Podcasts: Talk The Talk

Talk The Talk

Weekdays 8:00 -10:00 a.m. EST; rebroadcast 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. EST

Bill Newman and Buz Eisenberg host newsmakers, activists, authors, & artists – including:

Mayors Monday(Northampton, Holyoke, Easthampton) & Amherst Town Mgr Paul Bockelman, Salman Hameed’s Universe, the Comedy Quiz, Black In the Valley (Professor Amilcar Shabazz) Political Gold (Josh Silver), Our House (Congressman Jim McGovern), Crime & Punishment (John Pucci), DA David Sullivan, Writers Block (Megan Zinn), Science and Sensibility (Brian Adams), Community Action (Clare Higgins), Righting Wrongs (ACLUM Carol Rose), State Senators Comerford & Mark, Representatives Sabadosa, Blais, Duffy, & Domb, ArtBeat (Donnabelle Casis), Cool Films (Larry Hott), Feminist Futures (Carrie Baker), Talkin’ Baseball & Fair Play (Duke Goldman), Your State U (MTA Pres. Max Page) All That Jazz (Ruth Griggs & John Anz), Exec. Editor, DHG & Gfld Recorder, Dan Crowley.  

Solutions

10/16/25: Luke Rotello, N’ton City Council Ward 5 candidate. DHG & Recorder Exec Editor Dan Crowley: covering local elections. Rabbi Riqi Kosovske: hostages, prisoners & a two-state solution. “Made in the Valley” (& live in studio!): musicians Loren Ludwig, Alice Robbins & Tim Eriksen: local 19th century music for voices and viols.

Committed

9/15/25: Al Simon, candidate for N’ton City Council, Ward 2. UMass Profs Paul Collins & Tim Komatsu: the voting patterns of Federalist Society justices & judges. Brian Adams w/ THE state herpetologist, Mike Jones: turtles & salamanders & snakes—oh my! Larry Hott reviews “Democracy Noir” and “Apocalypse in the Tropics.”

Councilors, Counselors & a Chef !

10/14/25: N’ton Ward 2 Councilor and candidate Deborah Pastrich-Klemer. Amherst Councilor Andy Steinberg & N’ton Councilor Alex Jarret: funding our schools & other critical services. UMass Dining Services’ Jeff MacDonald — winner of the “Chef of the Year” award! Rich Michelson: “What Louis Brandeis Knows: A Crusader for Social Justice Becomes a Supreme Court Justice” and “Three Poets and a Play” on No-Kings Day.

Candidacies

10/13/25: Laurie Loisel, N’ton Ward 3 City Council candidate. Megan Zinn w/ Paula Saunders, author of “Starting from Here.” Megan Wolf, write-in candidate for N’ton Ward 4 School Committee. Amilcar Shabazz w/ Amherst Coll Black Studies & History Prof Stefan Bradley, author of “If We Don’t Get It: A Peoples’ History of Ferguson.”

Live

10/10/25: Live from D.C.– MTA Pres Max Page: health insur, rainy day funds & DOE. Live in studio — Michael Stein, N’pton School Comm member & candidate for re-election. Historian & author Matthew Restall: “The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus.” Matteo Pangallo & Steve Poulin: new plays “Take Ten.” Donnabelle Casis w/ Christina White of Art for the Soul Gallery: “The Power of SHE.”

Meg at Large on 10.9

Chart(er)ing Our Path Forward

10/9/25: Amherst Town Council Pres Lynn Griesemeron: revising the town charter, schools, roads & free cash. N’ton At-large Councilor candidate Deb Henson: the issues. Rep Natalie Blais: the gov’t shutdown & the Bridge of Flowers. Ruth Griggs w/ superstar musician Avery Sharpe: “I Am My Neighbor’s Keeper – free concert @ Edwards Church Friday.

The Annual Coop Roundtable, Live from River Valley

10/8/25: Craig Boivin of UMass 5 College Credit Union. Lloyd Miller of Old Creamery Co-op. Jeff Burdine of Greenfield Farmer’s Co-operative Exchange. Rochelle Prunty of River Valley Co-op. Caitlin Von Schmidt of Franklin Community Co-op. Ben Jankowitz of Valley Alliance of Worker Co-ops & Pedal People Cooperative. Will Savitri of PV2 Solar.

Trump Versus

10/7/25: Sen Paul Mark: MA Data Privacy Act & Trump’s military v Americans. Keith Fairey, CEO of Wayfinders & Alexis Breiteneicher, Ex Dir, Valley CDC: the housing crisis here & the federal role. GCC prof Brian Adams w/ Gazette columnist, environmentalist Johanna Neumann: Trump v solar. Astronomer Salman Hameed: outer space treaties & Trump v NASA.

Constructing

10/6/25: Michele Ronco, N’ton Ward 1 City Council candidate. Megan Zinn w/ Lily King: “Heart the Lover” & her Odyssey reading. Sen Jo Comerford: the gov’t shutdown, Medicaid costs & charter schools funding. N’ton Mayor GL Sciarra: early voting & constructing the yearly budget.

Decisions

10/3/25: MTA Pres Max Page: tax the multinationals & free speech for educators. Clare Higgins: her careers as Mayor & Ex Dir, Community Action Pioneer Valley. Jennifer Jacobson & Morgan Sheehan: Straw Dog Writer’s Guild WriteAngles Conference. UMass Athletic Dir Ryan Bamford: the football program & $. Donnabelle Casis w/ Mischa Roy Bennett: the Great N’ton Haunt.

Recent Headlines

1 day ago in National

County judge in Chicago area bars ICE from arresting people at court

Cook County's top judge signed an order barring ICE from arresting people at court. Cook County includes Chicago, which has seen a federal immigration crackdown in recent months.

2 days ago in National

Supreme Court takes up GOP-led challenge to Voting Rights Act that could affect control of Congress

The Supreme Court is taking up a major Republican-led challenge to the Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, that could gut a key provision of the law that prohibits racial discrimination in redistricting.

2 days ago in National

Trump honoring Charlie Kirk with Presidential Medal of Freedom on what would be his 32nd birthday

President Donald Trump on Tuesday is posthumously awarding America's highest civilian honor to Charlie Kirk, the assassinated activist who inspired a generation of young conservatives and helped push the nation's politics further to the right.

3 days ago in Lifestyle, Trending

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Teenagers on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won't be able to change their settings without a parent's permission, Meta announced on Tuesday.

3 days ago in National

Rare October storm brings heavy rain and possible mudslides to Southern California

A rare October storm arrived in California on Tuesday and threatened to pummel wildfire-scarred Los Angeles neighborhoods with heavy rain, high winds and possible mudslides. Some homes were ordered to evacuate.