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 Friends 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), DA David Sullivan, Writers Block (Megan Zinn), Science and Sensibility (Brian Adams), Righting Wrongs (ACLUM Carol Rose), State Senators Comerford & Mark, Representatives Sabadosa, 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.
Audits & Artists, Politicians & Professors
10/17/25: Max Page w/ Auditor Diana DiZoglio: auditing the legislature & applying the Public Records Act. Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa: wisely follow the money. Amherst Prof Austin Sarat: the Justice Dep’t is a dire threat to democracy. Prof Michael Hoberman on “Imagining Early American Jews.” Donnabelle Casis w/ Rachel Buenaventura of the Wistariahurst Museum on “Identity in Ink: the Art of Tattooing.”
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.”
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.
