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 pins we dropped in Nashville and Middle Tennessee in 2022. Press play above to hear them all, or take your pick from the list below.

Where should we drop a pin next? Let us know.

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 explore some of the origins and nuances of Music City’s social graces with our panel — as well the potential downsides of keeping up an appearance of niceness.

Are you "Nashville Nice"? Take the quiz to find out.

But first, WPLN interim news director Chas Sisk and digital editor Rachel Iacavone join host Khalil Ekulona in the studio to recap the station's top stories for 2022.

Guests:

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 central part of the tradition.

So today, we’re bringing you a special episode featuring some of Nashville’s legendary ghost stories.

Our storytellers: 

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 local anti-violence group, Gideon’s Army, has been trying out one approach called violence interruption. The approach treats violence like an infectious disease and takes a community-based approach to public safety.

On today’s episode, we’ll hear how this approach has been going. (Update: The city has yet to dole out the $1.5 million set aside for violence interruption. The Metro Council is expected to vote in January on which groups will split the funding.)

We’re joined by a panel of community members who have been personally affected by violence, to hear what they would like to see the city and local advocacy groups do to keep our communities safe, beyond policing. We will also hear from some of the people doing the work, including a boxing coach and an emergency physician.  

Guests: 

Previous WPLN reporting: 

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 the show to discuss the organization as it celebrates its first anniversary. Also in conversation with Holly G. is singer-songwriter Frankie Staton, who led one of the Black Opry’s forebears – the Black Country Music Association – in the 1990s.

Also in this episode, you’ll hear from artists of color about how they navigate the changes within in the country music industry.

Guests:

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 what Music City is gaining and losing with all of these rapid changes.

Before we dive into the conversation, Executive Producer Andrea Tudhope joins Khalil in the studio to talk about what listeners can expect every day from This Is Nashville and how the Middle Tennessee community can contribute.

Guests: 

Quote to note: 

As someone who grew up here in Nashville, it’s been really fun to be able to see the growth, but with the growth comes the discomfort. I’ve heard balance be reiterated many times and I’m in absolute agreeance of that. It is a delicate balance of being excited about the growth and seeing it happen because it’s good for us all. It brings in incredible dollars that have really, really helped the infrastructure in the city, which we are still needing a lot more progress on. – Rosa Castano

Resources and additional reading:

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 digital producer Anna Gallegos-Cannon to see what listeners have to say this week.

Guests: 

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 organizations.

But first, the effects of Tennessee's new abortion law are already felt by pregnant people in need of urgent medical care. Steve Cavendish of the Nashville Banner joins us at the top of the show to talk about a recently published story on how a hospital's legal team weighed the risk to its doctors under the new law before they could treat a woman with an ectopic pregnancy. 

Guests:

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 justice reporter Paige Pfleger to discuss the ongoing problem of gun theft.

Guests:

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: