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.
Through the Lens - The Eternal Memory
“There is pain here,” “But there is also a lot of nobility.” From the book “The Forbidden Memory” by Augusto Góngora.
2/21/2024 • 49 minutes, 35 seconds
Through the Lens - The Eternal Memory
“There is pain here,” “But there is also a lot of nobility.” From the book “The Forbidden Memory” by Augusto Góngora.
2/21/2024 • 49 minutes, 35 seconds
The Alien Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill
On September 19, 1961, Betty and Barney Hill claimed they were abducted by “beings that were somehow not human.”
2/15/2024 • 49 minutes, 16 seconds
Spirit World Encounters in Mormon Utah
Growing up in Northern Utah, the scholar Erin Stiles often heard stories from her Mormon friends about visits from spiritual beings. In a new book, she explores just how common these experiences happen to be.
2/14/2024 • 47 minutes, 45 seconds
The Golden Era of Hijacking Planes
If you were born in post-9/11 America, the idea of a plane getting hijacked is terrifying. But once upon a time hijackers seemed more interested in the thrill than instilling fear. And one of them even became a kind of folk hero.
2/7/2024 • 49 minutes, 9 seconds
The Plan to Save Great Salt Lake
A new plan to protect Great Salt Lake was recently released. This one has the endorsement of Utah’s most powerful political leaders. But does it have what it will take to save the lake?
2/1/2024 • 50 minutes, 11 seconds
How the Road Crossed the Land
Roads are such a common feature of the landscape that you can forget that they aren’t natural at all — that is, unless you’re an animal trying to cross one.
2/1/2024 • 49 minutes, 40 seconds
The Future of D.E.I.
Lawmakers are rushing an anti-D.E.I. bill through the 2024 Utah Legislature.
1/25/2024 • 50 minutes, 12 seconds
Sundance Film Festival 2024: ‘Sugarcane’
In 2021, unmarked graves were discovered at several residential boarding schools in Canada. Then, investigations began.
1/24/2024 • 49 minutes, 9 seconds
A New History of Mormonism
Upstate New York, 1830: self-proclaimed prophets are creating new faiths. Joseph Smith was one such man, and it was his new religion that would endure.
1/18/2024 • 49 minutes, 30 seconds
Budget, Housing and DEI — It’s the 2024 Legislative Session
The controversial bills — including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — will kick off the 2024 Utah Legislative Session.
1/17/2024 • 48 minutes, 50 seconds
The Offensive Magic of Swearing
A good swear is like a bomb, shocking and offensive to all in the blast-radius. Except for those times when swears don’t quite go off. So, what’s the difference?
1/11/2024 • 49 minutes, 42 seconds
Mary Beard On The Emperors of Rome
Mary Beard is an expert on the Roman Empire, and her latest book is about the rulers who presided over it — 30 emperors in nearly three centuries.
1/10/2024 • 49 minutes, 55 seconds
How the Female Body Drove Human Evolution
In biological and medical research, the majority of studies that use mice are only using males. Why? Because female mammals’ estrous, or sexual, cycle means that their bodies are more “messy” than their male counterparts.
1/4/2024 • 49 minutes, 43 seconds
The Films of 2023
You’ll find plenty of lists of the best films of 2023 out there. But only ours includes the tenth installment of a notoriously grisly horror franchise.
1/3/2024 • 48 minutes, 44 seconds
Habits — Good and Bad
For the new year, we’re sharing our conversation with psychologist Wendy Wood, who told us that changing habits and keeping goals isn’t about willpower — it’s about tapping into our unconscious selves.
12/28/2023 • 49 minutes, 28 seconds
Exploring the Sonic World with ‘Sounds Wild and Broken’
Our planet is filled with sound — birdsong, music, speech. Even the earth itself makes noise. That sonic diversity is in danger.
12/27/2023 • 49 minutes, 23 seconds
Nigella Lawson on What Makes a Good Meal
If you’re into food writing or follow celebrity chefs, the chances are good that you've run across British food star Nigella Lawson. But how much do you actually know about her work?
12/20/2023 • 49 minutes, 7 seconds
The LDS Church's Playbook for Hiding Child Sexual Abuse
A recent report from the Associated Press tells the story of Chelsea Goodrich, who alleges that her father, a former Mormon bishop, sexually abused her as a child. He’s since been excommunicated from the LDS Church, which sought to keep Goodrich’s allegations under wraps.
12/20/2023 • 49 minutes, 56 seconds
Nigella Lawson on What Makes a Good Meal
If you’re into food writing or follow celebrity chefs, the chances are good that you've run across British food star Nigella Lawson. But how much do you actually know about her work?
12/20/2023 • 0
RadioWest’s 2023 Holiday Book Show
It’s our favorite time of year – when we indulge in gathering piles of books and gifting them to our family and friends.
12/20/2023 • 50 minutes, 27 seconds
Through the Lens: ‘Subject’
Being featured in a documentary changes your life — and not just during the filming. Being a participant can often also mean public scrutiny, maybe trauma, for years and years.
12/13/2023 • 50 minutes, 18 seconds
The End of Craving
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?
12/7/2023 • 49 minutes, 46 seconds
The Real Life of Napoleon Bonaparte
With Ridley Scott’s film “Napoleon” in theaters, we’re talking today about the real "Petit Caporal," a normal man who lived a life that was anything but small.
12/5/2023 • 49 minutes, 28 seconds
The Perfect Fence
In 1874, a farmer named Joseph Glidden patented what became known as “the perfect fence:” two wires lined with sharp, metal barbs.
11/29/2023 • 49 minutes, 4 seconds
The (Previously) Untold Story of the Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon
When you think of the Grand Canyon, you probably think of rocks and, of course, the Colorado River. But in the summer of 1938, two women risked their lives to study another feature of the canyon: its plants.
11/29/2023 • 49 minutes, 41 seconds
The Secret of Cooking
For many of us, cooking is an annoying, boring chore. But the food writer Bee Wilson says there’s a simple secret to an easier life in the kitchen, and it begins with the person who cooks.
11/21/2023 • 48 minutes, 46 seconds
RadioWest Films: ‘A Sister Must Sacrifice’
Miranda couldn’t wait to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She just didn’t know her weight would be a problem.
11/16/2023 • 49 minutes, 47 seconds
A People’s History of the Nuclear West
In 1951, the U.S. government began test detonations of nuclear bombs in the Nevada desert. It wasn’t long before people started getting cancer.
11/15/2023 • 49 minutes, 28 seconds
The 2023 Salt Lake City Mayoral Election
The race for Salt Lake City mayor comes down chiefly to two people, and both are, in a way, seeking re-election.
11/9/2023 • 49 minutes, 30 seconds
Through The Lens: ‘Body Parts’
During the silent film era, women directed, wrote scripts and had a lot of say over how they were portrayed on screen. Fast forward a hundred years to the #metoo movement, and that dynamic has entirely changed.
11/7/2023 • 49 minutes, 52 seconds
How the Ocean Works
The oceanographer Helen Czerski wants you to think of the ocean as a vast, planet-spanning engine. And what it drives is no less than life itself.
11/1/2023 • 49 minutes, 35 seconds
The Reckoning of Mitt Romney
When Mitt Romney was 17 years old, he attended the 1964 Republican national convention with his dad, then-governor of Michigan. George Romney, disgusted by the extremes he saw in his party, delivered a scathing rebuke. Years later, his son found himself in a very similar situation.
10/31/2023 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 40 seconds
Radio Hour Episode 17: ‘Sherlock Holmes and The Final Problem’
Plan B Theatre and “RadioWest” are back with a new hour of live radio — and a live audience — with “Sherlock Holmes and the Final Problem.”
10/30/2023 • 50 minutes, 29 seconds
The Man Who Tasted Words
It’s through the senses of taste, sight, hearing, smell and touch that we perceive the world around us. But just how reliable, really, are those senses?
10/26/2023 • 49 minutes, 16 seconds
The Case Against the Gondola
The Utah Department of Transportation received more than 35,000 comments about its plans to build a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon. According to one count, more than 60% of commenters opposed the idea.
10/23/2023 • 49 minutes, 57 seconds
The Disastrous Voyage of the Wager
In 1740, the Wager set sail from England in search of Spanish treasure. Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
10/19/2023 • 49 minutes, 31 seconds
The Scariest Movie of All Time
In 1973, moviegoers were seen fleeing from theaters. Some fainted; others threw up. That was the year that “The Exorcist” was released.
10/13/2023 • 48 minutes, 4 seconds
How to Cure Your Craving for More
If you find yourself fixating on something you want but know you don’t need, it’s not your fault; it’s the “scarcity brain” at work.
10/12/2023 • 49 minutes, 22 seconds
Through The Lens: ‘A Run For More’
In 2018, Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe, a transgender woman, ran for a city council seat in San Antonio, Texas — just as a flurry of anti-trans legislation was kicking up.
10/6/2023 • 48 minutes, 53 seconds
The Unraveling of Tim Ballard
In July, Tim Ballard stepped down as CEO of Operation Underground Railroad, just as “Sound of Freedom,” the movie based on his work, was released. Since then, a series of strange stories about Ballard have emerged.
10/6/2023 • 49 minutes, 39 seconds
"Sluffing School" and Other Utah-isms
Wanna talk like a real Utahn? Well, pour yourself a glass of “melk” and head on up to the “ruf.” We’ve got some “explainin’” to do.
9/29/2023 • 49 minutes, 54 seconds
Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America
Navied Mahdavian had always been a city guy. He had never fished, gardened, hiked, hunted or lived in a snowy place. Then he, his wife and dog moved from San Francisco to an off-the-grid cabin in rural Idaho.
9/29/2023 • 49 minutes, 44 seconds
A Struggle for the Soul of Mormonism; The September Six
Thirty years ago, in September of 1993, six prominent intellectuals were disciplined and excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
9/21/2023 • 0
The World’s Most Successful Art Thief with Michael Finkel
Between 1995 and 2001, Stéphane Breitweiser stole 239 works of art from more than 100 museums around Europe. He never sold a single one.
9/21/2023 • 49 minutes, 38 seconds
The Case for the Gondola
More than fifty years ago, there was a proposal to build a gondola from the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird Ski Resort. What if it was the right idea all along?
9/16/2023 • 49 minutes, 17 seconds
How Parking Explains the World. Seriously.
Here’s a way in to understanding what author Henry Grabar wants to tell you about parking: it’s one of the reasons we’ve got a housing crisis in America.
9/14/2023 • 50 minutes, 14 seconds
The New Science and Enduring Mystery of Owls
Look into the eyes of an owl and what do you see? Is there any way to know what’s hidden behind those eyes? Thanks to new research, there might be.
9/8/2023 • 49 minutes, 31 seconds
Oliver Burkeman: How to Spend Four Thousand Weeks of Life
If each of us lives to be 80, we’ll have spent about four thousand weeks being alive on this planet — which isn’t really much time at all. So, how should we spend it?
9/7/2023 • 49 minutes, 51 seconds
What Happens to the Group When the Individual Tops All?
American culture promotes a strong sense of individualism. But, what happens when individualism trumps community?
9/1/2023 • 49 minutes, 22 seconds
Clint Eastwood: The Man with No Name
Clint Eastwood has been a constant in American cinema for more than 60 years. But if you think it’s all Westerns and machismo, you’d be wrong.
8/31/2023 • 49 minutes, 35 seconds
Is a Gondola the Silver Bullet for Little Cottonwood’s ‘Red Snake’?
By now you’ve probably heard about the gondola, the one that’s slated to go up Little Cottonwood Canyon. It’s still decades away, but debate over the plan is holding steady at a fever pitch.
8/25/2023 • 46 minutes, 40 seconds
The Whales of the Great Salt Lake
In 1888, the daily Salt Lake Herald-Republican reprinted a story from a Canadian paper. The headline? That a family of whales was flourishing in the Great Salt Lake.
8/24/2023 • 50 minutes, 5 seconds
Kelsy Burke on America’s Pornography Obsession
In 2016, Utah Republicans declared pornography a public health crisis. But their resolution was merely a modern salvo in the ongoing pornography wars.
8/21/2023 • 49 minutes, 46 seconds
Timothy Egan on the KKK’s Plot to Take Over America
At the height of its power, the Ku Klux Klan was run by a depraved charlatan named D. C. Stephenson, until a woman's deathbed confession brought him down.
8/21/2023 • 49 minutes, 20 seconds
Searching for Paradise with Pico Iyer
Religions and myths tell us of paradise — where there is no suffering and bliss abounds. But can a real paradise ever be reached or made?
8/14/2023 • 49 minutes, 29 seconds
Alvin Hall Drives the Green Book
In 2019, author and broadcaster Alvin Hall drove from Detroit to New Orleans, using the same guide that was used during the height of segregation, The Negro Motorist Green Book.
8/11/2023 • 48 minutes, 47 seconds
Through the Lens: '32 Sounds' with Sam Green
Filmmaker Sam Green is obsessed with sound. After you see his documentary, you might feel the same way.
8/3/2023 • 49 minutes, 30 seconds
Ramesses II: The King of Kings
The first known peace treaty was negotiated by Ramesses II, a pharaoh who came from a line of commoners and was the only Egyptian king known as “the Great.”
8/3/2023 • 50 minutes, 22 seconds
The Mountain Meadows Massacre, Pt. 2: Blood, Blood, Blood
“Did Brigham Young order the Mountain Meadows Massacre?”
7/27/2023 • 48 minutes, 23 seconds
The Mountain Meadows Massacre, Pt. 1: Too Late, Too Late
On September 11, 1857, a Mormon militia attacked a wagon train of California-bound emigrants. They killed more than a hundred men, women and children.
7/27/2023 • 49 minutes, 33 seconds
Web Extra: Revisiting Operation Underground Railroad
With the release of the new film, “The Sound of Freedom,” Operation Underground Railroad and its founder, Tim Ballard, are back in the news, so we are reposting our 2022 episode about the organization and the realities of child-sex-trafficking. This episode mentions an investigation into Operation Underground Railroad, which has since been dropped.
7/27/2023 • 51 minutes, 28 seconds
David Remnick on the GOATs of Pop Music
As the longtime editor of The New Yorker, David Remnick has profiled many of rock n’ roll and pop music’s greatest performers, often later in their lives.
7/21/2023 • 47 minutes, 47 seconds
The Alien Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill
On September 19, 1961, Betty and Barney Hill claimed they were abducted by “beings that were somehow not human.”
7/20/2023 • 48 minutes, 51 seconds
David Grann on the Disastrous Voyage of the Wager
In 1740, the Wager set sail from England in search of Spanish treasure. Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
7/14/2023 • 49 minutes, 10 seconds
Never Heard of Scrupulosity? Neither Have Many Who Suffer From It
Even if you aren’t afflicted by it, you probably know about obsessive compulsive disorder. But even if you have it, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of scrupulosity.
7/14/2023 • 50 minutes, 20 seconds
Through The Lens: Users
After the birth of her son, documentary filmmaker Natalia Almada asked herself: Will technology be a better mother than me?
7/7/2023 • 49 minutes, 56 seconds
Awe and the Science of Wonder with Dacher Keltner
You know that feeling you get when you see something so incredible that it transcends understanding? That’s awe. But, really, what is awe?
7/6/2023 • 48 minutes, 33 seconds
Michael Finkel on the World’s Most Prolific Art Thief
Between 1995 and 2001, Stéphane Breitweiser stole 239 works of art from more than 100 museums around Europe. He never sold a single one.
7/1/2023 • 50 minutes, 1 second
Pico Iyer's Search For Paradise
Religions and myths tell us of paradise — where there is no suffering and bliss abounds. But can a real paradise ever be reached or made?
4/7/2023 • 53 minutes
Through the Lens: All That Breathes
Out of the polluted skies over New Delhi, India, birds of prey known as Black kites fall to the ground. Two brothers care for and rehabilitate them.
3/31/2023 • 53 minutes
Society's Obsession with Women’s Butts
We’ll forgive you for laughing at the headline of this episode. But the thing is, butts have a serious cultural history.
3/30/2023 • 53 minutes
Defining Christian Nationalism
Last month, a Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll gauged the rising influence of Christian nationalism among religious Americans. Its findings were eye opening.
3/28/2023 • 53 minutes, 1 second
Dacher Keltner on the Science of Awe
You know that feeling you get when you see something so incredible that it transcends understanding? That’s awe. But, really, what is awe?
3/23/2023 • 53 minutes
LDS Church and the GSL, Part II
On Wednesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it will donate a permanent yearly transfer of 20,000 acre feet of water to the Great Salt Lake.
3/17/2023 • 53 minutes
Open Season on Utah’s Mountain Lions
Early this month, the Utah Legislature passed a bill that would make it legal to kill mountain lions year-round. All you’d need is a basic hunting license.
3/17/2023 • 52 minutes, 23 seconds
LDS Church and the GSL, Part II
On Wednesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it will donate a permanent yearly transfer of 20,000 acre feet of water to the Great Salt Lake.
3/17/2023 • 53 minutes
LDS Church and the GSL, Part II
On Wednesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it will donate a permanent yearly transfer of 20,000 acre feet of water to the Great Salt Lake.
3/17/2023 • 53 minutes
The State and Fate of the Great Salt Lake, Part V
A report released earlier this year declared that, if it continues to dry up at its current rate, Great Salt Lake “as we know it will disappear in five years.” So, what can be done to prevent that?
3/13/2023 • 53 minutes, 2 seconds
Through the Lens: ‘The Right to Read’
37% of American fourth-graders read at “below basic” levels, which really means they can hardly read at all. A new film asks why.
3/10/2023 • 53 minutes
Wrapping up the 2023 Utah Legislative Session
The 2023 Utah Legislative Session concludes at midnight on March 3rd. We’re processing what lawmakers did—and didn’t—get done this time around.
3/3/2023 • 52 minutes, 56 seconds
A Nine Page Report on Hiding LDS Church Investments
Last week, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission issued a cease-and-desist to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with a $5 million fine.
3/3/2023 • 53 minutes, 3 seconds
Stacy Schiff on ‘The Revolutionary Samuel Adams’
The role that Samuel Adams played in fomenting the American Revolution once made him the most wanted man in the country.
2/24/2023 • 53 minutes
A Living History of the Green Book with Alvin Hall
In 2019, author Alvin Hall drove from Detroit to New Orleans, using the same guide that was used during the height of segregation, The Negro Motorist Green Book.
2/24/2023 • 53 minutes, 2 seconds
LDS Church and the GSL
The rapid decline of Great Salt Lake has happened within easy eyesight of the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leading some to ask what responsibility the church has to help.
2/17/2023 • 52 minutes, 23 seconds
Jamie Kreiner on What Monks Teach Us about Distraction
Today, it’s received wisdom that screens ruined our ability to concentrate. But Medieval monks were obsessed with distraction, too — and the stakes were higher.
2/16/2023 • 53 minutes
John Hendrickson on Making Peace with a Stutter
In 2019, The Atlantic published a story by John Hendrickson about Joe Biden’s struggle with stuttering. And it forced John to reconcile with his own stutter, too.
2/9/2023 • 53 minutes
Through the Lens: Hidden Letters
For thousands of years, women in China shared a secret language — a code only women could read, that bonded them together in solidarity and sisterhood.
2/3/2023 • 53 minutes
Lake Bell: The Human Voice
A true multi-hyphenate, writer-director-actor Lake Bell is obsessed with how we sound. Her new audiobook celebrates that “least-appreciated” trait: our voices.