Best Bna Podcasts (2026)

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The best of 2025...features 50:00

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1h ago50:00

50:00

Although This Is Nashville broadcasts from our studios in Metrocenter, sometimes we let the producers out in the wild to collect tape. If editors find it compelling enough, producers develop a feature out of what they collected. On today’s best-of edition of This Is Nashville, we take a behind-the-scenes look at what went into producing some of 202…

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The best of...The Roundabout 49:52

4h ago49:52

49:52

Every week This is Nashville presents The Roundabout where we bring together a panel of guests spanning the political spectrum to unpack the week’s biggest news and hear directly from listeners across Middle Tennessee. For this special “Best of…” episode we revisit some of the most timely conversations, surprising moments of agreement, and thoughtf…

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Our most fascinating interviews from 2025 49:55

2h ago49:55

49:55

A songwriter who climbed out of the shadow of her first song, a nonprofit leader who refuses to see his own disability, a restaurateur with a hot take on tourism, a humorist who leaned into her heritage, a forward-thinking physician who rediscovered her mom’s remedies, and the sentimental saint of the Opry. It's the best of our weekly profile inter…

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Nashville's Nook and Cranny Holiday Music Traditions 49:56

1d ago49:56

49:56

Nashville has a long history of celebrating the holidays with musical performances. Nashville has a long history of celebrating the holidays with musical performances. Belmont’s Christmas Eve concert played on their tower’s 42-bell carillon dates back to 1929. Amy and Vince have been gracing the Ryman Stage since 2008. Today we feature holiday musi…

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Picturing Nashville: Ray Di Pietro on photographing local history 50:00

3d ago50:00

50:00

If you see a man with three, maybe four cameras hanging around his neck, odds are you've crossed paths with Ray Di Pietro. He's literally taken millions of photos of Nashville, documenting anything from historic moments to flowers on the sidewalk. He follows three mantras in his profession: do the work, show up, and be kind. Now, he shows up in our…

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A City in Motion: Freddie O'Connell on Nashville’s Future 44:24

3d ago44:24

44:24

In this episode, we sit down with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell for a wide-ranging conversation on what it’s really like leading one of America’s fastest-growing cities.We talk candidly about the challenges of modern politics, building and maintaining public trust, and what Mayor O’Connell has learned during his time in office. The conversation…

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Middle Tennessee in memoriam, 2025 50:10

7d ago50:10

50:10

Mary Elizabeth Vinett died on November 21, 2025, and her family decided her 90 years on the planet deserved more than the average obituary. So they tried to capture her essence starting with the first paragraph. "Beth was loved by all, perhaps because she was so outrageously funny," they wrote. "A storyteller extraordinaire who changed the essence …

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One mayor, three muppets and eight french horns. It's a This is Nashville Festivus! 49:46

8d ago49:46

49:46

A simple aluminum pole. The annual airing of grievances. The legendary feats of strength. It can only mean one thing: It’s Festivus - the holiday for the rest of us. And to kick the Festivus season off right this year, Mayor Freddie O’Connell will be here to take your questions and comments…and maybe demonstrate a few feats of strength. Now, the ve…

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Curious Nashville: Why did a Nashville bank release a Christmas album? 50:12

9d ago50:12

50:12

It’s Curious Nashville: where WPLN News answers your questions about Middle Tennessee and takes you on a monthly adventure to find answers. Today we’re shining a light on an obscure album recorded in Nashville more than 50 years ago that features a Christmas choir performing inside the lobby of a downtown bank. Astute local listener Matthew Bond ca…

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Marie Williams on bringing heart to Tennessee’s bureaucracy 49:58

10d ago49:58

49:58

Marie Williams came up through homeless services in Memphis and found her way to the state agency that oversees mental health and substance abuse services when Gov. Bill Haslam appointed her to lead the agency she’s now been a part of for 25 years. She talks about her life, her work and her philosophy that has guided her career trying to fight off …

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The Debt: What Tennessee owes its HBCU (Call-in) 50:16

16d ago50:16

50:16

What happens when government funding is withheld from a public university that’s served generations of Black Tennesseans? And what could be possible if that debt were finally paid? Today's This is Nashville call-in episode is a companion to the one-hour radio special from WPLN News and the Tennessee Lookout. Listen now or though the WPLN podcast fe…

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The Debt 56:42

17d ago56:42

56:42

In this one-hour special from WPLN and the Tennessee Lookout: What happens when government funding is withheld from a public university that's served generations of Black Tennesseans? And what could be possible if that debt were finally paid?By WPLN News - Nashville Public Radio

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Death penalty activists sit down in our studio — one for, one against 49:57

20d ago49:57

49:57

On days when someone is executed at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, community members are generally allowed to gather outside the prison in a large field. Separated by fences and distance are the "against" and "for" sides. The "againsts" are usually made up of a few dozen clergy and abolitionists, including one of our guests to…

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Andi Marie Tillman and her hilarious TikTok characters 50:00

19d ago50:00

50:00

When Andi Marie Tillman moved to Nashville from Scott County, Tennessee, she had dreams of writing the next hit song. But after years of struggling, she looked at her own story and got creative with how she wanted to share it with her audience. After the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic passed, Andi Marie began posting videos on social media. They ma…

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The Roundabout: ICE raids in churches, Christians and execution, our founding fathers and faith 50:08

23d ago50:08

50:08

It’s Thursday and time for another episode of The Roundabout. This week, our weekly Roundabout panel turns its attention to issues of religion. We're discussing evangelicals and Nazi ideology, Christians’ relationship to the death penalty, and ICE raids taking place in churches. We welcome Vanderbilt’s Dr. Phillis Sheppard, Russell Moore of Christi…

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Music Citizens: The Tastemaker 50:14

24d ago50:14

50:14

Today we travel along with Music Citizens to go inside the highest stakes job in the industry – A&R. Through the lens and life of A&R lifer Kim Buie, we get to see that this glamorous job is mostly about losing. Missing out on artists who become superstars (her near-miss tale of N.W.A. is amazing), knowing that the majority of albums you help sheph…

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Our Grand Divisions 50:02

28d ago50:02

50:02

There aren’t many states like Tennessee with three distinct regions so unique each has its own star on the state flag. West, Middle, and East Tennessee are not just general directions to help explain where we’re from. They're lines drawn in state law representing our cultural heritage and political history. Because Mountain City is a long way from …

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Vanderbilt neurologist Britt Stone on coming back around to ‘bush medicine’ 49:57

26d ago49:57

49:57

When Dr. Britt Stone was growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, her Bahamian mother made her choke down a spoonful of cod liver oil each morning. The daily ritual was part of a “bush medicine” philosophy that incorporated an array of natural supplements and remedies. While training at Meharry Medical College and later specializing in neurology, Stone t…

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Our most popular episode of 2025: The HBCU we never knew 49:57

1M ago49:57

49:57

This time of year, we like to recommend some of the best podcasts of the year. So we've sprinkled a few recommendations throughout the show today while we let you enjoy our most downloaded episode of the year. It's about the history of the historically Black university that we never knew – Roger Williams University. Nothing remains of Roger William…

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How the Opry and WSM made it 100 years 50:25

1M ago50:25

50:25

It became the calling card for trailblazing WSM, the radio station that reached the wider world with old-time hillbilly music. Just five short years after the first commercial radio broadcast, WSM launched with the “WSM Barn Dance,” the precursor to the Opry, and began to attract musicians and fans to the city. And it put Nashville on a national st…

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Whisperin' Bill Anderson, the Grand Ole Opry's longest serving legend 50:00

1M ago50:00

50:00

As the Grand Ole Opry celebrates its 100th birthday this week, we hear from its longest-serving member. Whisperin’ Bill Anderson hasn’t just weathered a 65-year music career, he’s thrived through versatility. A six-time Songwriter of the Year winner, he’s a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His songs ha…

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The Roundabout: political pardons, school voucher update, the tightening TN-7 race and more 50:06

1M ago50:06

50:06

It’s Thursday and time for another episode of The Roundabout. The Roundabout is the news of the week, analyzed by our panelists from points of view that span left, right and center. Joining us today are Maryam Abolfazli, Shaka Mitchell and Pat Nolan. Today we talk about a tightening 7th congressional district race, political pardons, school voucher…

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Navigating tariff turmoil with our artisans and importers 50:06

1M ago50:06

50:06

Stream video on YouTube. Now that tariffs levied by the second Trump administration have taken effect, small businesses in Nashville are beginning to feel the pinch and praying for relief. Importers of coffee and tea and artisans making apparel and musical instruments join the show to explain how tariffs have challenged their small businesses. Prof…

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This Is Curious Nashville: Why do we have Chicago-style gyro restaurants? 50:05

1M ago50:05

50:05

Our question today: What is a "Chicago-style gyro," and why are there so many shops with that name in Nashville? Little did we know that trying to figure this out would take us way beyond Nashville and lead us to uncover the very creation of the gyro as we know it. WPLN reporter Justin Barney is taking you along as he crisscrosses the country, plun…

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Music City's benevolent mogul, Mike Curb 49:57

1M ago49:57

49:57

It might look like anything Mike Curb touches turns to gold. But he says he’s never been great at anything – just passionate. After more than 60 years in the record business, Curb is still looking for the next big hit. He's also looking for a way to preserve the thing that brought him to Nashville and made his career so successful — Music Row. In t…

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In My Place, Episode 19: Homelessness doesn’t just affect you. It hits the rest of us. 50:00

1M ago50:00

50:00

From a young age, Colby Keegan said he hoped to "affect positive change." He was homeless when he died of an overdose at the age of 23. His mother, Lisa Wysocky, founded Colby's Army in his honor. Our In My Place series has taken us through the steps of homelessness to housing and beyond. That’s from the first point of contact between a service pro…

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Beyond SNAP: Hunger in Tennessee 50:05

2M ago50:05

50:05

It’s now just a matter of time before federal benefits are restored that help nearly 700,000 Tennesseans put food on the table. But the government shutdown exposed just how many people struggle to keep their families fed. So we’re putting hunger at the center of our Roundabout episode today. We’ll bring you the latest on SNAP and food distributions…

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Veterans Day in Nashville: honoring locals who have served 50:13

2M ago50:13

50:13

On today's show, we honor those who’ve served their country by welcoming three combat veterans from Middle Tennessee, all from the decade after 9/11. A cook. An HR specialist. And an intelligence officer. It takes more than the infantry to go to war. Wisdom from our neighbors who answered the call of duty and were forever changed. This episode was …

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The ever-evolving life of Bill DeMain: cartoonist, musician, songwriter, music journalist and guide 50:00

2M ago50:00

50:00

Bill DeMain has been creating and evolving for decades. A prolific songwriter, music journalist, walking tour guide, and one half of the pop duo Swan Dive, he’s still not slowing down. In fact, during the pandemic, he added yet another career to his résumé: cartoonist. Today, Bill tells us how it all started, why he continues to try new things, and…

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The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 4: The Kurdish American Dream 49:57

2M ago49:57

49:57

The latest wave of Kurds is arriving from Turkey — fleeing political repression and nationalist hate groups. They're coming to a very different America than the Kurds who have called Nashville home for generations. It’s an America in turmoil — a place where immigrants are increasingly seen as enemies within, to be rooted out and sent back to where …

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The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 3: Safety Zone 51:25

2M ago51:25

51:25

They opened businesses and raised their kids. As those kids grew up, they had to figure out how to navigate the world of a first-generation Kurdish-American teenager. And in that world, something new was forming — something that threatened to tarnish the sterling reputation their parents worked hard to build. The Country in our Hearts is the story …

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From Philly to Nashville: The Story Behind It’z a Philly Thing 40:37

2M ago40:37

40:37

What happens when a Philly native runs track at TSU, falls in love with Nashville, and decides the city deserves a real cheesesteak? On this episode of The XPLR.NASH Podcast, we sit down with Z, owner of It’z a Philly Thing, to talk about how he turned a single food trailer into one of Nashville’s most talked-about spots for authentic Philadelphia …

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The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 2: The Ones Who Face Death 49:58

2M ago49:58

49:58

In this special broadcast, featuring episode 2 from The Country In Our Hearts, we see all this family lost to war and displacement. But also, what they are determined to reclaim and rebuild. The story of how Nashville became home to the largest Kurdish diaspora in America is an epic one. A tale of bloody genocide, of freedom fighters, of stunning p…

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The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 1: The Enemy Within 49:57

2M ago49:57

49:57

WPLN's Rose Gilbert dives headlong into one family’s migration odyssey from Iraqi Kurdistan to Nashville. To really understand what this family — and so many others — were fleeing from, we need to go back to one terrible, pivotal day in 1988. And to do that, we need to go to Kurdistan. The Country in our Hearts is the story of how Nashville became …

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The triumphant return of Curious Nashville 37:43

2M ago37:43

37:43

WPLN is reviving one of the the station's most popular projects: Curious Nashville. The recipe is simple. Listeners ask questions and we find the answers. But the bar is high. Instead of answers that can be found through a quick Google search, we're taking queries that will take us somewhere unknown or unexpected. Tune in to hear News Director Tony…

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From Cancer to Pitmaster: The Brazen Que Story 1:13:03

2M ago1:13:03

1:13:03

They built one of Tennessee’s best barbecue spots out of pure grit, faith, and heart ❤️ Nick and Kendra from Brazen Q in Livingston, TN, share their incredible story — from being house parents helping at-risk kids to surviving cancer, building a restaurant from the ground up, and learning how to keep their dream alive through community, consistency…

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Our keeper of the flame, Nina Cardona 38:35

2M ago38:35

38:35

Every community needs a “keeper of the flame” – someone who can connect the present with the past. And in Middle Tennessee, we’re fortunate to have several of these sages who can remind us of our history. At WPLN, that’s the gift Nina Cardona shares with listeners each day on the NashVillager podcast – connecting the past with the present, while he…

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From WWE Superstar Kane to Tennessee Mayor | The Glenn Jacobs Story 56:43

2M ago56:43

56:43

Glenn Jacobs — known to millions around the world as Kane from WWE — sits down with XPLR.NASH to talk about life after the ring, leadership, and what it means to serve Tennessee. In this conversation, Glenn opens up about his 30-year wrestling career, what it was like joining the WWE Hall of Fame, his journey to becoming Mayor of Knox County, and h…

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In My Place, Episode 18: Losing home again 50:00

2M ago50:00

50:00

Welcome back to In My Place — a series about finding, and losing, home in a growing Nashville. This season, we’re getting to walk through the specific steps from homelessness to housing with people who have done it. In our last 8 episodes, we’ve talked about everything from connecting with services for the very first time to celebrating an apartmen…

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Tennessee's pandemic chief Dr. Lisa Piercey on her post-COVID career change 49:56

2M ago49:56

49:56

When Dr. Lisa Piercey left state government after guiding Tennessee through the pandemic, she decided to turn over an entirely new leaf. She was tired of working for someone else. So she got into the business of buying businesses. And even though she’s only a few years in, she also wrote a book about it. We talk about her journey to entrepreneurshi…

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The Roundabout: Federal policies, jobs, and healthcare 50:08

2M ago50:08

50:08

As the federal government shutdown rolls into its fourth week, paychecks for federal employees have halted. At the local level, many are wondering how federal policies will impact their day-to-day lives. The Nashville job sector has remained stable for the past year, but as the manufacturing industry in Tennessee remains among the most vulnerable t…

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The rise and resurgence of Christian music 50:08

2M ago50:08

50:08

Gospel and Christian music call this city home. But until now, there hasn’t been an obvious physical location. With the opening of the Museum of Christian & Gospel Music this month, we’ll look at the history of a unique genre that focuses as much on the lyrics and meaning as the song itself. We’re joined by historians, executives and a Dove Award w…

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Questioning our transit plans with Sabrina Sussman, plus our Shared Calendar 50:06

2M ago50:06

50:06

It’s been nearly a year since Davidson County voters passed the Choose How You Move transit referendum, approving a half-cent (0.5%) sales tax increase to fund transit upgrades and improvements. The chief program officer, Sabrina Sussman, joins us to give an update and take questions from listeners. We end the episode with our Shared Calendar, givi…

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Charles “Wigg” Walker, legendary R&B and soul artist 49:56

2M ago49:56

49:56

Charles “Wigg” Walker, legendary R&B and soul artistBy WPLN News - Nashville Public Radio

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The Roundabout: News of the week 50:00

2M ago50:00

50:00

It’s a Roundabout episode with guest host and familiar voice Nina Cardona. This panel spanning the political spectrum helps you think about the news — sometimes from a different lane. This week we welcome former speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Beth Harwell. Former congressional candidate Kiran Sreepada and TSU political science p…

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Spiders: the friends in our walls 50:00

2M ago50:00

50:00

On our show today, we’re talking about native spiders. Why? Well, it’s spider season. You tend to see more this time of year because the males are looking for a mate. They’re also looking for a warm place to get in out of the cold and that may mean moving in with us. Spiders may make your skin crawl, but it’s useful to know what’s actually worth be…

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Balancing affordable housing and density 50:00

2M ago50:00

50:00

When Vanderbilt polled Nashvillians in March about top priorities for city investment, there was near unanimity around one issue. Nearly 90% wanted investment in more affordable housing. But when the questioning hit closer to home, the support waned. According to this same poll, 56% of residents support allowing multifamily housing "everywhere in m…

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Stuart McWhorter on doing business, divisive politics, and carrying on his father’s legacy 50:00

3M ago50:00

50:00

When Stuart McWhorter gets introduced on stage, at some point he feels the need to cut off the emcee. From his resume, it starts to sound like he either can’t hold a job or he’s always looking for the next thing — a joke that he makes about his own varied career. This week, he takes on yet another a new role in Gov. Bill Lee’s administration — depu…

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Small Space, Huge Success: The Gold’s Deli Story 1:17:35

2M ago1:17:35

1:17:35

Small Space, Huge Success: The Gold’s Deli StoryGeorge Kougias went from Boston restaurant life to launching Gold’s Deli in Columbia, Tennessee, inside a tiny 275 sq ft shop. In this episode, we get real about starting small, serving quality over quantity, and building a deli that often sells out by mid-afternoon. George shares honest lessons on st…

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The Roundabout: Congressional District 7 primary, banned books and...how will Vanderbilt answer Trump? 49:59

3M ago49:59

49:59

The Roundabout is your news of the week, analyzed by our panelists from points of view that span left, right and center. Congressional District 7 candidate Rep. Jody Barrett, Owen School professor and Tennessee Lookout contributor Bruce Barry, and @WPLN's Marianna Bacallao join today to help us think through the biggest news – including the special…