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Radiotopia

In 2004, a racial controversy erupted at a small, mostly white performing arts high school in rural Massachusetts. There were protests. TV news crews. A tense all-school assembly. And then, an announcement: the school would stage an iconic American musical that no one saw coming. This is the story of that production. Coming June 2025. 

Radiotopia Presents premiers short multi-episode series in one podcast feed, unified by bold, inclusive storytelling pushing the boundaries of audio. Learn more at radiotopiapresents.fm and discover more shows from across the Radiotopia network at radiotopia.fm.

Radiotopia Presents: Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative

Welcome to September. Public media has had a rough summer. On July 18th, Congress passed the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminated $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Then on August 1st, CPB announced they would be winding down operations.

When folks talk about these cuts, they usually talk about the vital public services public media provides, such as emergency alerts. But we'd be remiss if we didn't also talk about how NPR is an audio storytelling powerhouse. Throughout the month, we've partnered with our friends at NPR to present four pieces that represent the breadth and depth of their incredible reporting.

We hope you enjoy.

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Part 1: This weekend on The Sunday Story, NPR's Laura Sullivan examines how the nation is failing to rebuild after major storms in a way that will protect them from the next one. As climate-related storms become more frequent and severe, NPR and PBS FRONTLINE investigate the forces keeping communities from building resiliently, and the special interests that profit when communities don't. Despite billions in federal aid, outdated policies, weak building codes, and political resistance are putting lives and homes at continued risk.

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Helene's Deadly Warning from NPR's Up First

Welcome to September. Public media has had a rough summer. On July 18th, Congress passed the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminated $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Then on August 1st, CPB announced they would be winding down operations.

When folks talk about these cuts, they usually talk about the vital public services public media provides, such as emergency alerts. But we'd be remiss if we didn't also talk about how NPR is an audio storytelling powerhouse. Throughout the month, we've partnered with our friends at NPR to present four pieces that represent the breadth and depth of their incredible reporting.

We hope you enjoy.

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As AI infiltrates every aspect of our lives, who are some of the people behind this huge inflection point? In this special three-part series, you'll hear from the people predicting and shaping our tech future. Host Manoush Zomorodi reports on the latest and revisits her favorite conversations with the minds crafting the digital world we live in today: what they've gotten right — and wrong — and where they think we're headed next. Part 1 features futurist Ray Kurzweil and counterculture icon Stewart Brand.

TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Prophets of Technology from TED Radio Hour

Welcome to September. Public media has had a rough summer. On July 18th, Congress passed the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminated $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Then on August 1st, CPB announced they would be winding down operations.

When folks talk about these cuts, they usually talk about the vital public services public media provides, such as emergency alerts. But we'd be remiss if we didn't also talk about how NPR is an audio storytelling powerhouse. Throughout the month, we've partnered with our friends at NPR to present four pieces that represent the breadth and depth of their incredible reporting.

We hope you enjoy.

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Dinosaurs, Carl Sagan, and nuclear war. There was a moment in the not-so-distant past when we learned what drove the dinosaurs extinct — and that discovery, made during the Cold War, may have helped save humans from the same fate. In this episode, we'll take a journey from prehistoric times to the nuclear age and explore how humans contend with fears of the end.

To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Winter is Coming from Throughline

Welcome to September. Public media has had a rough summer. On July 18th, Congress passed the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminated $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Then on August 1st, CPB announced they would be winding down operations.

When folks talk about these cuts, they usually talk about the vital public services public media provides, such as emergency alerts. But we'd be remiss if we didn't also talk about how NPR is an audio storytelling powerhouse. Throughout the month, we've partnered with our friends at NPR to present four pieces that represent the breadth and depth of their incredible reporting.

We hope you enjoy.

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In the mid-1980s, an OBGYN in Brazil noticed that far fewer pregnant women at his hospital were dying from abortion complications. It wasn't a coincidence. 

Brazilian women had made a discovery that allowed them to safely have abortions at home, despite the country's abortion restrictions. That discovery eventually spread across the globe. 

Embedded+ supporters get first access and sponsor-free listening for every Embedded series. Sign up at plus.npr.org/embedded.

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The Network from Embedded and Latino USA

When Ian Coss decided to get married, every living member of his family who had ever been married had also gotten divorced: parents, grandparents, and all his aunts and uncles on both sides — some of them twice. Today, he has questions: What is the value of a lifetime commitment? Are we doomed to recycle the patterns of behavior we get from our ancestors? Are we all just better off alone? 

Forever is a Long Time is a five-episode series from CBC’s Personally that weaves reflection and original music through Ian’s conversations with his wife and divorced family members — a look at love with people who have made mistakes.

Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human. More episodes of Personally can be found here: https://link.mgln.ai/fialt-wdtw

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Introducing: Forever is a Long Time

It's opening night. Will PVPA pull it off? And almost 20 years later, the cast reflects on the impact doing The Wiz had on their lives.

The series is made possible in part by a grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

Learn more about We're Doing The Wiz at radiotopiapresents.fm and discover more shows from across the Radiotopia network at radiotopia.fm.

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We're Doing The Wiz 4 - Pass the Squeeze

Rehearsals are in full swing. But while most students are focused on their songs and dance steps, a tense backstage drama threatens the entire production.

The series is made possible in part by a grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

Learn more about We're Doing The Wiz at radiotopiapresents.fm and discover more shows from across the Radiotopia network at radiotopia.fm.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We're Doing The Wiz 3 - You Don’t Hit White Girls

It’s audition time at PVPA. Will students get the parts they want? Will it come down to race, talent or both? And is anyone giving Dorothy?

The series is made possible in part by a grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

Learn more about We're Doing The Wiz at radiotopiapresents.fm and discover more shows from across the Radiotopia network at radiotopia.fm.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We're Doing The Wiz 2 - The Black Wizard of Oz

When a bussing program brings a group of Black students to a predominately white performing arts high school in rural Massachusetts, a racial reckoning rocks the campus. And an unlikely selection for the school’s annual musical reshapes the student body forever. 

The series is made possible in part by a grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

Learn more about We're Doing The Wiz at radiotopiapresents.fm and discover more shows from across the Radiotopia network at radiotopia.fm.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We're Doing The Wiz 1 - The Tofu Curtain

Coming up next on Radiotopia Presents: We’re Doing The Wiz. Two former classmates reconnect to unpack the high school musical that changed their lives.

The series is made possible in part by a grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

Learn more about We're Doing The Wiz at radiotopiapresents.fm and discover more shows from across the Radiotopia network at radiotopia.fm.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Radiotopia Presents: We're Doing the Wiz

In The Polybius Conspiracy, producers Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto investigate the decades-old urban legend of Polybius, a mysterious arcade game from the '80s whose alleged existence in the Pacific Northwest is fueled by myth and an obsessive online fan base, and which may have factored in the abduction of two teenage boys. Told as a hybrid documentary/fictional story, the series is an artful meditation on how urban legends take hold and spread, and an exploration into how we consume and perpetuate information in the internet age.

In Episode Six: The Code, questions about Bobby result in a surprising lead, as Rubin comes to believe he's cracked the code on Polybius.

The Polybius Conspiracy is written and produced by Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto, and hosted, sound designed and mixed by Jon Frechette. Field producer is Dylan Reiff. Executive producer is Julie Shapiro.

Music throughout The Polybius Conspiracy is by Anenon, Chris Fitzpatrick, Hrishikesh Hirway, Jon Frechette and Restricted. Episode Artwork is by Jin Lim. Logo design is by Kevin Blanchard. Avatar design is by Jonathan Moura.

Thanks for listening to Showcase, from Radiotopia! We’re in the last days of our annual fundraiser right now. If you’re enjoying listening to The Polybius Conspiracy (and we bet you are) please consider donating to support the network, at radiotopia.fm.

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The Polybius Conspiracy #6 – The Code

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