Weekly Program Highlights
Friday 9/18
NOON – 1:00 PM
Fresh Air… The new film Coyote vs. Acme stars the classic Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote. This week on Fresh Air, hear an archive interview with the character’s co-creator, Chuck Jones.
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Science Friday… Take a look at the science behind hot flashes. Plus, why providers are reconsidering prescribing hormone therapy for perimenopause, and what medical claims to watch out for online.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… On Today, Explained, look at why depictions of glamorous, mature women on TV owe their very existence to the Muppets character Miss Piggy and to the women of Real Housewives over the last 20 years.
3:00 – 4:00 PM and 4:30 – 6:30 PM
All Things Considered… Affordability seems to be top of mind for many Americans right now. Take a look at how some Nebraskans are thinking about affordability leading up to the midterms in a state with a key congressional race.
4:00 – 4:30 PM
Marketplace… Host Kai Ryssdal explores the trade war with Canada and looks at tariffs that are small in number, but very big in effect.
6:30 – 7:30 PM
The Club McKenzie… The Transition: The acoustic-to-electric shift is one of the great inflection points for sound, and it happened remarkably fast once it started. Through 1924, records were cut using the acoustic horn method, which couldn't capture a full frequency or dynamic range of the instruments. In 1925, however, electrical recording changed how bands could perform while recording. The invention of microphones meant recordings could capture a much wider range and had the ability to pick up subtler playing, so musicians could now sit at a natural distance from one another.
Saturday 9/19
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!… This week on Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the panelists are Adam Burke, Shantira Jackson, and newcomer Sam Rocha. Plus, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hernan Diaz talks about his books and plays Not My Job.
11:00 – NOON
Radiolab… This week on Radiolab, the show looks at why people get goosebumps. They’ll face chilly winds, sudden frights and moments when the world seems to shift under your feet to figure out what the little bumps on our skin might be trying to tell us.
3:00 – 5:00 PM
American Routes… San Antonio is best known for Tex-Mex, or Tejano, music, played by squeeze box masters like the late Flaco Jiménez, Narciso Martinez and Mingo Saldivar, among many. This week on American Routes, hear a conversation with Flaco, who carried the music worldwide, connecting New Orleans and Louisiana Swamp Pop with San Antonio and East Los Angeles. Plus, hear from Vox organ legend Augie Meyers and Max Baca, the leader and bajo sexto player of Los Texmaniacs.
Sunday 9/20
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Hidden Brain… Do you ever struggle to communicate with your mom? Or feel like you and your spouse sometimes speak different languages? This week on Hidden Brain, revisit a favorite conversation with linguist Deborah Tannen. She shows how our conversational styles can cause unintended conflicts, and what we can do to communicate more effectively with the people in our lives.
11:00 – NOON
This American Life… Hear stories of people trying to make sense of something uniquely mysterious to them by going to someone from a different era.
NOON – 2:00 PM
Sunday Baroque… September 21st is the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, an annual event that focuses on efforts to end conflict and promote peace around the world. Sunday Baroque celebrates International Day of Peace with peaceful music, including selections from an opera composed in honor of a peace treaty.
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!… This week on Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the panelists are Adam Burke, Shantira Jackson, and newcomer Sam Rocha. Plus, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hernan Diaz talks about his books and plays Not My Job.
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Latino USA… Hear from Guadalupe Rosales, creator of two archival projects focused on the Los Angeles backyard party scene of the ‘80s and ‘90s that celebrate big hair, house music, and endless nights. Then, hear from two Dominican artists as they pay a visit to Brooklyn's oldest Dominican restaurant. They discuss the Dominican Republic's difficult past, explore Afro-Dominican music, and their own Dominicanidad.
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Reveal… Research has shown for years that birth control is associated with depression in some patients. Later in life, the transition to menopause still catches so many women by surprise. Explore what we know – and still don’t know – about women’s reproductive health.
6:00 – 7:00 PM
The Moth Radio Hour… This week on The Moth Radio Hour, stories of considering "what's in a name," a dangerous CIA mission, and the rise and fall of an unusual musical act.
Monday 9/21
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… Trump is determined to keep building up his Washington because, as he says, no one is ever going to do it for him when he’s gone.
Tuesday 9/22
1:00 – 2:00 PM
The Reluctant Therapist… Host Elizabeth Barrett sits down with relationship coach Zach Watson. After a separation forced him to confront his own blind spots, the former teacher became a certified Fair Play facilitator and developed an audience of over 1.4 million followers. He helps couples balance household labor, improve relationships, and reduce the invisible mental load often carried by wives. Listen in as Zach shares practical tools to help you transform your marriage.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… Depending who you ask, AI could either destroy us all or save us all.
Wednesday 9/23
1:00 – 1:30 PM
Bioneers… Water makes life possible, from the tiniest bacteria to the tallest tree. This week on Bioneers, meet Erica Gies, author of Water Always Wins, who explores water’s unique role in the web of life, and how we might repair and reshape our relationship with it.
1:30 – 2:00 PM
California Report Magazine… This week on California Report Magazine, hear the first episode of a new podcast called The Speaker: How Nancy Pelosi Changed the Face of Power.
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Today, Explained… A Wired expose of the “burnerverse” illustrates how college hazing and bullying have reached horrifying new heights, even as tech platforms that allow virality offer no recourse for victims.
6:30 – 8:00 PM
KCBX in Concert… This week on KCBX in Concert, join host Craig Russell as he explores upcoming local concerts, beginning with the Santa Maria Philharmonic, which is performing Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, and Copland on September 26. On October 2, the Cal Poly Music Faculty presents its Showcase with intriguing pieces, including Claude Bolling’s jazz quartet, Klezmer-based clarinet music, difficult tuba music, vocal selections, piano classics, and incredible percussion. Craig then delves into the SLO Symphony’s opening concert on October 4, featuring Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and the world-premiere of Stefan Podell’s A Sense of Place.
Thursday 9/24
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Central Coast Voices… Cal Poly Arts Director Molly Clark and Programming and Development Manager Coralee Wagenhurst join host Lata Murti to talk about the season's upcoming performances, including Ballet Folklorico de México, and musicals Beetlejuice and SIX.
Friday 9/25
6:30 – 7:30 PM
The Club McKenzie… Panning for Songs: One of Tin Pan Alley’s early street marketing attempts led to one of its most widely storied and interesting subcultures: the “song plugger,” a publisher employee who performed the organization’s most recent songs in public settings to increase popular interest. This practice created a familiarity, which evolved into demand, somewhat similar to the constant repetition of pop songs in video form on MTV. Many of these pluggers were songwriters who worked their way up the ranks to become vital components of the Tin Pan Alley song machine.