Jim Gardner – More to Explore

Jim presents the first episode of a band new podcast from Philadelphia's Sam Katz called "Soul of the City." For centuries Philadelphia has been America's laboratory for experiment and innovation—in government and politics, medicine and science, freedom of conscience, the arts and architecture, and in brotherly and sisterly love. The rich fusion of immigrant and local cultures established Philadelphia as a city of music. Groundbreaking artists, creatives, technologists, producers, and promoters collectively made one of the world's great musical centers. In this debut episode Sam talks to Larry Magid, the man who changed the way we listen to and see rock and roll. If you liked this episode search for Soul of the City in your favorite podcast provider or go to 6abc.com/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He may be "broadcaster" Jay Wright now, but he will always be a college coaching legend. He could have stayed on the court at Villanova, probably for many more years, but there are other more important parts of his life that deserve the focus and attention his teams had been getting. Jay Wright talks about his future, what he thinks college basketball's future needs to include, and what it's like to ride high as a winner and survive the hard times when the ball bounces the other way.

Angelo Cataldi, a radio legend, speaks with extraordinary candor about his life both on and off the air. Even if you were an avid fan for 33 years, you will hear him like never before.

America is surely an outlier when it comes to gun violence in so-called wealthy nations. From street crime to mass shootings to domestic violence to suicide, what makes us different, and is there any way to reduce the carnage? And what does the 2nd amendment really say? Jim is joined by former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Yale University's Phillip Atiba Goff and The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform's Executive Director David Muhammad for a frank conversation about whether there are solutions and whether there is a will to implement them.

Charles Barkley - basketball legend, sportscaster, whose signature is candor and honesty, tv pitchman, father and grandfather - He opens up to Jim Gardner about his spectacular successes, his heartbreaking failures, and views on race, money, politics and his celebrated friends who are friends no more. 

Jim continues his conversation with Charles Barkley, an interview that was too long and too good to fit into a single episode. Charles is never shy to speak, and in part two he talks about race and speaking up about racism, wealth, gambling, whether he's interested in politics, and two famous lost friendships.

His name is David Kim. He is a magnificent musician, the first violinist with the great Philadelphia Orchestra. He is Concertmaster, and one of the most candid, yet delightful people I have had the opportunity to interview. His stories of his own trials and tribulations and, of course, his stunning successes are as entertaining as they are thought provoking.

Can Pennsylvania Governor, Josh Shapiro, become America's first Jewish President? The fact is that many journalists and political pundits have Shapiro on their short lists of potential Democratic Party candidates in 2028. The one person who doesn't want to talk about it is Josh Shapiro. But his recent acclaim for getting the collapsed portion of I-95 in Philadelphia reopened in less than two weeks was just the stuff to introduce Shapiro to a national audience. Join Jim Gardner as he goes one on one with Pa. Governor, Josh Shapiro.

The Jim Gardner podcast: “More To Explore” will be exactly what the title suggests, an opportunity for this celebrated broadcast journalist to explore compelling topics and individuals who have a fast grip on Jim's attention. Many, if not most, podcasts are focused on extraordinarily specific topic areas, in fact, that's the advantage of the podcast platform. Are you looking for a podcast on pre-owned catalytic converters? Don't be surprised if you find more than one! But this podcast is 180 degrees the opposite. Jim feels blessed to have the chance to explore a wide range of topics that interest him: the current combative state of our politics and its threat to our democracy, history, music, especially as written for the Broadway stage, sports and striving for greatness, public health and our desperate need to stay ahead of the next biological calamity, literature, and popular culture.