they wish adults understood. They lay it out in a new book, Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (And Adults Are Missing).

We Recommend

Harvard Social Impact Review, Teens, Social Media, and Mental Health: It’s Not As Clear Cut As You Think – “But there are also teens who are adamant that digital connectivity is a path to crucial sources of support, connection, validation, and inspiration.”

The Washington Post, What parents are getting wrong about teens and sexting – “In fact, sexting among adolescents has become such a concern in some quarters, that experts have advocated including it in sex education curriculums, decriminalizing consensual sexting between teens, and teaching “safe sexting,…”

Regional Roundup: October 31, 2022 Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

With Covid-19 still lurking and the arrival of flu season, murmurs of a possible “twindemic” are popping up. But not to panic, experts say there’s no need to go overboard with chemicals to keep ourselves safe. We’ll talk about the spread of viruses and bacteria and exactly how vaccines, clean air and simple hand washing protect us.

Our guest is Dr. Emanuel Goldman (@Rutgers_NJMS), professor of microbiology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Hundreds of restaurants shuttered their doors over the last few years, and those that survived through outdoor seating and take-out menus are understaffed or even raising prices due to inflation.

Our guest, Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan (@CraigLaBan), says we should no longer hold eateries to pre-pandemic scorecards. We’ll talk about how the industry has maybe changed for good and why he’s doing away with his famous bell-rating system.

The Phillies will play the third game of the World Series at home Monday, in a city full of sports fans often known for some infamous behavior and superstitions. Why do Philadelphians love to talk about the curse of Billy Penn or get particular about their choice of t-shirt on game day?

We’ll talk about superstitions with J.P. Romney (@romney_jp), writer for The Philadelphia Citizen.

Bonus Episode: Finding the Mother Tree Oct 29, 2022

Show notes

In healthy forests, researchers have discovered that trees communicate with one another and share resources across species through underground fungal networks. Ecologist SUZANNE SIMARD joined Radio Times last year to talk about her groundbreaking research that’s changed our understanding of trees and forest ecology.

She explains in this podcast the fascinating social network that thrives between trees in old growth forests and the threat posed by forest practices like clear-cutting. Her new book is Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.

Vampire panic and the undying legacy of ‘Dracula’ Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

Bram Stoker’s legendary horror tale Dracula was published 125 years ago and remains one of the most famous pieces of English literature today. The quintessential vampire, Count Dracula, has sustained our undying curiosity about a horrifying immortal creature that feeds on the blood of the living, especially innocent and virginal women.

The novel itself has been adapted for film dozens of times and has made an undeniable impact on international pop culture. Stoker’s work has also managed to stay relevant through its themes of sexual fantasy, fear of “the other” and worries about science and medicine. This hour, we dig deep into vampire folklore, the legend of Dracula and what inspired Stoker to write the novel.

Dacre Stoker (@dacrestoker), great grandnephew of Bram and co-author of several books including Dracula the Un-Dead, will join us.

We’ll talk with Meredith Sellers (@MutterMuseum), co-curator of The Mütter Museum exhibit “Dracula and the Incorruptible Body.”

The museum’s exhibit tells the story of the Northeast vampire panic in the 19^th century, in the height of deadly tuberculosis outbreak that caused desperate people to dig up gravesites of the recently deceased to look for signs of vampirism.

The Phillies in the World Series Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

The Phillies pulled off a remarkable win against the Padres Sunday night and are now headed to the World Series. The fans went wild after 2021 MVP Bryce Harper’s series-clinching home run, flooding the Citizen Bank Park field and spreading to city streets and up greased lampposts. Not since 2009 have the Phillies made it to the World Series a year after they were crowned World Champions, and now they’re back again to compete against the against the Astros, who enter their fourth World Series in six years. Game 1 is Friday night in Houston.

We’ll celebrate the Phillies National League pennant win, discuss the season and how the team came together, and their matchup against the Astros with Phillies play-by-play TV broadcaster TOM MCCARTHY, Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist MARCUS HAYES, and The Athletic’s MATT GELB and WHYY news host AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT, who is an all-around Philadelphia sports fan.

We recommend

The Athletic, Phillies observations and thoughts as World Series showdown with Astros nears – “In the weeks since the Phillies altered the course of the entire organization with a postseason run that might be unparalleled in its unexpectedness, there have been small moments to appreciate the insanity of it all.”

Philadelphia Inquirer, Ryan Howard says Bryce Harper’s ‘growth’ helped the Phillies reach the World Series – ““He’s waaaaaaay different now. He’s embraced the entire situation and the only focus is on winning a championship. … There’s shades of ’08 there.””

WHYY, ‘Like a dream’: Phillies dance their way to the World Series – “Philadelphia police and emergency officials shut down city streets as fans blocked intersections with marching bands and fireworks, while others simply basked in the historic victory.”