WireTap (radio program)

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WireTap
Genre Comedy
Running time ca. 25 min.
Country Flag of Canada Canada
Languages English
Home station CBC Radio One
Syndicates Public Radio International
Hosts Jonathan Goldstein
Creators Jonathan Goldstein
Writers Howard Chackowicz
Gregor Ehrlich
John Hodgman
Joshua Karpati
Heather O'Neill
David Rakoff
Producers Wendy Dorr
Carolyn Warren
Mira Burt-Wintonick
Executive producers Jonathan Goldstein
Recording studio Montreal, Canada
Air dates July, 2004 to present
Audio format Stereophonic
Website
www.cbc.ca/wiretap

WireTap is a half-hour radio show that airs on CBC Radio One Sunday afternoons at 1:00 pm (local time, 4:00 pm in the Pacific Time Zone), and again on Wednesday at 11:30 pm and 30 minutes later in Newfoundland. An hour-long version of WireTap is distributed in the United States by Public Radio International and is heard on multiple public radio stations.[1] Hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, former producer of Public Radio International's This American Life, the show features stories that are told over the phone ostensibly by Goldstein's friends and family.

The show falls into what has traditionally been CBC Radio One's comedy slot on Sunday afternoons, replacing Madly Off in All Directions which moved to a different time slot, though the show itself does not fit easily into the comedy category. The show has possibly been best described as "a weekly half-hour of conversation, storytelling and introspection, culled from equal parts real-world experience and the warp of Goldstein's imagination."[2] Each show tends to follow a particular investigative theme; titles for past shows includes: "Life Lessons", "Reach for the Top", "Prized Possessions" and "Our Fathers".

The series began in the summer of 2004 as a 10-episode experiment, after which it succeeded to its own regular timeslot. It is recorded out of CBC's Montreal studios. The show has been criticized by some as being too vague in format and its host as boring.[3] Conversely, other critics of the show find the host's deadpan delivery and the blurring of genres is exactly what makes the show such an interesting listening experience. Goldstein regularly references these criticisms to his show by having the guests call him boring, depressing, and monotonous.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ 'WireTap' from PRI. Public Radio International (2007-01-08). Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
  2. ^ Murray White. "Tapping into radio's creative potential", Toronto Star, 18 Dec 2005. Retrieved on 2007-03-19. 
  3. ^ D (24 Jul 2004). Review of the CBC Summer Waves Shows 2004! Part One. URBMN. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.

[edit] External links