B.J. continues his conversation with Mike Archer of www.thearcherjournal.com, discussing the overuse of cliches and misuse of words in today's journalism. Can the four C's save our language?

A Matter of Trust

Oct 30th, 2023 22m 5s

Why do Americans have an issue with trusting journalists? Is it falling revenues at local television stations and newspapers, forcing them to do more with less? Is it inexperience, lack of institutional knowledge or the time pressure of being f

On Top of Okemo (sung to the tune of "On Top of Spaghetti")

Oct 12th, 2023 6m 14s

BJ finally follows the advice so many have given him over the decades: take a hike! This time he drives and walks up to a bygone symbol of Vermont history, ascending new heights on a spectacular autumn afternoon.

The Return of Take Me Through It

Oct 3rd, 2023 4m 43s

Back by popular demand? BJ has moved on from local TV and is blowing the dust off the podcast after a 5 year hiatus. Does anyone care? Can he create interesting content? Will anyone listen?? Enjoy episode one of a new season of Take Me Thr

You Bet Your Life: Spencer Christian's Story of Fame, Fortune, Desperation and Redemption

May 29th, 2018 49m 34s

TV weatherman Spencer Christian had it all: A great job, a great family, a great life. But he nearly lost everything to compulsive gambling, before he found the courage to change his life. BJ and Spencer discuss Spencer's new book, "You Bet

Bonus

USS San Francisco Memorial Day Commemoration

May 28th, 2018 8m 1s

BJ attends the annual commemoration for the USS San Francisco, which was involved in one of the most hellacious, courageous battles in American military history 76 years ago at Guadalcanal.

Benjamin Zander and The Art of Possibility

Apr 16th, 2018 37m 17s

Benjamin Zander, Founder, Music Director and Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestras, discusses the world's greatest music; how it uplifts mankind and teaches us all about love, life and humanity.

Vai Sikahema Part 2: From Tonga to the NFL to the World of Local TV News

Mar 31st, 2018 41m 52s

Former NFL player and now local news anchor Vai Sikahema recounts his transition from the NFL to TV, coming to America at the age of 8, and the important role religion plays in his life. Second of two parts.

Vai Sikahema: From Tonga to the NFL to the Local TV News Desk

Mar 19th, 2018 26m 23s

Vai Sikahema forever won the hearts of Philadelphia Eagles fans more than two decades ago. He's now a television news anchor, whose front row seat to history includes an impending nuclear attack heading right for him (well, not really) and the

A World of Discovery Happening Every Day in Bridgeport, Connecticut

Mar 10th, 2018 20m 19s

Bill Finch has spent his most of his life in public service; State Senator, Mayor of Connecticut's biggest city, Executive Director of the New York State Turnpike Authority. But now, Bill is using his love of science and optimistic view of the

Ready for Disaster. Teenagers Tackle the Reality at Two Connecticut High Schools

Mar 5th, 2018 21m 42s

Training teenagers to be ready for the next disaster my not be part of a regular school curriculum, but two Connecticut high schools are doing just that. Fox 61 reporter Jim Altman joins BJ to talk about an extraordinary program at one school a

One tragic. One heartwarming. One inspiring.

Jan 30th, 2018 28m 3s

Fires. Murders. Corruption. Bad Weather. Each among the storylines we expect every day when we tune into the local television news. But the TV news operations that stand out, take the time and make the effort to also tell stories of human triu

Franklin and Eleanor: Their Work Continues Today at Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College

Jan 8th, 2018 29m 41s

FDR was one of our great presidents. Eleanor was our greatest First Lady. In many ways, it all started when Franklin's mother built them a grand home in midtown Manhattan, a home that still stands today, not just as a museum, but as a beacon o

Best of 2017: How Outer Space Impacts Man's Inner Space

Dec 26th, 2017 1h 17m

Should we return to the Moon? Plan a mission to Mars? What is the impact and risks of long term human space travel? In this Best of 2017 episode of Take Me Through It, B.J. and Mike (producer of the movie "Inner Space") go deep into the galaxy

Best of 2017: How a Dark Violent Script was Transformed into a Horror Comedy Classic

Dec 23rd, 2017 34m 23s

One of the greatest Christmas movies of all time has a back story as funny and interesting as the film itself. Check out the story behind "Gremlins" in a Take Me Through It episode from the 2017 archives.

Best of 2017: The New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and a Love Story for the Ages.

Dec 21st, 2017 16m 4s

B.J. continues his Best of 2017 episodes with a look back to summer, and the story of how a young boy raised in the heart of Red Sox Nation became (gasp!) a fan of the New York Yankees.

Decency Wins

Dec 19th, 2017 10m 11s

"Decency Wins." That two-word tweet from a Republican U.S. Senator reacting to Democrat Doug Jones' victory in the Alabama U.S. Senate race, brought to mind one of our favorite 2017 episodes of Take Me Through It. How the word "decency" chang

Best of 2017: Calvin Coolidge Birthday Celebration in Plymouth Notch, Vermont.

Dec 13th, 2017 12m 30s

B.J and the Take Me Through It team count down to 2018 by looking back at some of the more memorable episodes from 2017. This time, B.J. recounts the time he bumped into the President of the United States on his 145th birthday.

The Future of Journalism: Today's Students Answer the Call.

Nov 6th, 2017 39m 9s

B.J. talks with four journalism students from the University of Connecticut to get their take on the future of their chosen profession. In this era of the Great American Polarization, can the truth prevail in an atmosphere of mistrust, lies, ig

Morton F. Plant: he may have died 99 years ago, but his legacy lives on.

Oct 28th, 2017 26m 38s

BJ visits the campus of the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, and talks to author Gail B. MacDonald about her new book, "Morton F. Plant and the Connecticut Shoreline: Philanthropy in the Gilded Age."

America's Future in Space: Colonies, Radiation, Artificial Gravity and Buddy Rich?

Oct 26th, 2017 43m 21s

BJ and Mike continue their conversation with Dr. Mark Shelhamer of Johns Hopkins University and NASA's former Chief Scientist for Human Research. Mark looks into the future and discusses the challenges and the reality of the next space frontie

How Outer Space Affects Man's Inner Space

Oct 21st, 2017 35m

What is the impact of long term space travel on humans, and can we make it to Mars in the next 20 years? BJ and Mike (producer of the movie classic "Inner Space") go deep into the galaxy for a probing interview with Dr. Mark Shelhamer, NASA's f

All Star Launch Party for "The Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight Against ALS."

Oct 7th, 2017 15m 58s

BJ and Joan visit Fenway Park for the star-studded launch party for "The Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight Against ALS," a new book by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge. We learn firsthand how several generations of a family facing a

Have you no sense of decency, Sir, at long last?

Sep 9th, 2017 9m 58s

B.J. takes a time out from today's non-stop news cycle, to go back in time, to the moment when a "gentle man" stopped a tyrant in his tracks, not through violence, but with words.