The Big Listen ended production in May 2018. While this site is no longer updated, all the content remains available for archive purposes.
Katie Couric, host of the eponymous podcast, Katie Couric, is pretty much over you calling her “perky.”
Hey, pals!
Years before Katie Couric helped us rise and shine on the Today show, she was a lowly intern at a radio station in Arlington, Va. It was there, interning for legendary radio personality Carl Kasell, that Couric caught the broadcasting bug. She quickly abandoned audio for TV and she never looked back. Until now.
Couric hosts a podcast called Katie Couric (how’d she ever come up with that?!) where she interviews lawmakers, celebrities and everyday folks. When we interviewed Couric about her podcast, we learned some fun facts (that have nothing to do with her show): she’s a great hugger, she loves seltzer and she always thought being called “perky” was sexist and demeaning.
In addition to hosting a podcast, Couric’s also a big podcast listener. She recommends: Missing Richard Simmons, WTF with Marc Maron, Pod Save America and Axe Files with David Axelrod, specifically episode 52, featuring Katie Couric.
Tell Me More Shows To Check Out!
- Offshore — Hawaii is the most diverse state in the union. And yet racial tension simmers. Journalist Jessica Terrell unpacks the issues in season one, which is about two killings of native men at the hands of white people; and season two, which focuses on the fight over a telescope on sacred land.
- Kerning Cultures — The news most Americans hear from the Middle East is often just about sectarian conflict or terrorism. But the region is so much more than that. Kerning Cultures explores the untold stories of the Middle East from people who live there. Check out this episode about a kitemaker.
- The China History Podcast — At the Sunrise on Connecticut Avenue assisted living community, a group of senior citizens has a weekly podcast club (complete with wine and cheese, which is the only way to do it). Lately they’re listening to The China History Podcast, NPR’s Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson and this episode of Freakonomics about the American Dream. The community also has its own podcast, The Senior Caregiver.
- Very attractive listener recommendations: The British Are Coming! and Unorthodox
Call Me!
Do you have a podcast recommendation you’d like to share with us? We want to hear it! Give us a jingle on the Pod Line at 202-885-POD1 and leave a message. Then we’ll put you on the radio and your kids will finally respect you.
Thanks for reading, pals! ‘Til next time…keep listening, America.
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