RadioWest

12/19/2025

The countdown has started: less than one week until Christmas.

This Christmas Eve, historian Gerry Bowler joins RadioWest to take a biographical look at Santa Claus. From the fourth‑century Bishop of Myra to the jolly figure we know today, Santa’s story has evolved to suit the times.

Listen here: https://radiowest.kuer.org/profiles/2013-12-23/santa-claus-a-biography

or search Santa Claus: a biography at kuer.radiowest.org

Some of you may be expecting a visit from that jolly Santa Claus this week (If you've been good, that is.) But just who is this man that will magically…

12/19/2025

The countdown has started: less than one week until Christmas.

In 1843, Charles Dickens was in crisis. His marriage was troubled, his career faltering, and his finances collapsing. Instead of giving up, he wrote A Christmas Carol in six weeks and self‑published it.

Historian Les Standiford joins RadioWest to explain how Dickens’s tale reinvented the holiday.

Listen here or search A Christmas Carol at RadioWest.org

https://radiowest.kuer.org/arts-theater-film/2013-12-19/a-christmas-carol

In the fall of 1843, Charles Dickens was in something of a mid-life crisis. His marriage was troubled, his career tottering, his finances on the verge of…

12/18/2025

The countdown has started: one week until Christmas.

Revisit our 1012 conversation with scholar John Dominic Crossan to revisit The First Christmas and explore what the Gospels really teach about Jesus’s birth.

You can listen on our webpage:
https://radiowest.kuer.org/curiosities/2012-12-24/the-first-christmas

What do you think the nativity story means for us today?”

Let's face it, 2000 years ago there was no such thing as Black Friday, inflatable lawn snow globes or even a Santa Claus. Whatever Christmas traditions -…

12/17/2025

Multilevel marketing has been called an American tradition — but for most, it’s a costly one.

Journalist Bridget Read joins us to explore how pyramid schemes took root in the 1940s and why they still thrive today.

Listen here: https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2025-12-16/how-america-was-shaped-by-multilevel-marketing

Or, Thursday at 9 am, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Why do you think MLMs continue to attract people?”

Multilevel marketing is something of an American tradition. Journalist Bridget Read tells the story of the money-making schemes that continue to ensnare people today.

12/16/2025

Many believers see Mary only at the Nativity and the Crucifixion. But she lived decades beyond those moments.

Biblical scholar James Tabor’s new book: "The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus" reintroduces her as a real woman — mother, leader, and central figure in the Jesus movement.

Listen to our conversation here: https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2025-12-16/james-tabor-on-the-real-mother-of-jesus

How does seeing Mary as a historical figure change your perspective?

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 scholar James Tabor wants to change that.

12/13/2025

Can Christianity save the country? Jonathan Rauch — a Jewish atheist — believes America’s democratic crisis is inseparable from a crisis in Christianity. In his new book, he calls on Christians to renew their faith in ways that echo the civic vision of James Madison. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plays a key role in his vision.

Listen here: https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2025-12-09/can-christianity-fix-the-country

What do you think — can faith help strengthen democracy?

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 Founding Father James Madison might have done.

12/10/2025

Books tell us who we are. RadioWest’s 2025 Holiday Book Show brings together Catherine Weller, Ken Sanders and Anne Holman to share their favorite winter reads. From sci-fi’s social insights to Patti Smith’s latest, you’ll find titles to gift or curl up with this season.

Listen this morning at 9 a.m., then let us know what books you ant off our booksellers lists.

11/26/2025

Food is often overlooked as a casualty of war.

In our latest podcast, Michael Shaikh discusses "The Last Sweet Bite", he documents how conflict and genocide alter local cuisines through memoir, travel writing and recipes.

Listen this morning at 9 a.m. or on your favorite podcast app. or - on our webpage:
https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2025-11-25/how-war-changes-food

What dish connects you most to your family or culture?

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.

11/25/2025

"Green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce… the holiday list goes on.

For many, cooking feels like a race against the clock. Food writer Bee Wilson knows that feeling well. In her book The Secret of Cooking, she shares how cooking itself can ease stress and bring comfort, even during life’s most stressful moments.

Revisit our show here: https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2023-11-21/the-secret-of-cooking

What is your favorite holiday dish to prepare?"

For many of us, cooking is an annoying, boring chore. But the food writer Bee Wilson says there’s a simple secret to an easier life in the kitchen, and it begins with the person who cooks.

11/24/2025

Utah politics just got more interesting. A new Congressional map has reshaped boundaries, and Democrats Ben McAdams & Kathleen Riebe are already in the race.

This summer, we discussed whether Utah could be the next battleground state. Now’s the perfect time to revisit that conversation.

Follow link here:
https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2025-06-10/the-case-for-utah-as-the-next-battleground-state

What do you think? Is Utah ready for a political shift?

Last week, we discussed the possible revival of the Utah Democratic Party. Long time political observers told us that would take some heavy lifting. The political consultants and influencers Gabi Finlayson and Jackie Morgan are up for the task.

11/24/2025

Utah politics just got more interesting. Judge Dianna Gibson’s ruling on Prop 4 reshaped Congressional boundaries, and now District 1 in SLC fairs Democrats.

Ben McADams and Kathleen Riebe have already entered the race.

This summer, we talked about the ups and downs of being a Democrat in Utah. Now’s the perfect tie to revisit that conversation.

You can find part one here:
https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2025-06-03/the-long-decline-and-possible-revival-of-utah-democrats��

Utah Democrats minted a new leader in Brian King over the weekend. But with the party relegated to the political margins in a state dominated by a Republican supermajority, some are wondering if anyone can turn its fortunes around.

11/21/2025

Much of Joseph Smith’s story turns on one question: Did he really discover golden plates?

Historian John Turner says no — but he doesn’t dismiss what came next. The Book of Mormon, even without the plates, stands as a bold achievement that shaped a modern religious movement.

Continue listening to the second part of our conversation with Turner about Joseph Smith’s life: The creation of the Book of Mormon, polygamy, religious innovations and his death and legacy.

Listen here: https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2025-07-01/joseph-smith-the-rise-and-fall-of-an-american-prophet-pt-2

What is Joseph Smith’s place in American religious history?

Much of the Joseph Smith story turns on this question: Did he really discover golden plates? Historian John Turner says no, but he doesn’t dismiss what came next.