Please join me for the 10th episode in the Conversations with Alan series in The Locher Room to meet journalist Andrew Lapin. Andrew will be here to discuss his new podcast series RADIOACTIVE that explores the life and legacy of Father Charles Coughlin, America's “High Priest of Hate” and notorious antisemite.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Coughlin became one of the first to use radio as a platform to preach religion, politics, and hate to an audience of some 30 million listeners weekly. Coughlin’s growing fanbase came with clout and he soon had the ears of stars in celebrity, industry, and politics including Babe Ruth, Henry Ford, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. How did one man manage to gain power and popularity while openly supporting Hitler and broadcasting antisemitism?

Andrew has been working on RADIOACTIVE since 2017. In his eight part series, he weaves together interviews with prominent scholars, writers, and broadcasters and rarely heard archival materials to tell the story of Father Coughlin's rise from a small and snow-covered parish up north to America's first media star, and his sharp and violent fall from grace. Lapin starts with his own experience, growing up Jewish just minutes away from Coughlin’s Shrine of the Little Flower. He explores Coughlin’s rise to fame as it parallels America’s descent into the Great Depression.

With more than 50 million Americans currently getting much of their news from talk radio, and with on-air personalities cultivating a following and influencing politics, RADIOACTIVE tells the story of the genre’s stormy birth, and how an unscrupulous and bigoted conman used a new medium to get much too close to political power, a story as alarmingly relevant today as it was in the 1930s.

RADIOACTIVE dives into the history and circumstances of Father Coughlin’s reign to process how he was able to gain power, why it took so long to stop him, and the lasting impacts still seen today. Father Coughlin’s story serves as a cautionary tale; but have we learned the lesson?

Andrew Lapin:

Andrew is the Managing Editor for Local News for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and a writer, editor and podcaster with 10+ years of experience in journalism and publishing. Prior to his current job he was the Editor for the Detroit Jewish News, where he oversaw the editorial direction and digital strategy of the historic 78-year-old publication. Under his tenure, DJN received 13 awards from the Society for Professional Journalists-Detroit chapter and was the only religious news organization in 2020 to be selected as a Report For America host newsroom.

Original Airdate: 11/17/2021