In 2022, our first year on air, the This Is Nashville team went out all across this city and region getting to know you and your community better. From the start, we wanted to deliver you a variety of voices and perspectives in a fresh and dynamic way. Most of all, we set out to meet you, our community, where you are. For this special episode, we retraced some of the steps we took last year to bring you the best stories of 2022, from posting up under the Jefferson Street bridge in search of the ...
Jan 03, 2023•51 min
It's a new year, and we've got big plans for 2023. But before we get the ball rolling on our first full year on the air, we want to take you ... back in time. When we were gearing up to launch WPLN’s first daily show, one of the challenges we got: help set and keep a record for our city. We’ve been working to do this in many ways. One of them is by dropping a pin at various locations across our city and region — to stop and really dig into the history there. Today, we're revisiting some of the p...
Jan 02, 2023•51 min
The This Is Nashville team is closing out 2022 by revisiting our best episodes. We'll be back on the air with a new episode on January 4. Until then, happy listening and happy holidays! This episode originally aired on September 29. When it comes to manners and etiquette, every city has its local quirks. So we explore the question: What is “Nashville Nice”? This is the South, so you’re likely to hear a good old fashioned “bless your heart” on a regularly basis. But there’s more to unpack. So we ...
Dec 30, 2022•51 min
The This Is Nashville team is closing out 2022 by revisiting our best episodes. We'll be back on the air with a new episode on January 4. Until then, happy listening and happy holidays! This episode originally aired on October 31. Happy Halloween! This spookiest of holidays has changed a lot over the years, transforming from an ancient Celtic festival to a parade of adorable trick-or-treaters. But through it all, tales of ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night have remained a cen...
Dec 29, 2022•51 min
The This Is Nashville team is closing out 2022 by revisiting our best episodes. We'll be back on the air with a new episode on January 4. Until then, happy listening and happy holidays! This episode originally aired on March 24. Everyone wants to live in a safe community. The big question is, what is the best way to prevent violence? The 2020 murder of George Floyd created new urgency across the country to find alternatives to policing. Nashville was no exception. Over the past few years, one lo...
Dec 28, 2022•51 min
The This Is Nashville team is closing out 2022 by revisiting our best episodes. We'll be back on the air with a new episode on January 4. Until then, happy listening and happy holidays! This episode originally aired on April 18. In a time of racial reckoning, the Black Opry has resurfaced and re-centered a longstanding conversation about diversity — or lack thereof — in country music. It has also grown to include The Black Opry Revue, a touring musical showcase. Black Opry founder Holly G. joins...
Dec 27, 2022•51 min
The This Is Nashville team is closing out 2022 by revisiting our best episodes. We'll be back on the air with a new episode on January 4. Until then, happy listening and happy holidays! This episode originally aired on March 1. Welcome to the first episode of This Is Nashville . Today the show explores how the region’s explosive growth has led to a sense of disconnect, between the old Nashville and the new. Host Khalil Ekulona talks with guests who are shaping the new Nashville and asks them wha...
Dec 26, 2022•51 min
We're talking about Kwanzaa! This celebration of African American culture begins December 26 and ends January 1. Our host, Khalil Ekulona, is out of the office this week. However, he is joining us as a guest alongside his parents to share how they started celebrating Kwanzaa as a family and what the holiday means to them. Then, we're joined by local community leaders to learn more about how Kwanzaa is celebrated in Nashville. But first, it’s @Us! Guest host Nina Cardona checks in with our digita...
Dec 22, 2022•51 min
Earlier this year, Metro Arts Commission Executive Director Caroline Vincent resigned amid allegations of tokenism , retaliation and a toxic work environment for women of color . At that point, half of the city agency's employees had left over the previous 11 months. In August, Metro Arts announced Daniel Singh as its new executive director. In this episode, we take a look back at a turbulent year and ask how Metro Arts will work to repair its relationships with local artists and arts organizati...
Dec 21, 2022•51 min
School is out, the kids are home, and the holidays are here. For a lot of people, that means getting together with family, which can be … complicated. In this episode, we’re talking about how to talk with your family about sensitive subjects, including race and politics, during the holidays. We’re sitting down with a panel of young people to get their experiences, as well as a local author to get some tips and trick on how to approach these conversations. But first, we’re joined by WPLN criminal...
Dec 20, 2022•51 min
On Saturday at 9:00 a.m., WPLN will officially turn 60 years old! Today, we're celebrating with past and present staff, former guests and listeners. We're taking a dive into station history, from the library days all the way to the launch of This Is Nashville . Then, we're sitting down with listeners to discuss what they want to hear from us in the next 60 years. Guests: Steve Swenson , president and CEO of WPLN Pat Nolan, host of Inside Politics at NewsChannel 5 Anita Bugg, VP of Content at WPL...
Dec 16, 2022•52 min
On today’s episode we check in with Jad Abumrad, creator and former host of Radiolab. Growing up in Nashville, he was eager to get away. But his podcast journey led him back to the south when he created the podcast Dolly Parton’s America. And now Abumrad is working with Vanderbilt on the new Podcast Institute. We’ll hear about his formative childhood, career and what’s on the horizon. But first, it’s @Us! Khalil checks in with our digital producer Anna Gallegos-Cannon to see what listeners have ...
Dec 15, 2022•40 min
Nashville’s hotels broke records this year. According to the Nashville Conventions and Visitors Corporation, this year’s CMA Fest ushered in the city’s best-ever month for hotel room sales, with more than 875,000 rooms booked in June. It’s safe to say that hospitality is a booming industry in the city. But what is it like to work in hospitality? Today we’ll talk with the people who keep our hotels running to find out what goes on behind the scenes of our city’s famous southern hospitality. Guest...
Dec 14, 2022•39 min
Long before Nashville became a car-dependent city, streetcar lines crisscrossed the city. In this episode, we'll learn which neighborhoods developed because of streetcar lines, and how this early form of public transportation shaped the city. Listen as our guests teach us about equality, or the lack thereof, in the streetcar era and share stories of resistance before the Civil Rights Act. And now, why is the bus Nashville's mode of public transportation? Will we ever see passenger rail in Nashvi...
Dec 13, 2022•39 min
Our understanding of autism has expanded and evolved since the developmental disorder was first described in the 1940s. Autism can impact how a person reads social situations, build language skills and can cause physical symptoms, like seizures. Now, 1 in 44 8-year-olds are autistic, the Center for Disease Control estimates . Most resources and treatment are focused on autistic children, but adults living on the autism spectrum experience unique challenges. In this episode, we talk to autistic a...
Dec 12, 2022•39 min
It’s that time of year! Folks are starting to think about their resolutions for the new year, the things they want to change, the things they want to do better. What are Nashville’s resolutions? What should they be? Today, we’re sitting down with a panel of community members and local fixtures, including a labor organizer, a drag queen, a professor and a local government expert. But first, we’re doing a year-end wrap up with WNXP on all their favorite music of 2022! Guests: Phil Michal Thomas, h...
Dec 09, 2022•51 min
Across the world it is known as futbol or, the beautiful game. Here in the states, we call it by another name – soccer. While the globe is focused on the World Cup, we’re shining a light on what the game means to our local Latino communities. We’ll talk with fans, enthusiasts and players about the game that brings people together. But first, we respond to listener comments and questions in @Us. Guests: Francisco Morales , event host and program director of Latino radio stations at Plaza Mariachi...
Dec 08, 2022•51 min
From Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement to the present day, Black churches in the American South have historically been vital centers of culture and community. In this episode, we’ll look at the history of Black churches in Middle Tennessee, and the role they play in the community today. But first, we’ll examine a recent investigative report about the Middle Point Landfill . Guests: Levi Ismail , NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Sylvia Edmondson Holt , author of “Between the Pews” C...
Dec 07, 2022•51 min
Since Twitter changed ownership in October, hundreds of employees have either been fired or elected to leave. Advertisers have walked away. Users have jumped to other platforms. All of this has fueled speculation — and pronouncements of the social media platform's imminent demise. Is the end of Twitter near? What will we lose if it is? We talk with some Nashvillians about what the social media platform has meant for them and their sense of community online. But first, we get the latest on the st...
Dec 06, 2022•51 min
Keeda Haynes is a leading voice in criminal justice reform in Nashville. And she brings firsthand experience to her work, having spent nearly five years in federal prison — an experience she says still affects her today. We talk with the former public defender and congressional candidate about her hopes for our justice system, and her path from incarceration to advocacy, which she recounts in her book Bending the Arc . But first, Nashville’s first medical examiner, Charles Harlan, was suspended ...
Dec 05, 2022•51 min
It's the holiday season, the busiest time of year for Nashville's performing arts scene. In this episode, we're joined by musicians, vocalists and a representative from the Tennessee Performing Arts Center to talk about some of our city's beloved traditions — from Christmas carols to the ballet. We're talking about what it takes to put these shows on, and how things have changed over the past couple of years. But first, WPLN criminal justice reporter Paige Pfleger will give us some insight into ...
Dec 02, 2022•51 min
So who is hunting these days? How do folks get started? What are the best tips for hunting ethically ? We’ll talk to local wildlife officials and hunters about the sport. But first, host Khalil Ekulona and digital lead Anna Gallegos-Cannon respond to listener feedback and talk about what didn't make earlier episodes. Guests: George Mattena , long time hunter Ashley Chance , southeast program coordinator for Artemis sportswomen's organization Barry Cross, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Regio...
Dec 01, 2022•51 min
When the AIDS epidemic began in the 1980s, it was a time of fear, panic, misinformation and deaths. Thought to be a “gay men’s disease” in those days, AIDS became stigmatized with lifestyle and sexuality rather than scientific understanding about its transmission. It’s been 41 years since the U.S. saw its first reported cases of HIV. We now know more about how HIV/AIDS is transmitted and how to treat it so AIDS it is no longer the death sentence it was once considered to be. Now, around 20,000 T...
Nov 30, 2022•51 min
As we head into the holiday season, many of us are looking forward to some delicious traditional dishes. But inflation means that preparing those meals could be significantly more expensive. To learn more about how this issue is impacting our communities, we are joined by local resident, farmer and restaurant owner. Then, we'll hear from the leaders of local nonprofits and a pediatrician about what resources are out there and what groups are especially vulnerable to food insecurity. But first, W...
Nov 29, 2022•51 min
In 1860, more than 30% of Davidson County’s roughly 47,000 residents were enslaved . That’s nearly 15,000 people. As significant as those numbers are, they underlie another, equally unsettling truth: Nashville was a key location in the sale of enslaved people. Slavery was a booming business in our city, and helped enrich families whose names are among the most recognizable in Nashville. In this episode we explore this history, how its legacy still echoes in our city, and what we still don’t know...
Nov 28, 2022•51 min
The This Is Nashville team is out for the Thanksgiving holiday. We are rebroadcasting an episode about Nashville's indie venues, which first aired in June. Nashville’s independent music venues have long been a proving ground for up-and-coming artists. They’re also increasingly under threat as development and gentrification continue to put pressure on property values. Mercy Lounge, Cannery Ballroom and the High Watt have closed , and Exit/In recently announced that it will close and reopen under ...
Nov 25, 2022•51 min
In many Native American communities, the fourth Thursday in November is known as the National Day of Mourning instead of Thanksgiving. Instead of feasting with friends and family, the National Day of Mourning is a time for Native Americans to honor their heritage while dispelling myths about the origin of Thanksgiving. So, what is the history of the National Day of Mourning? We’ll talk with activists to learn more about this day of remembrance. But first, a look at how Nashvillians are respondin...
Nov 23, 2022•51 min
Election season always get people talking about voter turnout, which tends to be pretty low in Tennessee. The state has consistently ranked in the bottom ten for turnout over the past two decades, but why? We’ve talked to people about what has driven them to vote. Today, we’re talking to people who do not vote regularly about what’s keeping them home, as well as a couple of experts from local civic engagement organizations. But first, we have an update on plans to develop the East Bank from WPLN...
Nov 22, 2022•51 min
As the busiest travel season of the year approaches, we check in on Nashville International Airport. From its origins as Berry Field to its current status as a busy hub for one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, BNA holds an important place in our city — and its growth. The airport is in the middle of a significant expansion. How big will it get, and what will it mean for the future of Nashville? But first, the police shooting of a man known as Chief has renewed tensions between ...
Nov 21, 2022•51 min
Historically Black colleges and universities have recently garnered national attention with legendary professional athletes becoming coaches, financial backers of programs, and expressing their fandom. In this episode, we'll hear from students and coaches from HBCU athletic programs in Nashville about the growing interest in HBCU sports and what it means for Black athletes. But first, we'll be joined by WPLN metro reporter Ambriehl Crutchfield about her coverage of Fisk University's gymnastics t...
Nov 18, 2022•51 min
