Shaping Opinion

Shaping Opinion

By Tim O'BrienNewsNews Commentary
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Shaping Opinion episodes

  • A Delta Force Original: Mike Vining
    One of the original members of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Delta unit, Mike Vining, joins Tim to talk about his highly decorated career that started in Vietnam and ended in the late 1990s, encompassing many historical missions. Mike was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operator in the Delta Force, among many other responsibilities. He tells us what goes through the mind of an explosives specialist when time is tight and it could be a matter of life and death.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/Delta_Force_auphonic.mp3





    Mike Vining was in high school when he saw the news about the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. The offensive was one of the largest and bloodiest attacks the communist forces of North Vietnam – the Viet Cong – waged against South Vietnamese and American troops.

    Mike saw what was happening and decided to join the military. He wanted to be in Vietnam joining the fight.

    Not long after that, Mike got his wish. Before shipping off to Vietnam, Mike completed the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) program in the Army, which also involved learning how to dispose of nuclear weapons.

    Disembarking a C-141 aircraft after operation Eagle Claw; L to R: Dennis E. Wolfe, Durwin D. Dengerud, Lawrence N. Freedman, William L. Welsch, and Mike R. Vining.

    The army sent Mike to Vietnam, where he spent 12 months on combat duty, before his honorable discharge in 1971.

    Two years later, Mike reentered the Army and served as an EOD specialist once again.  That was the beginning of a long and decorated career in the Army that included serving as one of the first operators in the U.S. Army Special Forces, and its Delta Force unit.

    He saw action around the world, from missions to Iran during the 1979 U.S. embassy hostage crisis, to many other operations, ultimately serving on the ground in Operation Desert Storm.

    In this episode, Mike talks about the events that shaped the Special Forces, from an ill-fated desert mission to rescue 53 American hostages in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, to many other touch and go situations.
    Please Thank Our Sponsors
    Please remember to thank our sponsors, without whom the Shaping Opinion podcast would not exist.  If you have the need, please support these organizations that have the same taste in podcasts that you do:

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    Links

    * Sergeant Major Mike Vining (Retired), Together We Served
    * 8 Epic Reflections on the Career of the Internet's Most Badass Military Meme, We Are The Mighty
    * Mike Vining, Universal Ship Cancellation Society
    * Delta Force: Missions and History, Military.com
    * U.S. Army Delta Force, Armed Forces History Museum
    * What Special Ops Learned 40 Years Ago from Operation Eagle Claw, Military Times
    *
    1 hr 1 min
  • Big Pharma: How it Got this Way
    Author and investigative journalist Gerald Posner joins Tim to talk about his new book that traces the pharmaceutical industry back to its roots and takes a hard look at just how medical drugs have become one of the most powerful industries in the nation. His book is called, “Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America.”  In this episode, Gerald details the pharmaceutical industry’s origins, how it became a marketing machine, and the current state of the industry and its relationship with society.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/Pharma_auphonic.mp3





    If you’ve ever visited your doctor and came away with a prescription to take to your nearest pharmacy, you may not care or be aware of the story behind your prescription.

    Let’s say it’s an antibiotic, or a pain killer. In both of those cases, there’s not only the story of a health breakthrough that likely has benefited millions, but there’s also a business story. And that story can be a bit more complicated.

    Gerald Posner is an investigative journalist and an author. He’s researched the pharmaceutical industry to unearth some of the stories that together tell the larger story. The end result is a 550-page history that may serve as what the New York Times described as the “definitive history of the pharmaceutical industry ‘in its entirety’ in a single volume.”

    But it’s no mere reference book. It’s a story made up of many stories. Stories within stories. And as with any good story, you have your good characters and your bad ones.

    While the book is substantive, to say the least, what it represents is five years of long and arduous work that Gerald did to research and write it.
    Links

    * PHARMA: Greed, lies and the poisoning of America, by Gerald Posner (Amazon)
    * PHARMA Book Publisher Page, Simon & Schuster
    * Gerald Posner Website
    * How Pharma Grew Addicted to Big Profits, New York Times
    * Pharma: Greed, lies and the poisoning of America, Good Reads

    About this Episode’s Guest Gerald Posner
    Photo credit Dale Stine

    Gerald Posner is an award-winning journalist who has written 12 books, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Case Closed and multiple national bestsellers. His 2015 book, God’s Bankers, a two-hundred-year history of the finances of the Vatican, was an acclaimed New York Times bestseller. Posner has written for many national magazines and papers, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Newsweek, and Time, and he has been a regular contributor to NBC, the History Channel, CNN, CBS, MSNBC, and FOX News. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, author Trisha Posner.

     

     

     
    1 hr 2 min
  • The 1st Amendment: 45 Words that Shaped America
    Gene Policinski joins Tim to talk about the First Amendment and how it continues to influence American society. He’s a Senior Fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum and he’s President of the Freedom Forum Institute. In this conversation, Gene details how the First Amendment has shaped America and will continue to do so, as long as it is protected.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/First_Amendment_Final_auphonic.mp3





    First things first. Let’s start this episode with the actual words of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution:

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

    The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is almost like four rights in one. It protects the freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press for all citizens. It also protects citizens’ right to peacefully protest and to petition the government.

    The newly formed country adopted the First Amendment in 1791 along with nine other amendments.  These 10 amendments defined the first iteration of the Bill of Rights, which is the founding document that protects the civil liberties of citizens under U.S. law. More amendments would follow in America’s long history.

    The First Amendment was conceived in 1787.  That’s when the nation’s founding fathers met in Philadelphia to create the new U.S. Constitution.

    James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were two of the key players in this effort.  They led a group dubbed The Federalists.

    There was a group of anti-federalists who opposed the ratification of the initial draft of the constitution.  They believed that the original document gave the federal government too much power over the states.  One of the leaders of this group was Patrick Henry of Virginia.

    Patrick Henry argued that the Constitution did not have proper protections for citizens’ individual rights.

    There was a debate, and the group came to realize that in order to ratify a new Constitution, to get everyone’s support, they had to adopt a Bill of Rights with a series of amendments to the Constitution.

    We all know who drafted the Declaration of Independence. That was Thomas Jefferson. But do you know who wrote most of the original Bill of Rights?  That was federalist James Madison.

    The Bill of Rights came to be during the 1st United States Congress, which met from 1789 to 1791.  The President of the United States at that time was George Washington.

    It’s not hyperbole to say that there has not been a time in American history when the First Amendment wasn’t critical to how the country addressed and overcame nearly every major challenge it faced.

    Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum and the president of the Freedom Forum Institute.  He has devoted much of his working life to the study and the interpretation of those iconic 45 words.
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    Links

    *
    59 min
  • Who was Christopher Columbus?
    Professor William J. Connell, who is an expert on Italian history, joins Tim to talk about the life of Christopher Columbus. Bill is an Andrew Carnegie Fellow and holder of the La Motta Endowed Chair in Italian History at Seton Hall University. He’s also the co-editor of the Routledge History of Italian Americans.  In this episode, we’ll learn about Christopher Columbus, and as cliché as it may sound, the man, the myth, the legend.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/Who_Was_Christopher_Columbus_auphonic.mp3





    Christopher Columbus was an explorer who made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain, but he was not Spanish. He was Italian. He made those trips in 1492, in 1493, again in 1498, and then in 1502.

    The purpose of his maiden voyage was to find a direct over sea route from the western part of Europe to Asia. In that sense, he failed. But as with many explorers, inventors and discoverers, what they find in the course of their failures sometimes leaves a legacy that they themselves never could have imagined.

    Christopher Columbus may not have actually been the first non-native person to step foot on what would become the Americas, but one thing is clear. It was Christopher Columbus who changed the course of history when he came upon the New World, already occupied by millions of people, but unknown to Western Civilization.

    Dr. William Connell of Seton Hall University has spent a good deal of his career studying and teaching the complexities and the nuances of the Christopher Columbus story.  As a historian, he has kept the first rule of the study of history in mind. You can’t judge the past based on present-day perspectives.
    Christopher Columbus
    Christopher Columbus, the son of a wool merchant, was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451.

    When he was still a teenager, he took a job on a merchant ship. He remained at sea until 1476, when pirates attacked his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast.

    The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a scrap of wood and made his way to Lisbon, where he eventually studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography and navigation.

    He also began to hatch the plan that would make him famous.
    The Attraction of a New Trading Route
    During the 15th and 16th (1400s and 1500s) centuries, Europeans led expeditions overseas in the hope that explorers would find riches and new lands. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in this age.

    Around 1420, small Portuguese ships went along the African coast, carrying spices, gold, slaves and other goods from Asia and Africa to Europe.

    Other European nations, including Spain, wanted to share in the exotic riches of the “Far East.”

    In the 15th century (1400s), Spain expelled Jews and Muslims from the kingdom after centuries of war. Set its sights elsewhere.
    Trade Routes
    At the end of the 15th century, you couldn’t reach Asia from Europe by land.  The route was long and arduous, hostile armies. Portuguese explorers used the sea: They sailed south along the West African coast and around the Cape of Good Hope.

    Columbus had his own ideas: Sail out across the Atlantic to the West in the opposite direction.

    Instead of around the massive African continent. His point was that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his contemporaries believed it was.

    He thought the journey by boat from Europe to Asia should be not only possible, but comparatively easy via an as-yet undiscovered passage.

    He pitched his ideas to leaders in Portugal and England but no one took him up on his plan. In 1492 he found a likeminded resource -Spanish royalty Ferdinand and Isabella.

    Columbus’s contract with the Spanish rulers promised th...
    56 min
  • Antitrust Showdown: Teddy Roosevelt v. John D. Rockefeller
    Attorney and author Ron Schuler joins Tim to talk about an amazing story from his most recent book that continues to resonate as America wrestles with the balance of power between government and business. The Standard Oil antitrust case pits President Theodore Roosevelt against tycoon John D. Rockefeller in a legal battle that continues to influence antitrust thinking today, and just how big and powerful one company should be.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/Antitrust_Showdown_auphonic.mp3





    Even if you’re a major history buff, or perhaps even a history professor, there’s a good chance you didn’t hear about American history in the way Ron Schuler approached it in his new book.

    The book is called “The Steel Bar: Pittsburgh lawyers and the Making of America.” But here’s the thing. The book isn’t just about Pittsburgh. And it’s not just about lawyers.

    When you think about it, America’s history was defined by what took place on battlefields, in town squares, in the frontier and in the cities. But almost all of it couldn’t have happened without decisions being made in courtrooms and law offices across the country.

    Lawyers tried cases. They became elected officials and judges. And one city was at the center of it all as the nation expanded West. Pittsburgh.

    Believe it or not, for quite a while, Pittsburgh was the western-most, full-sized city in America. And as the country expanded West, the city transformed into an industrial hub, a major financial center, a shipping hub. And because of all this, it just made sense that some of the country’s biggest legal decisions involved Pittsburgh people, companies and organizations.

    The story we’re going to talk about today has a little bit of all of that. What do you get when you take a newly installed President of the United States in Teddy Roosevelt, and you pit him against one of the titans of industry John D. Rockefeller?

    In this story, you get a groundbreaking anti-trust saga that continues to shape the way America looks at just how much power it wants to give big companies.

    Ron Schuler studied the story from different angles and zeroed in a battle between President Teddy Roosevelt and business tycoon John D. Rockefeller.

    The episode covers the groundbreaking Northern Securities case where the railroad tycoons joined together to monopolize the railways of the Northwest only to be forced to break up by the U.S. Supreme Court.

    This set the stage for the landmark Standard Oil battle and Supreme Court case that cast an antitrust shadow that continues to this day.

    Some of the decisions tied to Standard Oil may provide guidance on how future courts could decide antitrust matters with regard to the Internet and digital business.
    Links

    * The Steel Bar: Pittsburgh Lawyers and the Making of America, by Ron Schuler (Amazon)
    * The Steel Bar (book website)
    * Too Soon? DOJ Seeks to End 1911 Standard Oil Breakup, Horseshoe Regulation, Wall Street Journal
    * United States v. Standard Oil: A challenge to monopolies, Law.JRank
    * Book Details History of Allegheny County's Legal Community, Tribune-Review

    About this Episode's Guest Ron Schuler
    Ron Schuler is the managing partner of the Pittsburgh office of a regiona...
    53 min
  • Napa Valley: Growing Tourism Again
    Linsey Gallagher, the President and CEO of Visit Napa Valley, joins Tim to talk about what she and her team are doing to bring travelers back to one of the most popular wine country destinations in the world.  Linsey has had to regroup and pivot with Napa Valley’s 400-plus vintners to help the region’s second-largest economic drivers – tourism – recover after the COVID-19 pandemic and economic shutdown.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/Napa_Valley_-_Growing_tourism_again_-_auphonic.mp3





    The state of California has its share of wine-growing regions. There is the South Central Coast, the North Central Coast, and the North Coast. But perhaps no wine-making region is more popular or more well known than Napa Valley in the North Coast Region.

    Napa Valley sits one hour north of San Francisco and is home to some of the most popular and awarded wines in the world.

    This place of distinction is the major reason why the region has a second thriving industry, which is tourism.

    In 2018, the Napa Valley welcomed 3.85 million visitors, and they spent $2.23 billion dollars.  The tourism sector is the second largest employer in Napa County. The wine industry is number one.

    Like every other industry and part of the country, Napa Valley suffered the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. In fact, the tourism sector was hit particularly hard as millions stayed home.

    Airports, highways, hotel rooms and hotel lobbies – all empty or at minimal capacity for months. And the challenge for tourist destinations only begins when the lockdown ends.

    Not only do destinations have to make up for lost time and lost revenue, but they have a lot of work to do to rebuild confidence among travelers and re-establish themselves as attractive places to go.

    Linsey Gallagher is discusses how she is working with Napa Valley Vintners to launch a three-stage marketing campaign to mirror the recovery process and to help restore Napa Valley’s economy.  The interview is wide-ranging, from how Napa Valley became a global destination for wine tourism and plans for the future.

    About Visit Napa Valley

    Visit Napa Valley is the official destination management organization for the Napa Valley, with a mission to promote, protect and enhance the region’s position as an attractive travel destination and enhance its public image as a dynamic place to visit, live and work.

    The Napa Valley consists of the following distinctive towns, including, from north to south, Calistoga, St. Helena, Rutherford/Oakville, Yountville, the city of Napa, American Canyon, and the outdoor recreation area of Lake Berryessa. 
    Links

    * Visit Napa Valley (website)
    * California Wine Institute (website)
    * Diurnal Shift Definition, Wine Spectator
    * Discover California Wines (website)
    * California Wine Regions, Wine Enthusiast

    About this Episode's Guest Linsey Gallagher
    Linsey Gallagher is the president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley, the official destination management organization for the Napa Valley,  with a continued mission to promote, protect, and enhance the region’s position as an attractive travel destination while also enhancing its public image as a dynamic place to visit, live and work.

    Linsey joined Visit Napa Valley (VNV) in February 2019 after serving 10 years as Vice President, International Marketing for the California Wine Institute.

    48 min
  • The U.S. Capitol: Home to the American Story
    Professor Greg Jackson joins Tim to tell the American story through the story of a building, the U.S. Capitol. From the day the cornerstone is laid by George Washington in 1793 through today, the Capitol building is the anchor for the American republic. Greg walks us through the Capitol’s halls and tells us the stories they can’t tell for themselves. This is our special annual Independence Day episode. Have a Happy July 4th!

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/U.S._Capitol_Building_auphonic.mp3





    On September 18, 1793, George Washington laid the U.S. Capitol cornerstone at the southeast corner of its foundation to mark the building of the nation's most symbolically important building. President Washington and his volunteer artillery from Alexandria crossed the Potomac River and joined with troops from Virginia, Maryland, and the Federal City (current day Washington, D.C.).

    They formed a parade and everyone followed. There were speeches, a barbecue and much celebrating well into the evening. Greg explains what was on their minds on this first day where the new republic had a permanent home.
    Construction
    The Capitol houses the U.S. Congress—the House of Representatives and the Senate.

    Dr. William Thornton won a competition to become the initial designer of the building. He placed a smaller domed rotunda between the Senate (north) and House (south) wings.

    The building’s architects were many: Stephen Hallet (1793), George Hadfield (1795-1798), James Hoban (1798-1802), Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1803-1818), and Charles Bulfinch (1818-1826).

    The War of 1812 interrupted construction and nearly burned it to the ground, but rain prevented total destruction at the hands of British troops.

    By 1850, the growing United States warranted expansion of the U.S. Capitol building and so, construction began and continued throughout the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated under a partially completed dome.

    The U.S. Supreme Court was once housed in the Capitol building, as was the Library of Congress. Eventually, they would move to their own buildings while the Capitol would evolve.

    Greg tells the story behind the crypt in the center of the building, the old House of Representatives chamber, Statuary Hall, and some of the great stories and lore of the building itself.
    Links

    * History that Doesn't Suck Podcast
    * Professor Gregory Jackson, Utah Valley University
    * UVU Assistant Professor Teaches History to Thousands, UVU Website
    * U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
    * About the U.S. Capitol Building, Architect of the Capitol (AOC) website
    * Image Gallery, AOC website
    * National Statuary Hall Collection, AOC website
    * Apotheosis of Washington, AOC website
    * The Attempted Assassination of Andrew Jackson, Smithsonian Magazine

    About this Episode’s Guest Professor Greg Jackson
    Dr. Greg Jackson is Assistant Professor of Integrated Studies and Assistant Director of National Security Studies at Utah Valley University.
    Research & Creative Works
    Dr. Jackson is the creator, host, head writer,
    1 hr 4 min
  • After COVID-19: Get Ready to Play
    UPMC Sports medicine physician Dr. Jeanne Doperak joins Tim to talk about how athletes of all ages can get back to playing sports again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s one of the people behind the new UPMC Youth Sports Playbook designed to help get young athletes back to competition. In this episode, Dr. Doperak details the thinking behind that playbook, and how to get your young athlete back into sports with confidence, with the right approach and the right mindset.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/UPMC_Get_Back_to_Play_auphonic.mp3





    In 2015, the Aspen Institute published a report on youth sports. They looked at youth sports participation among boys and girls from 6 to 12 years old. They found that across the country, roughly 5.5 million kids participate in organized basketball leagues. 5 million play in soccer leagues. 731,000 participate in track and field. 4.5 million kids play in baseball leagues. 1.3 million kids play organized football. And 862,000 kids play in softball leagues.

    The National Federation of State High School Associations, reports that roughly 8 million teenagers compete in high school sports.

    And the NCAA reports that 460,000 men and women compete in NCAA collegiate sports.

    That’s a total of 26.4 million young athletes in the United States. That’s 26.4 million young athletes who had to stop training, practicing and competing a few months ago when the COVID-19 pandemic changed life in America as we know it.

    Gyms went dark, courts and fields went empty. Locker rooms….locked.

    Now, as the country moves forward with a gradual reopening process, sports are set to resume at all levels. This may create some concern on the parts of athletes, their families, coaches, teachers, school administrators and athletic directors.

    It was with this in mind, that UPMC Sports Medicine in Pittsburgh assembled a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers to create guidelines for the people in charge of creating a safe environment for youth athletes as they start to return to play.

    Dr. Jeanne Doperak is a UPMC primary care sports medicine physician. She led the development of the UPMC Youth Sports Playbook for a return to sports.
    Links

    * Dr. Jeanne Doperak, UPMC Sports Medicine
    * UPMC Designs Playbook for Return to Youth Sports, UPMC
    * Go to the UPMC Youth Sports Playbook Here
    * Returning to Sports and Activities, CDC
    * State of Youth Sports, Aspen Institute 2015
    * Participation in High School Sports Registers First Decline in 30 Years, NFHS
    * Estimated Probability of Competing in College Athletics, NCAA

    About this Episode’s Guest Dr. Jeanne Doperak
    Jeanne Doperak, DO, a primary care sports medicine physician, sees patients at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and UPMC’s Monroeville satellite office. She is a general physician for the athletic departments of both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, assistant team physician for the Pitt Panthers men’s basketball team, head team physician for St. Vincent College, and a medical consultant to Latrobe High School.

    44 min
  • John Scofield: A Jazz Master
    Jazz legend John Scofield joins Tim to talk about his life as one of the world’s leading jazz guitarists. He talks about the creative process, performing, and how his music has defied labeling. John is a true jazz innovator.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/John_Scofield_Jazz_Master_auhponic.mp3




    John Scofield and his guitar have shaped the jazz landscape since the late 1970s. He’s considered one of the “big three” of the late 20th century jazz guitarists. The other two are Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell.

    The jazz world has had some trouble when it has tried to pigeon-hole John’s style. It’s jazz, but it’s contemporary jazz, its’ post-bop, with some elements of fusion, funk and rhythm and blues.

    It can be soft and slow at times, but it is often hard-charging and once he gets started, John will take on a ride.

    John is considered a jazz improviser. He was born in Ohio and raised in Connecticut. John Scofield took up the guitar when he was 11 years old.

    He says he was inspired by rock and blues players.

    He went to Berklee College of Music in Boston. He then recorded with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker. After that he went on to perform with the likes of Billy Cobham and George Duke, Charles Mingus, and he joined the Gary Burton quartet.

    He’s recorded more than 40 albums as a leader with people like Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Eddie Harris, Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell and Brad Mehldau.

    He’s recorded with Tony Williams, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Dave Holland among others.

    When it comes to musical style, John defies labels by keeping an open musical mind.

    In this episode, John talks about the influences of blues, rock and other genres on his work and on jazz in general. He talks about his inspirations and how he still considers his abilities a work in progress.
    Gratitude
    Our thanks to John Scofield for providing his music and photos for use in our episode and on this site. The music you hear in this episode is John's new album with Steve Swallow called Swallow Tales. Additional thanks to Don Lucoff and Maureen McFadden of DL Media, Inc., for all of their work in arranging this interview and providing the necessary support. Thanks!
    Links

    * JohnScofield.com
    * John Scofield: Will the real John Scofield please stand up, JazzTimes
    * Ibanez Guitars: John Scofield

    About this Episode's Guest John Scofield
    John Scofield’s guitar work has influenced jazz since the late 70’s and is going strong today. Possessor of a very distinctive sound and stylistic diversity, Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between post-bop, funk edged jazz, and R & B.

    Born in Ohio and raised in suburban Connecticut, Scofield took up the guitar at age 11, inspired by both rock and blues players. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. After a debut recording with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, Scofield was a member of the Billy Cobham-George Duke band for two years. In 1977 he recorded with Charles Mingus, and joined the Gary Burton quartet. He began his international career as a bandleader and recording artist in 1978. From 1982–1985, Scofield toured and recorded with Miles Davis. His Davis stint placed him firmly in the foreground of jazz consciousness as a player and composer.

    Since that time he has prominently led his own groups in the international Jazz scene, recorded over 30 albums as a leader (many already classics) including collaborations with contemporary favori...
    39 min
  • Podcast Gumbo: Why We Listen
    Paul Kondo joins Tim to talk about why we listen to podcasts, what’s the appeal, and some of the podcasts he likes. Paul is the editor of the leading podcasting industry newsletter for listeners called Podcast Gumbo, and new in 2020, the Podcast Gumbo Podcast.  Podcasting has shaped the way we think, but there's something more to it. In this episode we explore the appeal of podcasting.

    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/Podcast_Gumbo_auphonic.mp3





    According to an industry web site that tracks podcasting called MyPodcastReviews.com, there are 1.1 million valid podcasts now in existence. Those shows represent a total of 29.8 million podcast episodes you could listen to.

    At current rates, nearly 10,000 new podcasts are added every day. And only about 500 podcasts are removed every day.

    Just over half of all of those 1 million podcasts – 500,000 – are considered active. That means that 500,000 podcasts are actively creating and dropping new episodes.

    Now, before we get too excited, keep in mind that of all of the podcasts that exist, only 43 percent have gone as far as to produce more than 10 episodes each. That means that more than half of the podcasts that exist won’t get past the 10th episode.

    If you’re a podcast listener, chances are you do it while you work out, or while your working in your home office, or while you’re driving, or doing chores around the house, or walking or hiking, or commuting.

    You take your favorite podcasts with you wherever you go.
    So, what are you listening to?
    Another website called PodcastInsights.com has some interesting statistics of its own. Consider these numbers from Nielsen Q3 2017 Podcast Insights.

    Fifty percent of all households are podcast fans. That’s 60 million homes.  Roughly half of all podcast listeners are men and the other half are women. Listenership is even across men and women.

    The largest demographic for podcasts is people from 35 to 54 years old. The second-largest listener group are younger – 12-34 years old. Those 55 years old and older are the third-largest group of podcast listeners.

    Half of all listening is done at home. 22 percent is done while driving. The media platform of choice is a smart phone. Podcast listeners listen to about 7 different shows per week. Eighty percent listen to all or most of each episode. This is unusual when compared to most other media you consume on a computer or smart phone.

    Some of the top genres are comedy, education, news, true crime, history and self-help. But the truth is, if there is something that interests you, there probably is a podcast about that.

    The podcast industry was in the middle of its dramatic growth in April of 2018.  That was when our own podcast was one month old. It was also when Paul Kondo decided to turn his interest in podcasts into a thing.

    That thing was to help people find good podcasts to listen to. That was when Paul created a newsletter called Podcast Gumbo.
    Links

    * Podcast Gumbo
    * PaulKondo.com
    * MyPodcastReviews (Podcast Statistics)
    * Podcast Insights (Podcast Statistics)

    Podcasts Mentioned in this Episode

    * Criminal
    * Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me
    * In the Dark
    * This American Life
    46 min

About Shaping Opinion

From the publisher's feed

The Shaping Opinion podcast helps you see through the spin. It reveals things you may not know, and it exposes other things some may want to keep hidden. Its focus is on how your thoughts and attitudes are influenced to create change in the culture, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.