Best Phantom Signal Podcasts (2025)

1
Behind The Frequency - The Darwin Detail 1:00:22

7d ago1:00:22

1:00:22

Our 50th Episode takes us behind the scenes for our season premiere. We sit down with "Colors" writer, Anooj Bhandari and chat about breaking theatre form norms, how LOST ended, and 90s YA television. We also chat with writer Ally Lardner about her segment, "(ruby) Tuesday Night", the power of spite, and building community through the pandemic & DI…

1
March of the Bonus Army 16:18

11d ago16:18

16:18

Author James Baldwin once wrote, "I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." On this episode, we go back to 1932 when a group of World War I veterans set up an encampment in Washington, D.C., and vowed to stay until their voices were heard. It was a rema…

1
S5E1: The Darwin Detail 57:56

25d ago57:56

57:56

Welcome Back to the Void and Season Five! We're exploring the undiscovered country for our season premiere. Four stories about people in states of transition, from the known to the unknown; Two grim reapers contemplate the meaning of a beached whale on the Oregon, an much meme'd anglerfish tells all, a couple's date night at home takes a decidedly …

1
The Girls of the Leesburg Stockade 16:14

25d ago16:14

16:14

On July 19, 1963, at least 15 Black girls were arrested while marching to protest segregation in Americus, Georgia. After spending a night in jail, they were transferred to the one-room Leesburg Stockade and imprisoned for the next 45 days. Only twenty miles away, the girls' parents had no knowledge of their location. A month into their confinement…

1
Guest Spotlight: Signal Hill 37:20

1M ago37:20

37:20

This week we're featuring a story from a brand new audio magazine we've been listening to called Signal Hill. "Pie Down Here" features oral history interviews with farmworkers and Communist Party members who organized a sharecroppers' union in Alabama during the Great Depression. The interviews were recorded by historian Robin Kelley for his book, …

1
Making Waves: The Woman Who Warned The World 12:30

2M ago12:30

12:30

In 1939, Time Magazine called Dorothy Thompson a woman who “thinks, talks and sleeps world problems — and scares men half to death.” They weren’t wrong. Thompson was a foreign correspondent in Germany in the years leading up to World War 2, and she broadcast to millions of listeners around the world. She became known for her bold commentaries on th…

1
Making Waves: The Original Angry Talker 12:32

2M ago12:32

12:32

These days, we’re used to media that thrives on conflict and amplifies the most outrageous voices in the room. It's something we often trace back to shock jocks, like Howard Stern, and in-your-face talk show hosts like Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh. But before all those guys, there was Joe Pyne. At the height of his career in the 1960s, the New …

1
Making Waves: The Happy-Am-I Preacher 18:08

2M ago18:08

18:08

In 1934, the Washington Post called Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, the “best known colored man in America.” He was known as the Happy-Am-I Preacher. His Sunday services were broadcast to over 25 million listeners on CBS radio. Black America saw Michaux as a leader for racial harmony and progress. But during the civil rights movement, his reputati…

1
Sealab: A Home on the Ocean Floor 20:41

3M ago20:41

20:41

From ancient myths of sea monsters lurking below to Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the ocean has long been both a source of fear and fascination. For Captain George Bond, a Navy medical officer in the 1960s, the deep sea was humanity’s next frontier. Undersea agriculture, deep sea mining, and human colonies on the ocean floor …

1
Guest Spotlight: The Memory Palace with Nate DiMeo 13:45

4M ago13:45

13:45

Happy 2025! We have a slate of new stories coming soon, but we want to start the year by shouting out fellow podcaster (and friend of the show) Nate DiMeo of The Memory Palace. He just put out his first book, The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past. So to celebrate, we're featuring one of our favorite episodes from The Memory Palace, "The…

1
Teen Contender 21:08

4M ago21:08

21:08

If you follow boxing, you've heard of Claressa Shields. At the 2012 Olympics, she became the first American woman to win gold in boxing. She repeated the feat 4 years later, becoming the first American boxer — woman or otherwise — to win consecutive medals. Now, she's the subject of a new movie called The Fire Inside, tracing her journey to Olympic…

1
Below (An Ugly Radio B-Side) 49:08

5M ago49:08

49:08

Hello Void! We're coming out of hibernation to drop a special episode of The Ugly Radio. We're hard at work on Season 5 - which debuts early 2025. From now until then though, we're dropping the occasional B-Side Special - stories we received from the multiverse that, for one reason or another, didn't make there way into our normal season. Stories s…

1
Last Witness: The Kerner Commission 12:45

5M ago12:45

12:45

Former Oklahoma senator Fred Harris died recently, at 94 years old. In 1967, Fred Harris and 10 senators came together and released the Kerner Report, a 1400-page explanation of the causes of the protests that filled American cities that summer. It was an instant — and unlikely — bestseller, selling over half a million copies in just three weeks, g…

1
A Guitar, A Cello and the Day that Changed Music 17:15

5M ago17:15

17:15

November 23, 1936 was a good day for recorded music. Two men, an ocean apart, sat before a microphone and began to play. One, Pablo Casals, was a cello prodigy who had performed for the Queen of Spain. The other, Robert Johnson, played guitar and was a regular in the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta. These recordings would change music history.…

1
The John Birch Society 15:18

6M ago15:18

15:18

In today’s political climate, conspiracy theories are commonplace. But they’re nothing new. In fact, back in the 1960s, there was one organization that built a movement around them. The John Birch Society was started by a small group of wealthy businessmen including Robert Welch and Fred Koch. It expanded, with chapters of like-minded Americans mee…

1
American Migrant 15:59

7M ago15:59

15:59

During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, millions of desperate Americans abandoned their homes, farms and businesses. It was one of the largest migrations in US history. In the 1940s, Pat Rush’s family were farm laborers, exhausted by trying to make ends meet. So they left Arkansas and followed the hundreds of thousands who had traveled Route 66 to Calif…

1
The Longest Game 44:13

7M ago44:13

44:13

In the spring of 1981, the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings met for a minor league baseball game of little importance. But over the course of 33 innings — 8 hours and 25 minutes — the game made history. It was the longest professional baseball game ever played. This story was produced in collaboration with ESPN's 30 for 30. Learn about…

1
When Borders Move 13:22

8M ago13:22

13:22

Ever since Texas became a state, the Rio Grande has been the border between the U.S. and Mexico. But rivers can move — and that's exactly what happened in 1864, when torrential rains caused it to jump its banks and go south. Suddenly the border was a different place, and Texas had gained 700 acres of land called the Chamizal, named after a plant th…

1
S4E14: Gratuitous Post-Credit Scene III 51:42

8M ago51:42

51:42

It's the FINAL final episode of season four and we've got a mixtape full of bands we've featured all season long. Andrew Shanks, creator/producer of The Ugly Radio spins some tunes, gives a state-of-the-pod address and what's coming next in Season 5. Thanks for tuning in everyone! We'll see in you in the void! The Ugly Radio is a production of ugly…

1
S4E13: Plan 9... (In The Valley) 44:30

8M ago44:30

44:30

It’s our SEASON FINALE! 'PLAN 9...' features three stories based on the Ed Wood camp classic, PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Void mainstays Marcus Gorman, Kelleen Blanchard, and Maggie Lee take us to the "Valley" where a restaurant patrons, detectives, and three friends on a road trip run a foul of aliens, zombies, and well-dwelling ghosts. Closing us ou…

1
Guest Spotlight: The Phantom of the World's Fair 23:52

9M ago23:52

23:52

This week we're featuring a story we loved from the StoryCorps podcast. In 1964, a 12-year-old paperboy from suburban Long Island spent nearly two weeks hiding among the gleaming attractions of the New York World's Fair. His adventure caused a media sensation. But the world only learned half the story. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/…

1
S4E12: Be Kind Rewind 55:43

9M ago55:43

55:43

Pro-Wrestling! Action Movies! Prison Ships! Flesh-Shunting! This episodes got it all, plus a few more added surprises. In our pen-ultimate episode of the season, 'Be Kind Rewind' is going full-tilt boogie with the video rental store vibes. Whether its from our FOUR new stories or tunes from Seattle-shred kings, PINK BOA, you're bound to get a nosta…

1
S4E11: Select All Delete (Part Two) 51:02

9M ago51:02

51:02

Welcome Back to the Synthetic Dystopia! We wrap up this two parter with THREE all new stories, new ensemble members, and more delicious dark-synth from ManWoMan. We welcome Jaime Alejandro Cruz to the void with his story, 'Aiden', a synthetic health care assistant who longs for better clientele. We also have the returns of Anthony Bain and Darien T…

1
HOUR SPECIAL: Stories from the Unmarked Graveyard 53:42

9M ago53:42

53:42

Hart Island is America’s largest public cemetery—sometimes known as a “potter’s field.” The island has no headstones or plaques, just numbered markers. More than a million people are buried on Hart Island in mass graves, there are no headstones or plaques, just numbered markers. In this special, hour-long episode we're untangling mysteries about ho…

1
S4E10: Select All Delete (Part One) 30:39

10M ago30:39

30:39

An episode so big we split it in two! Select All Delete begins the final run of episodes in our marathon Season Four! We're looking at all things synthetic; Cybernetic health assistants, digital afterlives, surveillance states in a fascist dystopia AND tonight's segment - the gig-economy hellscape that is cyberpunk Seattle. Seattle 2059: And None o…

1
The Almost Astronaut (Revisited) 25:23

10M ago25:23

25:23

When it comes to the space race, we all know names like Neil Armstrong and Yuri Gagarin. But in most moments in history, there are a few names that fall through the cracks. One of those names was Ed Dwight. When Ed was selected to train to become an astronaut, many thought he would become the first Black man to go to space — but Ed faced some unexp…

1
S4E9: An Awful Sound 49:06

11M ago49:06

49:06

Some frequencies shouldn't be explored... but hey, here we are! After a little hiatus, we're back with possibly our most intense episode yet. THREE NEW SONIC HORROR TALES, two of which written by new denizens of the void, Dana Hall and John Busser - as well as the return of Maggie Lee! Plus we welcome Amanda Rae to the ensemble! PLUS! We're taking …

1
The End of Smallpox 21:24

11M ago21:24

21:24

Humanity isn't great at eradicating diseases. But there is one disease that humanity has managed to eradicate: smallpox. Smallpox was around for more than 3,000 years and killed at least 300 million people in the 20th century. Then, by 1980, it was gone. Rahima Banu was the last person in the world to have the deadliest form of smallpox. In 1975, B…

1
Meet Miss Subways 10:57

12M ago10:57

10:57

Most beauty pageants promote the fantasy of the ideal woman. But for 35 years, one contest in New York City celebrated the everyday working girl: Miss Subways. Each month starting in May 1941, a young woman was elected “Miss Subways,” and her face gazed down on transit riders as they rode through the city. Her photo was accompanied by a short bio d…

1
The Gospel Ranger 16:38

12M ago16:38

16:38

This year marks 90 years since Claude Ely wrote "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down." The song was written as Ely was supposed to be on his death bed. Instead, Ely, known as the "Gospel Ranger," went on to inspire the birth of rock & roll. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @radiodiaries. Learn more about our stories on radiodiarie…

1
S4E8: Live. Die. Repeat. 51:54

1y ago51:54

51:54

PRODUCTION NOTE: Originally, this episode was marketed as/titled "Doing The Cockroach", based on one of the segments we had intended to include. Production has pulled that segment to be used in a future episode. The name has been changed, but the theme remains the same. Live. Die. Repeat. Not only is it the better title to Tom Cruise action vehicle…

1
Mandela's Election: 30 Years Later 17:40

1y ago17:40

17:40

This month marks 30 years since Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected president. However, the story of Mandela's rise to the presidency isn't all that simple. The four years between Mandela’s release from prison and his election to the presidency were some of the most violent in South Africa's history. That's the story y…

1
Working, Then and Now 57:38

1y ago57:38

57:38

50 years ago, radio broadcaster Studs Terkel published a book called WORKING: People Talk About What They Do All Day, and How They Feel About What They Do. Terkel went around the country with a tape recorder and had conversations with ordinary Americans about their jobs and their reflections on them. The book ended up being an unexpected bestseller…

1
S4E7: Staring At The Sun 1:05:17

1y ago1:05:17

1:05:17

What's the biggest risk you've ever taken? What was your endgame? Did you do it to test yourself or maybe you were put in an unfortunate series of events? It takes a certain amount of reckless abandon to take risks and we here in the Void positively can relate.... even though the void doesn't have a sun. It's just infinite nothingness. But it's als…

1
My Iron Lung (Revisited) 16:58

1y ago16:58

16:58

Paul Alexander, one of two people in the U.S. still relying on an iron lung to survive, died on March 11, 2024 at the age of 78. Paul contracted polio in 1952 at six years old, and has had to rely on an iron lung — a big metal ventilator that encases the body from the neck to toes — since then. We spoke to Paul a few years ago about his life and th…

1
My So-Called Lungs (Revisited) 30:22

1y ago30:22

30:22

We’re revisiting one of our favorite stories from years ago — with a new twist. Laura Rothenberg spent most of her life knowing she would die young. She had cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs. She documented her life in an audio diary, showing her attempt to live the normal life of a nineteen year old college student. Laura …

1
S4E6: A Space Between 40:56

1y ago40:56

40:56

Let's get Liminal. February was about getting back on path. March is all about the secret trails the path may lead you : the spaces between worlds. Liminal spaces can be empty, unnerving, reflective and alien. The strangers you meet along the way may wear smiles on their faces, but they are not always your friends. Dare to explore "A Space Between"…

1
S4E5: The Kids Are Alright 56:56

1y ago56:56

56:56

This episode is all about the youth! The games they play, the ways the grieve, and the trauma they carry. FUN! We've got four brand new stories from returning favorites, Kelleen Conway Blanchard and Aaron J Shay - plus - two brand new writers to the void, Emma Goldman-Sherman and Amy Bennett-Zendzian. We've got a murderer's row of ensemble members …

1
The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records 23:51

1y ago23:51

23:51

In 1921, a man named Harry Pace started the first major Black-owned record company in the United States. He called it Black Swan Records. In an era when few Black musicians were recorded, the company was revolutionary. It launched the careers of Ethel Waters, Fletcher Henderson, William Grant Still, and Alberta Hunter, artists who transformed Ameri…

1
S4E4: We're (a)Live: Part II 43:50

1y ago43:50

43:50

As promised, here's part two of our first ever live show! Featuring new stories from Darien Torbert and Maggie Lee, as well as our amazing ensemble. Enjoy! We'll be back next week with brand new stories and more. The Ugly Radio The Ugly Radio is a production of uglyradio presents and is a part of the podmoth network. Tonight's episode is produced b…

1
S4E3: We're (a)Live: Part I 49:53

1y ago49:53

49:53

We're back from break! As a special treat, we're releasing our first ever LIVE show, recorded back in September 2023 at 18th and Union in Seattle, Washington. Featuring six new segments, an all-star ensemble, and more! Plus: Andrew Shanks, creator of The Ugly Radio, gives us some updates! We'll be releasing Part II next week as well as a BRAND NEW …

1
Guest Spotlight: Parakeet Panic 42:41

1y ago42:41

42:41

This week, we’re featuring an episode of a podcast we’re big fans of: The Last Archive! The Last Archive tells little known histories and how they affect our modern lives. Today’s story, “Parakeet Panic,” explores when invasive parakeets began to spread in New York City in the 1970s — and the government decided that the solution was to kill them al…

1
The Drum Also Waltzes 21:06

1+ y ago21:06

21:06

At the age of 16, he played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He went on to make landmark recordings with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. He’s considered one of the most important drummers in history — and he would’ve turned 100 years old this week. Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes is a new film about the musician by award-win…

1
The Unmarked Graveyard: Live at WNYC 1:01:24

1+ y ago1:01:24

1:01:24

We bring you a lot of stories each year, but we don’t often get to share the work behind them. We recently held an event at WNYC’s The Greene Space in New York City, where our subjects and producers reflected on the challenges, and joys, of telling these untold stories. For the last podcast of the year, we’re bringing you that live show: a behind t…

1
The Man on the President's Limo 12:07

1+ y ago12:07

12:07

Today marks 60 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. There are many photos from that day in 1963, but one image in particular caught people’s attention, spreading in newspapers across the country: a photo of a Secret Service agent jumping onto the back of the presidential limousine during the shooting. Today on the podcast, th…

1
The Unmarked Graveyard: LaMont Dottin 15:16

1+ y ago15:16

15:16

Back in 1995, LaMont Dottin was 21 years old and a freshman at Queens College when, one evening, he didn’t come home. His mother went to the local police precinct to try to report him missing, and his name was added to a list of thousands of cases that the NYPD’s Missing Persons Squad was supposed to be investigating. Then his case fell through the…

1
The Unmarked Graveyard: Hisako Hasegawa 12:45

1+ y ago12:45

12:45

The Belvedere Hotel is in the heart of New York City’s theater district. Many of its guests come to see the sights, take in a show. But there are a few dozen people who call the Belvedere home. Decades ago, they came to New York and rented rooms there. As the hotel changed hands over the years, they never left. One of them was Hisako Hasegawa. This…

1
The Unmarked Graveyard: Cesar Irizarry 15:51

1+ y ago15:51

15:51

Angel Irizarry spent years working as a detective, and in 2021 he set out on a personal investigation to track down an uncle who’d been estranged from his family for decades. But early in his search he made a disappointing discovery: his uncle Cesar had died. So Angel embarked on a new quest, to learn what had become of Cesar during his long absenc…

1
S4E2: Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me) 56:07

1+ y ago56:07

56:07

Happy Halloween! We've got three new ghostly stories for you to unwind to. Up first, Monty Rozema joins the void to bring us "PostMortem," a tale depicting the final days of a romance long past its expiration date. Next, two siblings pay a visit to a long-abandoned family beach house, only discover that it may not be as abandoned as they once thoug…

1
The Unmarked Graveyard: Dawn Powell 16:54

1+ y ago16:54

16:54

Dawn Powell wrote novels about people like herself: outsiders who’d come to New York City in the early twentieth century to make a name for themselves. For a few years, those novels put her at the center of the city’s literary scene. Ernest Hemingway even called her his favorite living writer. When she died of colon cancer in 1965, Powell donated h…

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