Radioactive

Follow Radioactive
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Before CNN and Fox News, before shock jocks and powerful pundits, there was Father Charles Coughlin, an ambitious priest who invented political talk radio as we know it, brought down one president and crowned another, and was himself at one point considered the most powerful man in America. He was also a rabid anti-Semite who wrote fan mail to Mussolini and cheered on Hitler, and who used his enormous platform to rail against the cunning international bankers who robbed decent, Christian Americans of their hard-earned dollars. This limited-run podcast, hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, weaves together archival materials and dramatic recreations as well as interviews with radio hosts, historians, and others to tell the story of Father Coughlin's rise from humble beginnings in a sleepy Canadian town to the pinnacle of influence, a cautionary tale, very much still relevant today, of how an unscrupulous bigot can manipulate mass media to spread hate and gather much too much political power.

Tablet Magazine


    • Nov 23, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 28m AVG DURATION
    • 11 EPISODES
    • 1 SEASONS


    Search for episodes from Radioactive with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Radioactive

    Episode 8: The Ghost of Royal Oak

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2021 36:54


    In the final chapter of this series, Father Coughlin disappears from the public eye, but his legacy lives on. When Coughlin stages a high-profile protest episode, and the church finally gives him an ultimatum: his radio career or the priesthood. The FBI closes in on Coughlin, but an unlikely figure steps in to save him from prosecution. Coughlin finally abdicates his on-air pulpit. But now, decades later, his legacy remains imprinted on the media landscape. Radioactive is hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, with support from Maimonides Fund, and in association with The WNET Group's reporting initiative, Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism. The show's theme music is from The Ghost Writer and was composed by Alexandre Desplat. All speeches and material of Father Coughlin, as well as music and other audio from his radio program, are authentic to the source. For more information on all of Tablet's podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    Episode 7: Sedition

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2021 57:06


    Faced with political defeat, Father Coughlin drops all pretense of diplomacy. He plagiarizes Joseph Goebbels in his Social Justice magazine and writes fan letters to Mussolini. His Kristallnacht broadcast gets him kicked off major radio stations. He incites his followers in a paramilitary organization known as the Christian Front to undertake violence in the streets. The FBI raids the Christian Front headquarters in Brooklyn, leading to the arrest of 17 men and the trial of the so-called “Brooklyn Boys.” Radioactive is hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, with support from Maimonides Fund, and in association with The WNET Group's reporting initiative, Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism. The show's theme music is from The Ghost Writer and was composed by Alexandre Desplat. All speeches and material of Father Coughlin, as well as music and other audio from his radio program, are authentic to the source. For more information on all of Tablet's podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    Episode 6: Social Justice

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2021 34:42


    Huey Long's folksy populism wins over Louisiana voters and becomes darkly demagogic. Picking up where Long leaves off, Father Coughlin and his National Union for Social Justice energize the anti-FDR base at massive political rallies across the country. The Social Justice party runs a candidate for president in the 1936 election, and Coughlin blatantly solicits campaign funds on his radio show while Bishop Gallagher and Church higher-ups look the other way. Though his candidate fizzles, Coughlin's political influence is firmly established—and his openly antisemitic speeches find a growing audience. Radioactive is hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, with support from Maimonides Fund, and in association with The WNET Group's reporting initiative, Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism. The show's theme music is from The Ghost Writer and was composed by Alexandre Desplat. All speeches and material of Father Coughlin, as well as music and other audio from his radio program, are authentic to the source. For more information on all of Tablet's podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    Episode 5: His Cross to Bear

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2021 27:07


    President Roosevelt embraces radio while distancing himself from Father Coughlin, whose broadcasts are becoming increasingly antisemitic. Coughlin rants about the Rothschilds and singles out Roosevelt's Jewish secretary of the treasury, Henry Morgenthau Jr., while the Jewish community debates how to respond. Turning on Roosevelt, Coughlin starts his own political movement. Meanwhile, the Nazis gain momentum in Germany. Radioactive is hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, with support from Maimonides Fund, and in association with The WNET Group's reporting initiative, Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism. The show's theme music is from The Ghost Writer and was composed by Alexandre Desplat. All speeches and material of Father Coughlin, as well as music and other audio from his radio program, are authentic to the source. For more information on all of Tablet's podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    Episode 4: Driving the Money Changers from the Temple

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2021 22:59


    Father Coughlin responds to the chaos of the Great Depression by creating a clear villain for his audiences: President Hoover, of course, but also the bankers he claimed controlled politicians and the communists he said were secretly infiltrating the country's labor leadership. Any shred of subtlety evaporates as he rants on air about the Old Testament and the “atheist Jew Karl Marx.” CBS drops Coughlin from its lineup, but his influence only grows as he enters the political arena. Radioactive is hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, with support from Maimonides Fund, and in association with The WNET Group's reporting initiative, Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism. The show's theme music is from The Ghost Writer and was composed by Alexandre Desplat. All speeches and material of Father Coughlin, as well as music and other audio from his radio program, are authentic to the source. For more information on all of Tablet's podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    Episode 3: The Sound of America

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2021 18:07


    Father Coughlin's decision to broadcast his sermons over the radio scandalizes the American listening public, with angry letters pouring in to radio stations and politicians. Preaching on the dial next to Amos 'n' Andy was sacrilegious, inappropriate, crass. But soon listeners were hooked by the radio priest's sonorous voice, and his deliberately targeted messaging.  Radioactive is hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, with support from Maimonides Fund, and in association with The WNET Group's reporting initiative, Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism. The show's theme music is from The Ghost Writer and was composed by Alexandre Desplat. All speeches and material of Father Coughlin, as well as music and other audio from his radio program, are authentic to the source. For more information on all of Tablet's podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    Episode 2: Radio Days

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2021 23:45


    Father Coughlin builds his church, with a little help from famous friends. The ambitious priest embraces the airwaves and becomes America's first talk radio celebrity.  Radioactive is hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, with support from Maimonides Fund, and in association with The WNET Group's reporting initiative, Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism. The show's theme music is from The Ghost Writer and was composed by Alexandre Desplat. All speeches and material of Father Coughlin, as well as music and other audio from his radio program, are authentic to the source. For more information on all of Tablet's podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    Episode 1: In the Beginning...

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 29:55


    In the first episode of this eight-part series, we take a look at beginnings. We uncover the humble origins of Father Charles Coughlin and his fellow antisemite, Henry Ford. We also investigate how the dawn of radio combined with world-shattering events to fuel Coughlin's meteoric rise. Radioactive is hosted by Detroit journalist Andrew Lapin and produced by Tablet Studios, with support from Maimonides Fund, and in association with The WNET Group's reporting initiative, Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism. The show's theme music is from The Ghost Writer and was composed by Alexandre Desplat. All speeches and material of Father Coughlin, as well as music and other audio from his radio program, are authentic to the source. For more information on all of Tablet's podcasts, visit tabletmag.com/podcasts.

    Interviewing the youngest GSoC mentor of all time!

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2021 24:15


    Thank you for listening! Merul's Socials: https://linkedin.com/in/merul https://www.udemy.com/user/merul-dhiman-2/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxI3x18626PhQoROnF_nnPg/ Intro and outro music by Streambeats By Harris Hiller : Demon

    002// LG Wing, and rumoured Oneplus 9 Pro hassleblad partnership Ft That Tech Kid!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2021 20:03


    Thanks for Listening  Make sure to check out That Tech Kid on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/ThatTechKidYT

    001// YouTube channels getting hacked! Feat Asher Tech

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2020 13:33


    Talking about Asher's experience with his channel getting hacked. Check out asher tech on YouTube !

    Claim Radioactive

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel