Radiolab is a radio show and podcast from WNYC, the New York public radio station, that explores science and philosophy through narrative storytelling and layered sound. According to Wikipedia, “Radiolab was founded by Jad Abumrad in 2002,” and “Each episode of RadioLab is one hour long and tackles various philosophical and scientific topics.”
Origin
- 2002. Jad Abumrad founded the show at WNYC; per Wikipedia it “evolved with co-host Robert Krulwich and executive producer Ellen Horne.”
- June 2004. Robert Krulwich appeared as a “guest host” on an episode titled “Time” and soon became co-host.
Hosts Timeline
| Period | Hosts | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–2004 | Jad Abumrad (founder) | Wikipedia |
| 2004–early 2020 | Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich | Wikipedia |
| By January 2022 | Jad Abumrad with co-hosts Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser | Current |
| February 2022–present | Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser | Current; Wikipedia |
- Krulwich retires (announced December 2019). Radio Ink reported: “Robert Krulwich has announced in a statement that he will retire from the show in January 2020.” Wikipedia records that “Krulwich retired as co-host in February 2020.”
- Abumrad leaves (January 2022). Current reported that Abumrad “is stepping down after nearly 20 years,” that “Abumrad’s final episode will be released Feb. 18,” and that “Latif Nasser and Lulu Miller, who currently co-host the show with Abumrad, will continue as hosts.” Wikipedia: “As of 2023, Radiolab is hosted by Latif Nasser and Lulu Miller.”
Awards
- Peabody Awards. “The program has received two Peabody Awards; first in 2010 and again in 2014.” The second was for the episode “60 Words,” aired April 18, 2014 (Wikipedia).
- MacArthur Fellowship. “In 2011, Abumrad received the MacArthur grant, in recognition of his work with RadioLab” (Wikipedia).
Controversies
Two episodes drew documented criticism, both recorded on Wikipedia:
- “Yellow Rain” (2012). “On September 24, 2012, in a podcast titled ‘The Fact of the Matter’, the program ran a segment about the yellow rain incidents in Laos and surrounding countries in the 1970s.” It included an interview with Hmong veteran and refugee Eng Yang, with his niece Kao Kalia Yang translating. Kao Kalia Yang and others complained that her uncle’s viewpoints had been dismissed or edited out and that the approach to the story was racist. Wikipedia says the complaints “prompted several rounds of allegation, apology, rebuttal, and edits to the podcast.”
- “Truth Trolls” (2017). “On August 12, 2017, Radiolab removed an episode titled ‘Truth Trolls’” about troll attacks on LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner’s HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US art project. The show had been criticized for appearing to condone extremist groups. Abumrad apologized, stating that “Radiolab unambiguously rejects the beliefs and actions of the trolls.”