Around and About Chattanooga
Hosted by Michael Edward Miller
Topic: News, Arts, Culture
Where to Find It: iTunes, Stitcher, Downcast, wutc.org
Created as a weekly public radio show (broadcast on Wednesdays on WUTC NPR 88.1 FM), “Around and About Chattanooga” is also available to download or stream in podcast format.
“The focus is basically anything interesting that is somehow related to Chattanooga,” said host and producer Michael Edward Miller. “Events, people, fundraisers, artists, musicians, it’s kind of a general ‘this and that’ show.”
It’s that diversity of focus that makes the show an interesting way to keep up with the happenings in Chattanooga. In-depth reporting and frequent audio storytelling gems, along with interviews with the likes of humor-writer David Sedaris and best-selling novelist Arthur Golden, comprise this eclectic podcast.
Guests range from local Chattanooga residents to national experts, celebrities, and authors, each offering his or her point-of-view on the topic affecting the Tennessee Valley.
“You can probably expect more serious news pieces in the year ahead,” said Miller. “There are a lot of really important conflicts going on in Chattanooga right now with gentrification and affordable housing… the economic development and renaissance is great, but there are a lot of people who have been left behind by that. As a public radio station, it’s literally our mission to cover that kind of thing.”
Episodes to Start With:
“Arthur Golden Finally Has a New Novel Coming Out”: This interview with Arthur Golden, Chattanooga native and author of bestselling novel Memoirs of a Geisha, is nearly four years old. Yet, according to Miller, people still track down the episode and listen. “It’s probably the most popular episode we’ve ever done.”
“75 Years Ago, ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’ Became the World’s First Gold Record”: This episode, which aired on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” tells a multi-faceted story in just three minutes. Miller packs in the history of Glenn Miller’s song “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” the origin of the “golden record,” and the legacy and impact of the song on Chattanooga.
“She Gave Away the Founder’s Fortune: An Actual True Story”: Miller and Lisa Napoli, author of RAY & JOAN: The Man Who Made the McDonald’s Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away, discuss that time Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, made the largest public radio pledge ever – $250 million to NPR.