Podcast
The Big Dig
Hosted by GBH News · EN
A fishing tycoon is arrested in an elaborate sting operation, but claims he’s the real hero fighting back against an overbearing state. So who is Carlos “The Codfather” Rafael really – a folk hero, a crook, a righteous rebel, a selfish conman?
In Season 3 of The Big Dig podcast, “Catching The Codfather,” we go down to the docks. It’s a place where food, work, nature, money and politics all meet – where dreams are born, fortunes ruined, and where the watchful eye of the government is always present. The series traces the rise of Carlos Rafael and his escalating conflict with the government, because to judge the crimes of The Codfather, you also have to judge the whole system that he chose to break.
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“This is a town where there are three pastimes: politics, sports and revenge.” The town is Boston.
Seemingly dry topics become gripping political dramas in this Peabody Award winning show from creator Ian Coss and GBH News. Each season of “The Big Dig” uncovers a different facet of society – infrastructure, gambling, food, healthcare – together the pieces connect to tell the story of modern America.
Season One: "The Big Dig"
The highway project known as “The Big Dig” is infamous – a shorthand for government failure – but it all started as one engineer’s dream to correct the wrongs of the past, and its legacy is far from simple.
Season Two: "Scratch & Win"
America’s most successful state lottery – and its greatest innovation, the scratch ticket – all starts with mafia bookmakers and state bureaucrats going toe to toe in a battle to own the future of gambling.
Season Three: "Catching The Codfather"
A fishing tycoon is arrested in an elaborate sting operation, but claims he’s the real hero fighting back against the state.
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CREDITS:
Host & Creator: Ian Coss
Executive Producer: Devin Maverick Robins
Producer: Isabel Hibbard
Story Editor: Lacy Roberts
Contact us as thebigdig@wgbh.org
34episodes
Episodes
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Highway Teardown Tour | 3. Rochester, NY
2d ago00:41:20Summary readyOnce the highway is gone, can the divisions these structures created actually be healed? Can the people on either side become neighbors again? Rochester, NY is trying to answer that question.Guests: Erik Frisch, Brian Sharp, Shawn Dunwoody, Suzanne MayerRecorded live at the WXXI studios in Rochester, NY.
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Highway Teardown Tour | 2. Syracuse, NY
1w ago00:47:36Summary readyIs it possible to re-write the Interstate map and send highways around cities instead of through them? Syracuse, NY is doing just that. Guests: Marie Therese Dominguez, Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, Joe DriscollRecorded live in partnership with WRVO and the Syracuse Museum of Science and Technology.
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Highway Teardown Tour | 1. New York, NY
2w ago00:51:37Summary readyWhat to do with the BQE? It’s a one of a kind highway in desperate need of repair, but no one can agree how to fix it. Guests: Polly Trottenberg, Lara Birnback, Stephen NessenRecorded live at WNYC’s Greenspace.Archival audio courtesy of Municipal Archives, City of New York.
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Highway Teardown Tour | Enter Here
2w ago00:07:21Summary readyEvery American city is divided by crumbling old highways. Every city is trying to figure out what to do with them. But even if the problems with these structures are obvious, the solutions are not – often they are contentious. Welcome to The Big Dig Highway Teardown Tour.
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Introducing: The Cult Queen of Canada from CBC’s Uncover
Apr 1500:39:00Summary readyIn The Cult Queen of Canada from CBC’s Uncover, a tiny Saskatchewan town faces a surreal crisis when a cult leader calling herself “The Queen of Canada” occupies an abandoned school. As neighbours turn on each other, a retired teacher leads resistance in a story about what happens when online extremism spills into the real world. Hosted by Rachel Browne.Crime. Investigation. Revelation. Uncover brings you explosive, high-caliber true crime year-round. From CIA mind control to serial abuse, mysterious disappearances to wrongful imprisonment.More episodes of The Cult Queen of Canada are available wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/CQOCxCF—When I decided to take on the story of the Codfather, I realized it was a little more true-crime than anything I had done before, and so it was important to me that we do true crime in a way that served a larger purpose. That there was a point to it all besides just people breaking the law and getting caught. And for me, one of the models of that kind of storytelling is the CBC’s Uncover. It’s an ongoing feed that has released just a stunning run of highly original and intensely engaging crime stories that also help us understand our world. They have a new series out this spring so we wanted to feature an episode of that here.It’s called ‘The Cult Queen of Canada.’ It’s set in a small prairie town of 120 people in Saskatchewan, which becomes the unlikely home base for a cult leader known as the “Queen of Canada.” In the series, journalist Rachel Browne uncovers how online extremism bleeds into everyday life and divides this small town. It’s a story about polarization, power vacuums, and what happens when a small community becomes the testing ground for extremism.
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In search of the perfect lobster roll
Apr 800:33:01Summary readyIn the 1980s, six women on an island off the coast of Massachusetts began selling lobster rolls as a church fundraiser. Today, people travel by car, boat, and plane just to taste these hallowed summer treats. Today we bring you an episode from one of our favorite food podcasts, “The Sporkful”, in which host Dan Pashman travels to Martha’s Vineyard to uncover Grace Church’s secret recipe. Plus, Daniel Gritzer from Serious Eats breaks down the science of why frozen lobster might be better than fresh.https://www.sporkful.com/the-secret-to-grace-churchs-lobster-rolls/Find more from The Sporkful, wherever you listen to podcasts or at www.sporkful.com---We talked a lot this season about fish: the cod, the haddock, the flounder. We heard about monk fish and grey sole, hake and halibut. But if you’ve ever spent a summer in New England, you know that if there is one food we take more seriously than our fish, it’s our shellfish. So today I’m excited to bring you an episode from one of my favorite podcasts – The Sporkful – in which host Dan Pashman travels to Martha’s Vineyard to uncover the secret recipe of his favorite lobster roll. Plus, Daniel Gritzer from Serious Eats breaks down the science of why frozen lobster might be better than fresh.As always, Dan and the team have a special knack for telling stories about food that also help you understand the world. You can find all their work wherever you are listening right now, just search for “The Sporkful.” And please enjoy: The Secret To Grace Church’s Lobster Rolls…
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What you need to know when buying fish, with Roger Berkowitz
Apr 100:33:56Summary readyBuying fish can be a puzzling process. It comes frozen and fresh, wild and farmed, from many different countries, and with all kinds of ratings and labels. So what does it all mean?For this bonus episode to “Catching The Codfather,” Ian sits down with a legend of New England seafood, Roger Berkowitz, to talk about his life in fish buying and what he’s learned along the way. Major sponsorship for “Catching The Codfather” is provided by Roger’s Fish Co.
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Have we entered a new era for government regulation?
Mar 2500:42:38Summary readyJohn Vecchione represented a group of fishermen who challenged government regulations all the way to the Supreme Court. Together, they helped overturn the decades-old “Chevron Doctrine,” which has been cited thousands of times in federal court rulings. But Vecchione is not done, and you might be surprised to learn what regulations he is challenging next. For a very different take on the future of regulation after the fall of the Chevron Doctrine, check out this article from climate reporter Molly Taft: The Koch Brothers Are Getting What They Wanted: The Supreme Court Is Gutting Environmental Protections
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Catching The Codfather | 6. It’s Your Job to Catch Me
Mar 1801:07:50Summary readyA new revelation forces federal investigators to close down the case, fast. But what will taking down The Codfather mean for the port of New Bedford?Major sponsorship for "Catching The Codfather" is provided by Roger’s Fish Co.---------------------------Credits:Host and Scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossStory Editor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Jenifer McKimFact-checkers: Ryan Alderman and Isabel HibbardIntern: Fiona Boyd Scoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossGraphic Design: Bill Miller
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Catching The Codfather | 5. Painting Fish
Mar 1101:01:24Summary readyWhen federal agents first meet with Carlos Rafael, the fishing mogul offers up a tantalizing clue: a special system for ‘painting fish.’ It’s the key to understanding the entire fraud, and why Carlos is the only one who could pull it off.Major sponsorship for "Catching The Codfather" is provided by Roger’s Fish Co.---------------------------Credits:Host and Scriptwriter: Ian CossExecutive Producer: Devin Maverick RobinsProducers: Isabel Hibbard and Ian CossStory Editor: Lacy RobertsEditorial Advisor: Jenifer McKimFact-checkers: Ryan Alderman and Isabel HibbardIntern: Fiona Boyd Scoring and Music Supervision: Ian CossGraphic Design: Bill Miller
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