WAMC's The Roundtable is an award-winning, nationally recognized eclectic talk program. The show airs from 9am to noon each weekday and features news, interviews, in-depth discussion, listener call-ins, music, and much (much) more!
The Roundtable podcast is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys insightful and thought-provoking discussions. As someone who looks forward to snow days and long weekends, I find great joy in being able to listen to the panel live. However, even when life gets busy, I am grateful for the convenience of podcasts, allowing me to catch up on episodes at my own pace. The Roundtable has become an integral part of my listening routine ever since I discovered it while working in Albany, NY.
One of the best aspects of The Roundtable is the diversity of opinions and perspectives brought to the discussion by the panelists. They do not shy away from expressing their own viewpoints and are not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. This makes for a refreshing and engaging listening experience, as I get a well-rounded understanding of various topics. The depth of knowledge and expertise displayed by the panelists is truly impressive, covering a wide range of subjects including current events, politics, culture, and more.
Another standout aspect of this podcast is its ability to keep me informed about important issues happening outside my listening area. Even though I do not live within range of WAMC's broadcast signal, I am grateful that I can still stay connected through their podcast. The Roundtable provides valuable insights into regional news as well as national and international events.
While there are many positives about The Roundtable podcast, it is important to acknowledge that some listeners may find it challenging if they prefer a more neutral or balanced approach in their news roundup talk shows. As mentioned earlier, the panelists express their opinions freely and passionately which may be perceived as biased by some individuals seeking a more impartial analysis.
In conclusion, The Roundtable podcast has become an invaluable source of information and entertainment for me. It has elevated itself above other news roundup talk shows due to its willingness to take a strong stand on key issues while maintaining intellectual rigor and respect for different perspectives. Whether I have the luxury of listening live during a snow day or catching up on episodes at an accelerated pace, I always find myself engrossed in the discussions. The Roundtable is a podcast that continues to impress and inspire me with its engaging panel and insightful conversations.

Author and social critic James Howard Kunstler joins us this morning to discuss his new novel, "Look I'm Gone." The book is a coming-of-age tale set in November of 1963 that captures the very moment America - and one smart-mouthed boy - lost their innocence. He will be speaking about the book at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, January 15th at 6PM.

Simon Winchester has long been one of our most wide-ranging non-fiction storytellers bringing curiosity and clarity to subjects as varied as dictionaries, oceans, earthquakes, and the technologies that have knit together the modern world. His new book “The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind” continues that tradition with an expansive exploration of the invisible force that has shaped life on Earth since its beginning.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bard College and Director for the Center for Civic Engagement &Professor of Political Studies Jonathan Becker, Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, and Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York Nic Rangel.

Rock and roll is not rock and roll without a beat. John Ligan's new book “Backbeats: A History of Rock and Roll in Fifteen Drummers” is a journey through the history of rock and roll told through the lives of fifteen iconic drummers and their percussion rivals.

As this month marks the 70th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott the new book “Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America” challenges us to address the economic plunders still shaping black homeownership today. “Plundered” by Bernadette Atuahene is a fresh and revealing look at how economic and racial exploitation have been sewn into the fabric of our laws inviting implicitly from well-meaning people while eviscerating communities and widening the racial wealth gap.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany Robert Griffin, Associate Professor of Government at Dutchess Community College and President of the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley Dr. Karin Riedl, and Former Times Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.

“Nash Falls: A Thriller” by David Baldacci was one of the most popular books this Holiday Season and remains on the NYT Bestsellers list. We meet Walter Nash, a successful businessman whose life is upended when the FBI recruits him to go undercover at his own company to expose a massive money-laundering operation run by a criminal mastermind.

Writer Akiko Busch joins us to tell us about her new book, “From the Millpond to the Sea,” a personal narrative that considers the ecological, social, and human interests around dams in New York's Hudson River Valley.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, Preceptor in Public Speaking, Strategic Communications, and Public Relations for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University Terry Gipson, and Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Robert Pondiscio.

Walter Isaacson is a biographer of geniuses like Benjamin Franklin and in his new book he reveals the origins of the most genius revolutionary line in the Declaration of Independence. He does so in his book “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written.”

Jay Rogoff begins 2026 with a two-year stint as Saratoga Springs poet laureate. Yesterday he started his Poetry Repair Café series at Northshire Bookstore, meeting with writers to discuss how to bring their poems closer to what they wish them to accomplish. Rogoff plans to hold the Poetry Repair Café the first Sunday of every month.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College and he is a specialist on the history of US foreign policy Robert Brigham, Senior Fellow, Bard Center for Civic Engagement Jim Ketterer, Professor Emeritus of Russian at Hofstra University and author of: Illiberal Vanguard: Populist Elitism in the United States and Russia Alexander Mihailovic, and Political Consultant and lobbyist, Libby Post.

Each weekday morning, The Roundtable's Joe Donahue is joined by various experts, journalists, educators, and commentators to discuss current events. On Roundtable Panel: The Week in Review, we feature your favorite panelists discussing news items from the previous week.

CNN's Jake Tapper joins us this morning for a conversation about America's long struggle with terrorism — from the battlefields of Afghanistan to the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and the challenges we continue to face at home. His new book, "Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Terrorist at the Dawn of the Forever War," uncovers one of the most remarkable but little-known cases in recent history.

Culinary Arts at SPAC Events features the talents of both local and visiting chefs along with a visiting guest cookbook author who share their expertise and insights alongside their food. Barbeque legend, James Beard Award Winning author, and host of PBS's “Project Fire” Steven Raichlen kicked off the Culinary Arts SPAC Fall season with a sizzling celebration of the griddle. His latest book is “Project Griddle: The Versatile Art of Grilling on a Flattop with Steven Raichlen.” [Encore airing.]

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, Senior fellow and faculty member in the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College, President of Beyond Plastics, former EPA Regional Administrator, and co-author of the book "The Problem with Plastic" Judith Enck, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at The Empire Center for Public Policy Bill Hammond, and Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York Nic Rangel.

Since 2010 - Will Herems and Sarah LaDuke have wrapped up the year in music during the waning hours of each calendar year. They missed a couple of years for a couple of different reasons, but are here, this year, to share some songs with you.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Robert Pondiscio, and Investment Banker on Wall St. Mark Wittman.

On October 11, The Eleanor Roosevelt Center in partnership with PEN America presented the 2025 Banned Book Awards at The Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, New York. This year's Eleanor Roosevelt Lifetime Achievement honoree was best-selling author Margaret Atwood and Joe Donahue had the great honor of speaking with her at the event.In her latest work, "Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts," Atwood explores her past and reveals connections between real life and art.

The Egg is hatching. After six months of renovations, The Empire State Performing Arts Center is re-opening its doors on January 8, 2026.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategy and Policy at Bard College Malia DuMont, Partner with the Albany law firm of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, Cianna Freeman-Tolbert, and Former Times Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.

Howard Jones' groundbreaking 1985 album, Dream Into Action, peaked on the UK charts and cracked the US Top 10. It went on to spawn global hit singles, “Things Can Only Get Better” (which experienced a resurgence after being featured on an episode of Netflix's Stranger Things) and “No One is to Blame” as well as “Life in One Day” and “Like to Get to Know You Well."

"About Time," David Duchovny's seventh published - and first poetic - work, covers a range of intimate themes and topics, including love, the loss of love, parenting, Duchovny's own parents, alienation, and other emotional quandaries.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College Robert Brigham, Associate Professor of Music at Vassar College Justin Patch, and Political consultant and lobbyist Libby Post.

Each weekday morning, The Roundtable's Joe Donahue is joined by various experts, journalists, educators, and commentators to discuss current events. On Roundtable Panel: The Week in Review, we feature your favorite panelists discussing news items from the previous week.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, Tetherless World Senior Constellation Professor of Computer, Web and Cognitive Science at RPI Jim Hendler, and Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York Nic Rangel.

This week's Book Picks comes from Suzanna Hermans from Oblong Books in Rhinebeck and Millerton, NY and Kira Wizner from Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, NY.

Justin Burke is a food writer, recipe developer, queer food activist, and award-winning pastry chef and baker. Burke's debut cookbook “Potluck Desserts: Joyful Recipes to Share with Pride” was released this past summer by Countryman Press.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Semi-retired, Editor at large/columnist/editorial writer, Times Union Jay Jochnowitz, Mayor of the City of Albany Kathy Sheehan, and Former Times Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.

Last month, WAMC on the Road presented an evening of conversation centered on the state of journalism, democracy, and upholding our First Amendment Rights at Gallery 40 in Poughkeepsie, New York. Joe Donahue moderated and the panelists were WAMC's CEO & President Sarah Gilbert, Executive Producer of “The New Yorker Radio Hour” David Krasnow, Founder of “The Daily Catch” Emily Sachar and Editor of “The Times Union” Casey Seiler.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government atSkidmore College Beau Breslin, Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College Robert Brigham, Senior Fellow, Bard Center for Civic Engagement Jim Ketterer, and Preceptor in Public Speaking for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University Terry Gipson.

Each weekday morning, The Roundtable's Joe Donahue is joined by various experts, journalists, educators, and commentators to discuss current events. On Roundtable Panel: The Week in Review, we feature your favorite panelists discussing news items from the previous week.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Ulster County Comptroller and former President and CEO of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley March Gallagher, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at The Empire Center for Public Policy Bill Hammond, and Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Robert Pondiscio.

“Extremely Happy Holidays: Wildly Creative New Cocktails to Uplift and Enchant through a Full Year of Holiday Chaos” is a new mixology book that features recipes for spirited drinks and mocktails - all themed around specific festive celebrations – and not just the ones inundating our lives this time of year – but also St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, and Talk like a Pirate Day. Written by Devin McEwan, a home bartender and debut author, the book is illustrated by his mother, bestselling children's book author Sandra Boynton.In November, Oblong Books and The White Hart hosted us in Salisbury, Connecticut.

Quiara Alegría Hudes is the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright of “Water by the Spoonful” and the musical “In the Heights,” which won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and which she adapted for the screen. Her memoir, “My Broken Language,” was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Cut, The Nation, and American Theater Magazine.In her debut novel “The White Hot,” published last month by One World, April Soto writes a letter to her 18 year-old daughter, Noelle, explaining what happened - and why - she abandoned her 10 years prior.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Ulster County Board of Elections Commissioner Ashley Dittus, Professor of Political Science at Hartwick College in Oneonta and and Co-Director of the Institute of Public Service Laurel Elder, Executive Director of Communities for Local Power and former White House Advance Lead Anna Markowitz, and Associate Professor of Music at Vassar College Justin Patch.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Specialist in Government and Public Services Healthcare Consulting Azmat Ahmad, Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bard College and Director for the Center for Civic Engagement; Professor of Political Studies Jonathan Becker, Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities and Professor of Politics, Philosophy, and Human Rights at Bard College Roger Berkowitz, and Albany Law School Professor and director of the Edward P. Swyer Justice Center at Albany Law School Sarah Rogerson.

This week's Book Picks comes from Jackie Kellachan from the Golden Notebook in Woodstock, NY and Amy Zimmerman from Chatham Bookstore in Chatham, NY.

The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College presents "Family Forms," an exhibition that invites visitors to consider how families are made, remade, and represented. Bringing together contemporary art and vernacular photography, Family Forms looks closely at kinship, care, and the stories we tell about who we are to one another.Photographs, artists' books, collage, sculpture, and video provide visitors ways to explore the spaces between our ideas about “the family” and the lived experiences of families.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategy and Policy at Bard College Malia DuMont, Semi-retired, Editor at large/columnist/editorial writer, Times Union Jay Jochnowitz, The Empire Report's JP Miller, and Former Times Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Diplomat in residence at Bard College Ambassador Frederic Hof, Senior Fellow, Bard Center for Civic Engagement Jim Ketterer, Political Consultant and lobbyist, Libby Post, and Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College Catherine Tan.

Each weekday morning, The Roundtable's Joe Donahue is joined by various experts, journalists, educators, and commentators to discuss current events. On Roundtable Panel: The Week in Review, we feature your favorite panelists discussing news items from the previous week.

Jenny Scheinman is a violinist, fiddler, singer, and composer. She has worked extensively with some of the most innovative jazz artists in the world and toured and recorded with many songwriting legends. Last year, she released a collection of songs called "All Species Parade" The album name has morphed into a band name and All Species Parade will be exploring a set of all new material at The Local in Saugerties, New York on December 18.

The critically acclaimed author Brad Kessler and award-winning photographer Dona Ann McAdams join us this morning to discuss their book, “The Woodcutter's Christmas.” The new, deluxe edition of book is the premier publication from the just launched Galpón Press.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, former Associate Editor of the Times Union Mike Spain, Siena University Professor of Economics Aaron Pacitti and o Economics majors from Siena University Elizabeth Lankford, Emily Film, and Brendan Kasuba.

For more than three decades, Bill McKibben has been one of the most influential - and clearest - voices warning about the dangers of a warming planet. In his new book, "Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization," McKibben argues that while the window to act is narrowing, it is not yet closed.

Actor June Squibb is currently starring in “Marjorie Prime” at The Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway and, earlier this fall, celebrated the release of the film “Eleanor the Great.” At 96 years-old, Squibb plays the title character in both projects.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Publisher Emeritus of The Daily Freeman Ira Fusfeld, Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, and Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York Nic Rangel.

Nicholas Thompson has long been known for his sharp and inquisitive mind as the former editor and chief of “Wired,” CEO of “The Atlantic,” and a writer who moves fluently between technology, culture, and the human stories that animate both. In his new memoir “The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports” Thompson turns inward exploring the most enduring relationship of all, the one between a parent and a child. The book traces his deepening bond with his son through running, the sport that Thompson has loved his entire life and the way the miles on the road become a space for connection, conversation, and growth.

Black grief and Black death are among the most important forces in contemporary American politics. As Shatema Threadcraft argues in "The Labors of Resurrection," spectacular death—experienced publicly and violently—has given rise to global political movements, but it has also had an important gendered effect that has complicated Black women's relationship to the Black people.Shatema Threadcraft is an Associate Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Vanderbilt University.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government at Skidmore College Beau Breslin, Former New York 19th Congressman and NY Assemblyman John Faso, and Associate Professor of Government at Dutchess Community College and President of the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley Dr. Karin Riedl.