RadioWest artwork

RadioWest

471 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 711 ratings

KUER’s award-winning interview show explores the world through deep thinkers who host Doug Fabrizio asks to think even deeper. Join writers, filmmakers, scientists and others on RadioWest: A show for the wildly curious.

Arts History business culture interview comedy health news politics entrepreneurship leadership science
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

A Journey To The Edge of Madness

June 17, 2022 17:53 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

The poet and journalist Melissa Bond had terrible insomnia. Her doctor prescribed Ativan, a benzodiazepine. Then her life fell apart.

The Hidden History Of Gay D.C.

June 16, 2022 22:58 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Queer people have worked at all levels of our nation’s politics and government. But in the mid 20th century, when being queer was vilified — and often associated with Communism, Nazism, and plotting against America — coming out was tantamount to social obliteration and career annihilation. So people hid.

The Hidden History of Gay D.C.

June 16, 2022 22:58 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Queer people have worked at all levels of our nation’s politics and government. But in the mid 20th century, when being queer was vilified — and often associated with Communism, Nazism, and plotting against America — coming out was tantamount to social obliteration and career annihilation. So people hid.

It's Not Too Late (Yet) For A New Water Policy

June 10, 2022 17:02 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Water policy shapes how we live in the West, and for years, we’ve carried on, changing very little in our water consumption, even in the face of megadroughts, increasing population density and shrinking lakes and rivers.

Mormon Feminists And The Equal Rights Amendment

June 10, 2022 05:06 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

In the 1970’s 63% of Utahns were in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment until The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opposed it.

Mormon Feminists and the Equal Rights Amendment

June 10, 2022 05:06 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

In the 1970’s 63% of Utahns were in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment until The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opposed it.

Through the Lens: A Face in the Crowd

June 03, 2022 19:50 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

In 1957, Elia Kazan’s film about a media influencer was received with unfavorable reviews. Viewed in 2022, A Face in the Crowd seems absolutely prescient.

The Science Of Heartbreak

May 26, 2022 21:40 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

When journalist Florence Williams’ husband left their long marriage, she was heartbroken. But the breakup left more than an emotional wound: the damage was physical, too.

Florence Williams on the Science of Heartbreak

May 26, 2022 21:40 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

When journalist Florence Williams’ husband left their long marriage, she was heartbroken. But the breakup left more than an emotional wound: the damage was physical, too.

Giulio Boccaletti On The History Of Water

May 26, 2022 21:17 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

In a new book, the climate scientist and writer Giulio Boccaletti makes the case that the history of human civilization is inextricably tied to one simple and yet powerful force: water.

The History Of Water

May 26, 2022 21:17 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

The climate scientist and writer Giulio Boccaletti makes the case that the history of human civilization is inextricably tied to one simple and yet powerful force: water.

Starting The Conversation: Indigenous Boarding Schools In The U.S.

May 20, 2022 15:20 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Last week, the U.S. Department of Interior released an investigative report on Indigenous boarding schools in America. Of the 408 reported, eight were in Utah; three of those Utah schools are still operating.

Exploring The Meaning Of Rock Art

May 20, 2022 15:18 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Nature writer Craig Childs says that the placement of rock art in the American Southwest isn’t random.

Through the Lens: The Watermelon Woman

May 13, 2022 22:20 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Written and directed by Cheryl Dunye, The Watermelon Woman is a classic work of LGBTQ filmmaking.

Michael Easter On How To Embrace Discomfort

May 13, 2022 00:32 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

More human beings are more comfortable today than at any time in the history of our species. And sure, comfort is nice, but what if we actually have too much of it?

A History of Abortion in Utah

May 06, 2022 16:11 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

With the future of Roe v. Wade in jeopardy, we’re looking to the history of abortion in Utah for some perspective. It’s more complicated than you might think.

Sounds Wild and Broken: Exploring the Sonic World with David George Haskell

May 06, 2022 02:03 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Our planet is filled with sound — birdsong, music, speech. Even the earth itself makes noise. That sonic diversity is in danger.

Web Extra: Rethinking Planned Parenthood In Utah

May 05, 2022 23:31 - 16 minutes - 7.37 MB

The first draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson suggests that Roe v. Wade will be overturned. Abortion-rights advocates in Utah anticipated this and have been working on how to serve our community, if the law changes.

Web Extra: Rethinking Planned Parenthood in Utah

May 05, 2022 23:31 - 16 minutes - 7.37 MB

The first draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson suggests that Roe v. Wade will be overturned. Abortion-rights advocates in Utah anticipated this and have been working on how to serve our community, if the law changes.

Web Extra: Roe v. SCOTUS

May 04, 2022 23:09 - 37 minutes - 17.2 MB

On Monday night, the online news magazine, Politico, published the first draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion that, if accepted, would create a very different future for abortion rights in the United States.

The Future Of Utah’s Water

April 29, 2022 21:06 - 50 minutes - 23 MB

With the snowy months coming to a close, the question on many Utahns mind is: Will our winter snowpack pull us out of the drought?

Examining FX’s 'Under the Banner of Heaven'

April 29, 2022 00:07 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

The FX adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s 2003 book Under the Banner of Heaven premiers on Hulu this week, and we’re talking about it with its creator, Dustin Lance Black.

Will News About Sen. Mike Lee’s Texts Hurt His Reelection Campaign?

April 22, 2022 19:19 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Last Friday, CNN revealed a series of text messages sent between former White House Chief of Staff and Utah Senator Mike Lee. The texts have raised questions about Lee’s involvement in the Trump administration’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Exploring The Flat Earth Conspiracy With Kelly Weill

April 22, 2022 00:08 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

People have known the earth is a globe for thousands of years. So, why do some contemporary conspiracy theorists still insist that our planet is flat?

Exploring Near Death Experiences With Dr. Bruce Greyson

April 15, 2022 16:43 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Stories of near-death experiences are not uncommon, but science generally dismisses them as tricks of the brain. But is dying really the end of consciousness?

Katharine Hayhoe On How To Talk About Climate Change

April 14, 2022 18:24 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Climate scientist and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe says one of the most important ways to fight climate change is to talk about it. And she wants to show people how.

How To Talk About Climate Change

April 14, 2022 18:24 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Climate scientist and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe says one of the most important ways to fight climate change is to talk about it. And she wants to show people how.

Through The Lens: 'Ghost In The Shell'

April 08, 2022 16:50 - 43 minutes - 19.8 MB

In 1995, Japanese director Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell changed the way audiences — and other filmmakers — thought about animated films.

When A BYU Student Tried To Cure Homosexuality

April 07, 2022 22:10 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

In the 1970s, a Brigham Young University graduate student named Max Ford McBride conducted an experiment. The goal? To cure homosexuality with shock therapy.

'Sent Away': Investigating Utah's Troubled Teen Industry

April 01, 2022 17:37 - 50 minutes - 22.8 MB

Utah is the epicenter of the so-called “troubled-teen” industry, with many programs seeing thousands of young people pass through their doors. And yet, for as many people as this industry has served, until recently, it had little-to-no government oversight.

Going 'Under Jerusalem' With Journalist Andrew Lawler

March 31, 2022 23:12 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

The city of Jerusalem is widely thought of as the gateway to heaven. And yet, as the journalist Andrew Lawler reveals in a new book, what lay below the Holy City is almost as intriguing as what many believe awaits above it.

Utah's Debate Over Transgender Athletes

March 25, 2022 20:30 - 51 minutes - 23.3 MB

On Tuesday, Governor Spencer Cox vetoed a bill that would’ve banned young transgender athletes from competing on girls’ teams. On Friday, the Utah legislature will attempt to overturn the governor’s veto.

The End of Craving with Mark Schatzker

March 24, 2022 22:12 - 51 minutes

In recent years, many Americans have cut carbs and sugar, reduced fat and tried every diet. Yet millions of us still have high blood pressure, are pre-diabetic and obese. Why?

A History Of Clothing In Five Fabrics

March 18, 2022 17:33 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Take a look at the tag in your collar and you’ll see where your shirt was made. But what does made in China, Vietnam or anywhere else really mean?

How The Jackalope Captured The World’s Imagination

March 17, 2022 22:53 - 52 minutes - 23.8 MB

You’ve probably seen it on postcards, on bottles of gin or mounted on the wall in gas stations or quaint restaurants: The jackalope. Half jackrabbit, half antelope. A true icon of the American West. But why? And where does it come from?

The Past, Present And Future Of Utah Lake: Part II

March 11, 2022 18:08 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Utah Lake is in dire straits. At least, that’s the opinion of the company behind a massive engineering plan proposed for the lake. To save it, they say, we need to dredge it and build dozens of islands on it. Opponents say the project, rather than save Utah Lake, would likely lead to ecological disaster.

Through The Lens: ‘The Searchers’

March 11, 2022 02:29 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

John Ford’s 1956 Western The Searchers is a masterpiece of the genre. In advance of our in-person screening the film, we'll spend this hour talking about its complex legacy.

'Sent Away': Episode Two

March 08, 2022 22:14 - 36 minutes - 16.7 MB

Listen to the second episode of Sent Away, an investigative partnership between KUER, The Salt Lake Tribune and APM Reports about Utah's youth treatment industry.

'Sent Away': Episode One

March 08, 2022 22:12 - 32 minutes - 14.7 MB

Listen to the first episode of Sent Away, an investigative reporting partnership between KUER, The Salt Lake Tribune and APM Reports about Utah's youth treatment industry.

What Happened At The 2022 Utah Legislative Session

March 04, 2022 20:06 - 51 minutes - 23.7 MB

The 2022 Utah Legislative Session concludes at midnight on March 4. Hours before the session ends, we'll talk with a panel of journalists to help us understand which bills passed, which didn’t and why.

A Myth-Busting Journey Into The Female Body With Rachel E. Gross

March 04, 2022 16:17 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Suffering from a gynecological infection, the science journalist Rachel E. Gross did what she does best: She researched. She wanted to know how the vagina works. But she soon ran into the big problem of how little we actually know about the female body.

The Past, Present And Future Of Utah Lake: Part I

February 25, 2022 20:55 - 51 minutes - 23.6 MB

Debate is swirling around a proposed project to dredge Utah Lake and use the recovered sediment to build nearly three dozen islands. Proponents of the plan claim it’s the only way to save the ailing lake, while a chorus of detractors say it’s a boondoggle with no scientific basis. But what about the lake itself?

The Life And Legacy Of Michael Quinn  

February 25, 2022 02:19 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

In September of 1993, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints excommunicated or disfellowshipped six academically-minded members, including former BYU professor and historian Michael Quinn.

Minister And Chaplain Lynn Casteel Harper On Dementia

February 18, 2022 20:27 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

Lynn Casteel Harper, a Baptist minister and nursing home chaplain, has born first-hand witness to the ravages of Alzheimer's. She says the way we think and talk about the disease often only adds to the pain and suffering.

How The 20th Century Learned To Act

February 18, 2022 00:15 - 50 minutes - 23 MB

Think of a performance in film or theater that captured you — a portrayal so engrossing that actor and character seemed to become one. How does that happen?

How The 20th Century Learned To Act

February 17, 2022 23:35

Think of a performance in film or theater that captured you — a portrayal so engrossing that actor and character seemed to become one. How does that happen?

Remixing And Reexamining 'Birth Of A Nation'

February 11, 2022 15:23 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film Birth of a Nation is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema history. It’s also deeply and disturbingly racist. So, why would an avant-garde hip-hop artist want to revive the film and bring it to the attention of a modern audience?

Who Gets To Say What Kids Read?

February 11, 2022 01:34 - 50 minutes - 23 MB

What book changed you as a kid? Was it To Kill a Mockingbird? Lord of the Rings? Perhaps a coming-of-age graphic novel or a dense instruction manual on assembling your bike?

The State and Fate of the Great Salt Lake, Part III

February 04, 2022 19:26 - 49 minutes - 22.4 MB

Everybody seems to agree the Great Salt Lake is in dire straits. So, what can be done to help it?

Florence Williams On The Science Of Heartbreak

February 04, 2022 00:13 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

When journalist Florence Williams’ husband left their long marriage, she was heartbroken. But the breakup left more than an emotional wound: the damage was physical, too.

Guests

Dave Eggers
2 Episodes
Dolly Parton
2 Episodes
Karen Armstrong
2 Episodes
Richard Powers
2 Episodes
Tan France
2 Episodes
Bill Buford
1 Episode
Colin Dickey
1 Episode
Mitt Romney
1 Episode
Pico Iyer
1 Episode