Under the Radar Podcast

Barbara Walters is known for breaking barriers in the world of journalism, but who was she behind the cameras? Susan Page, the Washington D.C. bureau chief for USA today who’s also a best-selling author, aims to answer that question in her latest book, “The Rule Breaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters” – our November pick for Bookmarked: the Under the Radar book club.

Food insecurity is a year-round problem, but as the holidays approach, what is often an invisible problem gets more public attention. Nearly 2 million Massachusetts residents are food insecure, meaning they don't have enough to eat or don't know where their next meal will come from. We speak with three members of Make Hunger History, a coalition of organizations, anti-hunger advocates and policymakers, to hear more about the state of hunger in Massachusetts. 

The Mass Politics Profs are back for one last hour-long all-politics special right before Election Day! Could Latinos, motivated by recent comments against Puerto Rico, turn out for Vice President Kamala Harris? Are former President Donald Trump’s anti-trans ads effective? And will we find out the results of the election on Tuesday, November 5 … or months later? All that and more on this week’s episode!

This year, the world commemorates 125 years of the iconic film director Alfred Hitchcock. Although Hitchcock died in 1980, his work continues to influence filmmakers to this day. And his movies like “Psycho,” “Rear Window,” “Vertigo” and “The Birds” are still considered some of the best films ever made. John Fawell, professor emeritus at Boston University, joins us to tell us more about the life and legacy of Hitchcock.

It’s likely most primary voters did not recognize one of the most contested races on the ballot – the race for Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County, which drew big money and high-ranking endorsements. It’s also likely that even the informed voters have no idea what Clerks of Courts do or why it is an elected position. So “Under the Radar” decided to go straight to the source – candidates Allison Cartwright, future Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County, and John Powers, Suffolk County Clerk of Courts for Civil Business, to learn more.

$17.8 trillion: That’s how much Americans owe in consumer debt. The biggest driver of that debt? Misunderstanding about how to use money. In a survey by the credit monitoring agency Experian, 3 in 5 American adults made financial mistakes because they weren’t money savvy. Experts are urging education for young people, including making financial literacy a graduation requirement. Will mandated financial literacy become part of the Massachusetts school curriculum?

Mfoniso Udofia’s play “Sojourners” is the first in a series of nine plays that make up the Ufot Family Cycle. The plays are based on the real-life experiences of Nigerian-American immigrants and spans three generations. “Sojourners,” which starts at the end of October at the Huntington Theatre, kicks off a two-year presentation of all the plays in a unique city-wide and Greater Boston festival – the first time all nine plays have ever been performed as a cycle. Udofia tells us the inspiration behind her work and how it feels to finally have her vision made reality.

In her new book, “Locker Room: A Woman’s Struggle To Get Inside,” Melissa Ludtke recounts the story of her groundbreaking legal case against officials in Major League Baseball, who denied women access to teams’ locker rooms. She won her case, and the ruling opened doors for the hundreds of female sports journalists who came after her. 

Our regional news roundtable is back with headlines from New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Cape Cod. This week: A new voter ID law in New Hampshire is causing confusion before Election Day, Rhode Island’s Washington Bridge saga, an offshore wind farm auction on the Cape and more!

The 2024 presidential and statewide elections have brought renewed attention to voting issues – particularly challenges or limitations to certain citizens’ right to vote. For more than 4.6 million people living in the U.S., the right to vote has been taken away due to a felony conviction, with some states even placing lifetime bans on the formerly incarcerated. And with former President Donald Trump’s numerous felony convictions, the question of who gets to keep their voting rights and who loses them has been placed into an even brighter spotlight. We speak with three experts and advocates about the importance of restoring full voting rights for all Massachusetts residents.