Podcast
The Big Dig
Hosted by GBH News · EN
“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
44episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Staten Island Problem
4d ago00:36:15Summary readyHow do these things all connect: Wu-Tang Clan, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, and the largest garbage dump in the world? That story is the subject of a new series from the podcast Revisionist History called “The Staten Island Problem.” The series reconstructs the largest secession movement in the U.S. since the Civil War – how it nearly tore New York City apart, and how it foreshadows the politics of today. We bring you the first episode of the series: “The Mayor vs. the Borough President.” Find more episodes of Revisionist History: The Staten Island Problem wherever you get podcasts.Link: lnk.to/SIPDig
SummaryYour Ultimate Big Dig Roadtrip Playlist
2w ago00:41:37Summary readyOur show now has three seasons in the feed, and it just dawned on Ian that every topic we’ve covered also happens to be a rich topic in American song: highways, gambling, and fishing. So today we share a special playlist curated by singer, songwriter and record collector Eli "Paperboy" Reed.Hear the full playlist here. Pre order 'Getting There' by Eli "Paperboy" Reed here.
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Highway Teardown Tour | 10. Providence, RI
4w ago00:37:45Summary readyThe Big Dig in Boston was a fluke, a unicorn, something we may never see again. But there are simpler and cheaper ways to rethink our urban highways – Providence, RI tried one. Guests: Edward Fitzpatrick, Zack Cunha, Mike LewisRecorded live with Globe Rhode Island at CIC ProvidenceHear the full Washington Bridge Blues playlist here
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Highway Teardown Tour | 11. Boston, MA
4w ago00:40:30Summary readyThe final chapter of the Big Dig story is what happened to the land after the highway was gone. Like the rest of the project, it was messy, and other cities would be wise to learn from it. Guests: Stephanie Pollack, Chris CookRecorded live at the MIT Museum
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Highway Teardown Tour | 9. Philadelphia, PA
Jul 1500:42:41Summary readyEven as cities try to heal the damage of the interstate era, we are also continuing to expand our urban highways, continuing to turn parks and neighborhoods into new lanes and new off-ramps. So why is it so hard to stop?Guests: Inga Saffron, Daniel Pearson, Leslie RichardsRecorded at The Pen & Pencil Club with support from Miles Bryan and Tom Grahsler
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Highway Teardown Tour | 8. Baltimore, MD
Jul 800:43:17Summary readyThis episode is about a very different kind of teardown – one that came suddenly, tragically, and without warning. But within this utterly unique story there are some universal questions about how we build for the present and the future.Guests: Johnny Olszewski, Samantha Biddle, Wambui Kamau, Arkia Wade, Klaus PhilipsenRecorded live with WYPR at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.
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Highway Teardown Tour | 7. Louisville, KY
Jul 100:31:09Summary readyIn the stories we tell about public works, there is a constant bias towards the projects that actually happened, but it’s the apparently ‘failed’ projects that can often teach us the most. Guests: Marcus Green, Tyler Allen, Ken HerndonRecorded live with LPM at the LPM Performance Studio.
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Highway Teardown Tour | 6. Portland, OR
Jun 2400:44:50Summary readyThe anti-highway movement, like any movement, has always been a coalition. Different people with different backgrounds and different interests finding a common cause. But sometimes the coalition cracks. Guests: Lillian Karabaic, Shawn Granton, Sharon Gary-Smith, Chris SmithRecorded live with Oregon Public Broadcasting at Literary Arts in East Portland.
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Highway Teardown Tour | 5. Seattle, WA
Jun 1700:34:44Summary readyThere is exactly one other American city crazy enough to attempt anything like what Boston did with The Big Dig. That city is Seattle, and they are not done tearing down highways. Guests: Joshua McNichols, Greg Nickels, Cayce James, José Manuel VasquezRecorded live with KUOW at the Seattle Public Library.Archival audio courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives
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Highway Teardown Tour | 4. Austin, TX
Jun 1000:33:00Summary readyHow did the Austin City Council find themselves locked in a ‘death match’ over what to do about Interstate 35? Two councilors and two journalists talk through the fraught politics of so-called highway caps. Guests: Megan Kimble, Nathan Bernier, José “Chito” Vela, Mike SiegelRecorded live at the KUT Festival in Austin, TX.
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