© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Nose Is All Serial All the Time

Which are you? The kind of person who can't wait to talk about Serial? Or the kind of person who doesn't do it, doesn't get it, and dreads having other people bring it up? The former sort of person was summed up by a recent New Yorker cartoon that showed a woman on a city sidewalk, flagging down a fellow pedestrian and saying "Excuse me, do you have a minute to talk about the latest episode of 'Serial'?"

Sarah Keonig's true crime podcast tapped into our most primitive instincts for telling stories and processing narratives. One didn't listen passively. It was more of an electronic campfire around which people gathered and chatted. It's also tied to very primal urges to know who did it and to see justice done. The Jeffrey MacDonald case, the Kennedy assassinations, the Memphis Three, Chappaquiddick... The story of the murder of Hae Min Lee joins that procession.

Have you been watching it? What keeps you coming back? Comment below, email Colin@wnpr.org, or tweet @wnprcolin.

GUESTS:

  • Theresa Cramer is a writer and the editor of E-Content Magazine, where she covers the world of digital media
  • Kevin Rennie writes a political column for the Sunday edition of The Hartford Courant, is a former member of the Connecticut House and Senate, practices law in South Windsor, Connecticut, and blogs at DailyRuctions
  • Irene Papoulis teaches in the Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric at Trinity College

SONGS:

Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content