RadioWest
Episodes
What Will It Take to Make Great Salt Lake Great Again?
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Great Salt Lake normally doesn’t reach peak water level until late May. But after a record-low snowpack, the lake has already topped out, and expert...
Bill Gifford Says Don’t Avoid the Heat. Harness It.
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There’s emerging evidence of the health benefits of raising your body temperature—you know, getting sweaty. Author Bill Gifford’s book makes the...
Daryl Lindsey Says You Can Build a Thriving Utah Yard — and Save Water Doing It
09 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Daryl Lindsey is a sustainable landscaping expert. With spring here, and a worrisome winter in the rearview, she joins us to talk about this year’s ...
The Future of Mining Being Drawn in a Legal Gray Zone
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The hunt for critical minable resources is heating up in Utah, and would-be extractors have found a legal loophole to get around federal mining laws.
ICE Wants to Transform an SLC Warehouse into an Immigration Jailhouse
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement recently purchased a warehouse on Salt Lake City’s west side, but the agency doesn’t intend to use the s...
A Historian Shares What We Really Know About Jesus
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
With Easter weekend approaching, we’re revisiting our 2025 conversation with Elaine Pagels about the real Jesus of Nazareth.
The True History of the American Gunfighter
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Wild West has been the subject of much mythologizing in American culture. But for all the fantasy, at least one figure was real: the gunfighter.
The Alien Craze That Captured Turn-Of-The-Century America
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It may seem like Mars is just a modern-day obsession, but we earthlings were nuts for the Red Planet more than a century ago. David Baron’s new book...
You Won't Find Every Word in the Dictionary. Here's Why.
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What weighs five pounds, hasn’t been seen in print for 20 years, but still shapes the way we think about language? Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Di...
McKay Coppins' Year as a Degenerate Gambler
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The journalist McKay Coppins wasn’t a gambling man. But when his employer The Atlantic staked him $10,000 to bet on the 2025 NFL season, he couldn’...
The Science of Love and Sex
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Justin R. Garcia is the director of the Kinsey Institute, the famed sex research institution. He’s joining us to talk about his new book, “The Int...
That’s a Wrap on the 2026 Legislative Session
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The 2026 Utah Legislative Session concluded last week. We’re gathering a trio of reporters to talk about what passed and what failed.
Why Penny Lane Gave Her Kidney to a Stranger
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Filmmaker Penny Lane’s 2023 documentary is about giving away one of her own kidneys. Although she didn't like the idea of calling herself a "good Sa...
A True Story of Love, Mutiny and Improbable Leadership
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In 1856, Mary Ann Patten became the first woman to captain an American merchant vessel. She was only 19 years old. Historian Tilar Mazzeo’s book tel...
David Archuleta on Faith and Coming Out
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
David Archuleta became famous at 17 years old, when he was a finalist on “American Idol.” He joins us to talk about his new memoir, coming out as ...
The Battle Lines of Homeless Policy in Utah
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As plans take shape for an extensive homeless campus in Salt Lake City, a divide has emerged between those who support the current system of homeless ...
A Controversial New Apostle Joins Latter-day Saint Leadership
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
LDS President Dallin H. Oaks has chosen a new apostle. His name is Clark G. Gilbert, and his appointment is raising controversy among the faithful. Sc...
A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of people dream about leaving it all behind, but Maurice and Maralyn Bailey really did it. They bought a boat and set sail in June of 1972.
The Battle Over Prop 4 Being Fought on Utah’s Streets
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eight years ago, Utah voters approved Proposition 4, a ballot initiative that, after a long legal battle, resulted in newly drawn congressional bounda...
Hitting the Road with Jack Kerouac
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Kerouac published “On the Road” in 1957, and it became the defining novel of the Beat Generation. Today, a new documentary explores the book’...
How LDS Garments Shape the Lives of Those Who Wear Them
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Latter-day Saint temple garments are the subject of a new book. The authors surveyed thousands of Church members for their project.
The Tragic Tale of the Edmund Fitzgerald
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As big freighters go, the Edmund Fitzgerald was the biggest, the best and the most profitable ship on the Great Lakes. Then, on Nov. 10, 1975, facing ...
The Lingering Guilt and Lessons Learned from the Challenger Disaster
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Forty years ago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch. According to NPR's Howard Berkes, the lessons learned from the disaster a...
The Metamorphosis of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Michael Scherer had a lofty goal for his profile of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He wanted to “help narrow the political divide” separating t...
An Environmental Horror Story About Great Salt Lake
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In a new documentary premiering at Sundance, local filmmaker Abby Ellis follows two scientists and a government official fighting to stave off environ...
The Ute Leader Who Helped Found the West
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In a new biography, the historian Max Perry Mueller argues that Wakara, a Timpanogos Ute leader, should be considered one of the founding figures of t...
What to Expect From the 2026 Utah Legislative Session
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
“Affordability” is a buzzword of the current political moment, and it’s top of mind for Utah lawmakers as they gear up for the general legislati...
What to Expect From the 2026 Utah Legislative Session
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
“Affordability” is a buzzword of the current political moment, and it’s top of mind for Utah lawmakers as they gear up for the general legislati...
Drawn to the Ghastly and Gruesome? This Psychologist Can Tell You Why
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Coltan Scrivner is a psychologist who studies why some of us are drawn to look at gruesome things. He calls it morbid curiosity, and he says it’s no...
Is Utah's Ski Boom Going Bust?
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years, Utah has seen a surge in winter visitors to its world-class ski resorts. Sam Weintraub, a ski industry observer, isn’t the only one...
Greg Lukianoff on why Free Speech Matters
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On Sept. 10, 2025, political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University. The very next month, Greg Lukianoff gave a lecture t...
The Lives of Rivers with Robert Macfarlane
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is a river alive? That’s the animating question in Robert Macfarlane’s latest book. And if the answer is yes, and rivers are living things, what d...
Dame Judi Dench on a Life With Shakespeare
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever wanted to share a room with two great actors talking about Shakespeare, here’s your chance — with Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’...
The Making of Handel’s Messiah
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2021, protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol and tried to overturn the presidential election. In that moment, author Charles King turned to Handel’s...
The Viking Age and Hidden Histories
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If the word “Viking” conjures for you a braided warrior raiding a village in the north of Europe, you’re not exactly wrong. But there’s a lot ...
How America was Shaped by Multilevel Marketing
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Multilevel marketing is something of an American tradition. Journalist Bridget Read tells the story of the money-making schemes that continue to ensna...
James Tabor on the Real Mother of Jesus
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jesus’s mother Mary likely lived for over 40 years, but many believers only think of her in two places, the Nativity and the Crucifixion. The schola...
Can Christianity Fix the Country?
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Author and journalist Jonathan Rauch is a Jewish atheist. And yet, he’s calling on Christians to remember their faith — and practice it the way Fo...
RadioWest’s 2025 Holiday Book Show
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do books say about us? This week, Catherine Weller, Ken Sanders and Anne Holman join us to talk about their favorite winter reads — the titles ...
Stefan Fatsis on the New Dictionary Decades in the Making
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What weighs five pounds, hasn’t been seen in print for 20 years, but still shapes the way we think about language? Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Di...
Through the Lens: 'Sovereign'
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jerry Kane and his teenage son Joseph were men of no nation. Their lives — and their violent ends — are the subject of the new feature film “Sov...
Craig Childs on the Darkest of Dark Skies
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For many people, the night sky is an afterthought, especially if you live in a big city, where all the artificial light drowns out the stars. But the ...
Michael Shaikh on How War Changes Food
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Of the many casualties of violent conflict, food is yet another. Michael Shaikh’s new book explains how war and genocide change what we eat.
The Life and Literature of Wallace Stegner
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wallace Stegner made a name for himself writing about the place that shaped him: the Mountain West and the people there. Alex Beam’s biography tells...
A Marriage — and a Shipwreck at Sea
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of people dream about leaving it all behind, but Maurice and Maralyn Bailey really did it. They bought a boat and set sail in June of 1972.
Redrawing Utah: The Map That Could Flip a Seat
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A lengthy chapter in the battle over Utah’s congressional boundaries came to a close yesterday when a judge chose a new congressional map for Utah. ...
The Last Republican
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a progressive Hollywood filmmaker and a conservative congressman team up to document one of the most volatile chapters in American p...
Podcast Extra: “Truth & Treason” Director Matt Whitaker on Working with Angel Studios
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we spoke with Matt Whitaker about his film “Truth & Treason.” He’s coming back to talk more about the movie, as well as making it with...
Helmuth Hübener: The Young Latter-day Saint Who Exposed Nazi Lies
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
During Hitler’s rise to power, a young Latter-day Saint named Helmuth Hübener dared to defy the regime. He was 17 years old when the authorities ex...
The Martian Craze that Captured America
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mars isn’t just a modern-day obsession, because we earthlings were nuts for the Red Planet more than a century ago. David Baron’s new book tells t...
The Ute Tribal Leader Who Helped Found the West
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Brigham Young and the Mormons arrived in Utah in the mid-1800s, they encountered a Native American leader who already dominated the region. Wakar...
A Place in Motion: Revisiting ‘Three Mormon Towns’
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1954, photographers Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange traveled to southern Utah to capture life in three Mormon towns — Gunlock, Toquerville and St....
A Journey Into New Age Cults
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New Age spirituality is everywhere these days, from tarot cards and crystals, astrology and energy healing. A new book traces the history of New Age m...
How One Man’s Love of Pot Launched a Movement
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dennis Peron came back from the Vietnam War with three pounds of marijuana. Later, he’d become one of the preeminent figures in the movement to lega...
How Will Dallin H. Oaks Lead the LDS Church?
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dallin H. Oaks is the new president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We’re talking about who he is, and what to expect under his ...
How Texas Gunfighters Made the Wild West
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Wild West has been the subject of much mythologizing in American culture. But for all the fantasy, at least one figure was real: the gunfighter.
Understanding the Bible’s Most Controversial Ideas
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s how many debates about contentious societal issues stall out: someone declares, “because the Bible says so.” End of story. But what does ...
QAnon and the American Family, “The Quiet Damage”
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You’d think that certain bonds couldn’t be broken by different beliefs, even strongly opposed convictions. But some conspiracies are just that pow...
Should Nearly 45 Million Acres of Public Land Be Opened to New Development?
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A 2001 rule crafted by the U.S. Forest Service banned road construction and most commercial logging on nearly 45 million acres of public lands. Now th...
The Influence of President Russell M. Nelson
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday, Sept. 27, Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at his home. He was 101 years old.
How LDS Temples and Rituals Make Mormons Who They Are
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The historian Jonathan Stapley says it's hard for Latter-day Saints to talk about what happens inside their temples. But his new book explains how tho...
Update: The Murdoch Media Empire and the Real-Life Succession Drama
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Much ink has been spilled about media mogul Rupert Murdoch's family, but Atlantic reporter McKay Coppins got the chance to get the stories from the in...
What Does It Mean that Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Killer was a Utahn?
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a recent press conference, Utah Governor Spencer Cox warned of political violence metastasizing in this country. The journalist McKay Coppins descr...