On The Record

WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore

Catch On the Record, hosted by Sheilah Kast, weekdays from 9:30 to 10:00 am, following NPR's Morning Edition. We'll discuss the issues that affect your life and bring you thoughtful and lively conversations with the people who shape those issues -- business people, public officials, scholars, artists, authors, WYPR reporters and other journalists who can take us inside the story. If you want to share a comment, question, or an idea for an interview you?d like to hear, email us at [email protected]

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Top 10 On The Record Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best On The Record episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to On The Record for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite On The Record episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Boost your happiness with science; free dental clinics for children

On The Record

02/13/24 • 24 min

What we think will make us happy, like pampering ourselves, often doesn’t. We ask Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos, who hosts “The Happiness Lab” podcast, how science shows the way. Santos will be in Baltimore on February 22nd for the Baltimore Speakers Series presented by Stevenson University.

Then, one in four US children misses out on dental care. Dentist Dr. Brenda Shah tells about healthy habits and free clinics organized by the Maryland State Dental Association Charitable and Educational Foundation.

Give Kids A Smile 2024 locations and dates here. Find additional resources through the Maryland Office of Oral Health:

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472

Baltimore-born Cass Elliot: Rock star, devoted mom, independent thinker

On The Record

07/26/24 • 18 min

For many, the memorable element of the singing group The Mamas and the Papas was Cass Elliot’s clear contralto. Cass Elliot was born Ellen Naomi Cohen in Baltimore in 1941, attended Forest Park High School in Northwest Baltimore, and left high school six weeks before graduation to find her show business fortune in New York. She was 32 when she died of a heart attack in London after a brilliant run at the Palladium in late July 1974.

Her daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell, was 7 years old when her mother died, and has just published a memoir, "My Mama, Cass." We talk with her about it.

How to find, or mix, the perfect mocktail for the holidays

On The Record

12/14/23 • 13 min

Wherever you are, whoever you’re with, the winter holiday season often augurs a refreshing drink in hand. But alcohol is not an indispensable ingredient for a good time.

Many Americans, around 1 in 3 according to Gallup polling, totally abstain from alcohol.

So what are your options if you are looking for something to drink that is more sophisticated than a soda but less potent than the holiday eggnog.

We ask Darryl Collins, owner of Hopscotch Zero-Proof Bottle Shop in Fells Point.

Collins was profiled by Phillip Muriel in the Baltimore Beat in November. His store sells non-alcoholic beverages of all shapes and sizes.

Later in the show, Joey Breeden and Rani Singh join us in-studio to mix mocktails. The pair are general managers with the Alfred Restaurant Group, which oversees Osteria Pirata, Anchor Tavern and Duck Duck Goose in Fells Point.

Facial recognition technology is here. Can it be trusted?

On The Record

12/13/23 • 25 min

Law-enforcement agencies, including those in Maryland, are making more use of facial recognition technology. This software attempts to identify human faces by matching images or video from surveillance cameras to massive databases of pictures.

Proponents say it’s an important tool to keep the public safe. Privacy advocates say it’s a dangerous tool, far too likely to misidentify people. Some point to the experience of a Baltimore County man launched into a harrowing ordeal when police used facial recognition technology.

We talk with Eyal Press, who went deep into what happened in the pages of the The New Yorker.

Later in the show, we talk to a critic of facial recognition technology, Samantha Masters. She is with Organizing Black, a community organizing group in Baltimore city.

Photo by Jonathan McIntosh, via Flickr.

Change is coming to Baltimore's water infrastructure. What can we learn from other cities?

On The Record

01/17/24 • 14 min

Baltimore’s massive water and sewage system is its most valuable asset, and delivers water and wastewater services to more than 1.5 million people in the city, Baltimore county and neighboring counties.

The system is owned and operated by the city, but the future governance is unclear. The Baltimore Regional Water Governance Task Force has spent months considering potential changes, with disagreement between the county and city on how it should be run.

Professor Louise Seamster joins us to discuss how metropolitan areas similar to Baltimore have handled the question of governance over their water and sewage systems, and where those choices have led them.

Seamster is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and African American Studies in the University of Iowa, where she studies how cities and counties own and operate water-wastewater infrastructure.

Baltimore's aging infrastructure is in trouble. DPW wants to help.

On The Record

01/17/24 • 12 min

If you imagine Baltimore city as a human body, its pipes and water mains could be compared to arteries, its trash and recycling services to white blood cells and its sewage lines as the lower intestines.

All of this infrastructure, critical for daily life in Baltimore, are overseen by one department: The Department of Public Works.

Interim director Richard Luna, named to the position last June, is tasked with the response to several pressing challenges, including aging infrastructure, a 2002 consent decree regarding sewage and wastewater overflows and potential changes to the oversight of the city's water and wastewater systems.

(Photo by Elvert Barnes, via Flickr. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)

Stoop Story: Christmastime in Hampden, hon!

On The Record

12/22/23 • 11 min

Here's a Stoop Story from Falkenhan’s Hardware owner Deb Falkenhan, about the quirky Christmas traditions in her family, and in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood.

A deep look into Baltimore's stained glass history

On The Record

12/22/23 • 14 min

Stained glass is not just for churches. In Baltimore, if you look for it, you’ll find it all over -- elaborate skylights, charming transoms, colorful portholes. We ask Linda Rabben, an anthropologist and author, what the artful glass tells us about class, race, and social networks in Charm City.

Links: Through a Glass Darkly book, Peale Museum Exhibit for Through a Glass Darkly, Baltimore Architecture Foundation talk at Zion Church of the City of Baltimore Jan 6, at 2pm, Histories about "Two Story King of East Baltimore" Frank Novak, here and here.

Stoop Story: Lost love, found again

On The Record

02/14/24 • 10 min

Here’s a Stoop Story from Pattie Archuleta about rediscovering love separated by long years and vast distances.

The next Stoop Storytelling event is March 6, 2024. The even is called “Failing Up: Rising Stronger from Professional Failures” and is scheduled to be held at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

(Photo by Aaron Curtis)

Zeke Cohen is on the campaign trail for City Council President. What would he change if elected?

On The Record

03/07/24 • 25 min

The 15 members of the Baltimore City Council do not elect the council’s leader from among themselves like most legislative bodies. Instead, city directly elect the president of the City Council.

Several candidates are vying for the role in the 2024 election. In the Democratic primary, where the winner is almost assured of winning the seat, incumbent Council President Nick Mosby faces two formidable challenges; Shannon Sneed, who represented East Baltimore on the council from 2016 to 2020, and Zeke Cohen, who has represented Southeast Baltimore’s 1st District since 2016.

During his time on the council, Cohen pushed for trauma-informed care and tighter rules on lobbying in the city. Now is running for Council president. What are his priorities, if elected?

(Photo by Terrance Williams, The Baltimore Banner)

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FAQ

How many episodes does On The Record have?

On The Record currently has 362 episodes available.

What topics does On The Record cover?

The podcast is about Podcasts, Arts and Government.

What is the most popular episode on On The Record?

The episode title 'Stories from the Stoop: Dave Reichley goes all in to help a neighbor' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on On The Record?

The average episode length on On The Record is 18 minutes.

How often are episodes of On The Record released?

Episodes of On The Record are typically released every 23 hours.

When was the first episode of On The Record?

The first episode of On The Record was released on Jul 24, 2023.

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On The Record

WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore

Top 10 On The Record Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does On The Record have?

What topics does On The Record cover?

What is the most popular episode on On The Record?

What is the average episode length on On The Record?

How often are episodes of On The Record released?

When was the first episode of On The Record?

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