Shows / This Is Nashville
This Is Nashville
This Is Nashville is a live one-hour daily show driven by community, for community. This flagship program of WPLN News will become your one-stop-shop for news in Nashville and Middle Tennessee, as we continue to show up each day.
Episodes
- This Is Nashville
Green witches and butterflies
In Tennessee, two very different groups are leading the way. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has launched Project Milkweed, a free milkweed…
- This Is Nashville
In My Place, Episode 8: The impact of homelessness on residents and business owners
In places where there is homelessness, we often see clashes between neighbors and businesses, service providers and the government. And, as neighbors and…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Rev. Dr. Shane B. Scott
As the recently installed pastor of the historic First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill in Nashville, he’s on a mission to inspire a new generation while…
- This Is Nashville
Your Turn to Talk: Nashville's voter support eco-system
Often, in places where a bit of extra effort is needed, organizations, community groups and individuals step in to fill in the blanks and help navigate a…
- This Is Nashville
Accessible Nashville: stories of inclusion and mobility
AARP ranked the state 47th on the Transportation Livability Index, indicating poor public transit, walkability, and coordination for people with disabilities…
- This Is Nashville
Civically engaged young people
Today, we’re talking with students who are working together to learn how government functions and young people who are using their voices to raise up concerns…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Kristin Mejia
Doulas are non-medical professionals who can provide trusted support during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the early weeks and months after childbirth…
- This Is Nashville
Your Turn to Talk: Ask the Mayor, plus presidential debates
Today, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell is in the studio to take your calls and answer your questions. Plus, it’s political debate season, and Tennessee State…
- This Is Nashville
Finding a new career through trade schools and apprenticeships
From cosmetology to automotive technology, building construction, plumbing, machine maintenance, and even coding, there are many programs right here in Middle…
- This Is Nashville
United Record Pressing celebrates 75 years
From Francis Craig and the Beatles to Jackie Shane and Minor Threat, United Record Pressing has made some of the world's most significant records. United CEO…
- This Is Nashville
Connecting Nashville to its sister city, Erbil
These partnerships strive to connect the people of Nashville to the people of the world. And they follow a nationwide mission established in the 1950s to carry…
- This Is Nashville
Re-air: How the four-day workweek works
Studies show that employee well-being, job satisfaction, retention and productivity all increase with a compressed schedule. In a recent six-month trial in the…
- This Is Nashville
Re-air: Worker safety – A cloud over the construction boom
We’re seemingly full of towering yellow cranes and active construction sites busy with workers using hefty machinery and hoisting heavy materials – often…
- This Is Nashville
Your Turn to Talk: Ask the Mayor, plus International Overdose Awareness Day
Every Thursday, we open up the phone lines because it's Your Turn to Talk. We never know what topics will come up when you call in to ask the mayor a question…
- This Is Nashville
My Experience: Single parenthood
Some step into single parenthood by choice, and others unexpectedly find themselves raising kids on their own. Today, we’re speaking with two single parents…
- This Is Nashville
In My Place, Episode 7: Permanent supportive housing
Over the course of this series, we have taken a closer look at the different aspects of homelessness examining the Housing First philosophy, the…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Rick Clark
Clark, a well-known Nashville producer, multi-instrumentalist, music supervisor and writer, was born and raised in Memphis — a city he says is utterly baked…
- This Is Nashville
Your Turn to Talk: People power and democracy in action
Some people say they vote because it’s the least they can do. But what if you want to do more? What other options are available to voice your opinion, advocate…
- This Is Nashville
The history, future and legacy of American Baptist College
But the legacy and impact of this small HBCU in Nashville often gets overlooked. Now, as ABC celebrates its 100th anniversary, we look at the college’s role in…
- This Is Nashville
The next generation of architects building the new Nashville
Architects shape skylines and neighborhoods with a vision that can last for centuries. Today, we're speaking with some of Nashville's NextGen architects about…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Sara Figal
Sara Figal has always been willing to work hard, follow her passions – and let herself be surprised. She recently retired from being the executive director of…
- This Is Nashville
Your Turn to Talk: Media literacy and consumption
At the state capital, Nashville has a good amount of local news coverage. We’ve also attracted national attention, including multiple conservative outlets and…
- This Is Nashville
Checking in with the Covenant moms from Embedded: Supermajority
After the Covenant School shooting in the spring of 2023, three Covenant moms — Melissa Alexander, Mary Joyce, and Sarah Shoop Neumann — set out to pursue gun…
- This Is Nashville
Black Nashville Assembly… assemble!
You’ve seen them around town, organizing Black Nashvillians to become greater participants in local, state and national governments. They are not the only…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Pat Boone
He may have been born in Florida, but Mr. Boone has deep Nashville roots. He attended Lipscomb, had his first performances in Centennial Park, recorded in…
- This Is Nashville
Your Turn To Talk Thursday: Power and accountability, from the president to your precinct
This isn’t the first time they’ve ruled on this issue, with additional decisions on immunity in civil cases given during both the Richard Nixon and Bill…
- This Is Nashville
Turkeys? Wild!
Wild turkeys are what biologists call an indicator species — meaning its presence in a location is indicative of a healthy ecosystem for all other species…
- This Is Nashville
Quantum science in Middle Tennessee
Quantum computers can already complete calculations that would take current computers millions of years to solve, and experts say that researchers are on track…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Dr. Learotha Williams
His focus on African American history has led to many discoveries about a hidden and sometimes forgotten past. He is leaned on by city officials, historic…
- This Is Nashville
Open Line Thursday: How are you doing this election season?
How are you staying informed and staying sane as we get closer to November? To lend us a hand we've assembled a panel of experts from the fields of political…
- This Is Nashville
Nashville's Olympic History
Today, we explore the past and present history of Olympians from Nashville. Who was John Noel, Sr., the first Olympian born in Tennessee to bring home a gold…
- This Is Nashville
In My Place, Episode 6: Hidden homelessness
They may think of the local emergency shelter or an encampment that has popped up in their neighborhood. But rarely do they think about a student in the local…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Jeremy Finley
For over 21 years, his work has uncovered corruption and crimes and helped victims know they are not alone. He has received well-deserved recognition for his…
- This Is Nashville
Ask the Mayor and Metro Law Director
Call 615-760-2000 to share what’s on your mind or to ask a question. This is your opportunity to get your questions answered. We never know what’s going to…
- This Is Nashville
A Second Avenue update, years after the 2020 bombing
The Christmas Day bombing caused extensive damage to the historic buildings, homes and businesses that dot Second Avenue. Redevelopment of the area is ongoing…
- This Is Nashville
Nashville's Historical Markers
The first marker, "Heaton's Station," was placed in 1968 at a bend in the Cumberland River in North Nashville and commemorates one of the city’s first…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Nancy French
She has written under her own name and collaborated on multiple books for celebrities - five of which made the New York Times best seller list. Now in her…
- This Is Nashville
Citywide reporter roundup: Entertainment edition
Today, we’re speaking with Caché McClay, The Tennessean’s dedicated Beyoncé reporter, and Bryan West, The Tennessean’s dedicated Taylor Swift reporter, about…
- This Is Nashville
This is Nicheville
One of the main ways we can interact with others is through our hobbies and niche interests. And they’ve got another benefit, too: When we learn more about…
- This Is Nashville
Worker safety: A cloud over the construction boom
We're seemingly full of towering yellow cranes and active construction sites busy with workers using hefty machinery and hoisting heavy materials – often…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: María Magdalena Campos-Pons
Campos-Pons is the Cornelius Vanderbilt chair of fine arts and identifies just as much as a teacher as an artist. She grew up in a small village in the Cuban…
- This Is Nashville
‘Dynamite Nashville’ pieces together what happened in the Nashville bombings
In 1946, a violent uprising in Columbia, Tenn., led to national attention and a court case that historians say was the first time the legal system was used by…
- This Is Nashville
'Lo Fi' by Liz Riggs takes readers to the time before new Nashville
Dubbed the "High Fidelity" for millennials, the book paints a picture of Nashville before it became "It City" — before the bachelorettes moved in, before Lower…
- This Is Nashville
Paddle, paddle, paddle! Making a splash in Tennessee's scenic waterways
One of the gifts of living here in Middle TN is that our state is full of some of the nation’s most beautiful ponds, rivers, and lakes. There are so many ways…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Dr. Steven Townsend
Dr. Townsend’s lab ‘cares about why people get sick’ and applies organic chemistry to help people everywhere get and stay healthy. He is pioneering the…
- This Is Nashville
Music Citizens: A new podcast from WNXP
Music Citizens is about the people who make music work. Each episode will explore what it takes to do the jobs that keep the music business moving and…
- This Is Nashville
Writing about the death penalty
Meanwhile, time marches on — as do cases, appeals and new bills. Today, we're welcoming journalists and authors Liliana Segura, Steven Hale and Joe Ingle to…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Tonya Abari
When Tonya started looking for books for her children to read, she noticed that they all featured white kids. At the same time she wanted to get back into…
- This Is Nashville
Citywide reporter roundup: religion edition
In 2024, many different faith communities are flourishing in Middle Tennessee and local religion reporters, whose work often reaches national audiences, have a…
- This Is Nashville
They say diplomacy starts at home- so do diplomats!
US diplomats live and work overseas, helping US citizens abroad as well as building relationships with host countries. They get a new assignment to change…
- This Is Nashville
In My Place, Episode 5: Upstream homelessness prevention
In My Place educates listeners on what cities like Nashville can do to prevent and end homelessness — while caring for our neighbors who are still unhoused. We…
- This Is Nashville
Re-air: A soldier, a sailor and a marine all walk into the studio…
Military service is a point of pride for many here in Tennessee and across the country. From wanting to serve something bigger than oneself, to seeking job…
- This Is Nashville
Re-Air: Tyler Merritt
Today, he talks with host Khalil Ekulona about the upcoming elections, diversity in Nashville, and how he talks about difficult, political topics. This episode…
- This Is Nashville
Ask the mayors
Call 615-760-2000 to share what’s on your mind or to ask either mayor a question. This is your opportunity to get your questions answered. From transportation…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Big Fella
Big Fella, aka Willie Sims, Jr., is a musician, entertainer, TV producer, community activist and advocate, ordained minister, board member, chef, teacher, life…
- This Is Nashville
Kids in action
So what do teenagers in Nashville want their home city and region to be like now and in the future? What’s working and what isn’t? Today, we’ll speak to kids…
- This Is Nashville
Kids in service
Today, we’ll hear from young people about how they are volunteering in their communities. We'll kick off with Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee and a young…
- This Is Nashville
What it's like to be a kid right now
We want to know: What is it really like to be a kid right now? Rising 6th, 8th and 11th graders are here to tell us all about school, friendships, parents…
- This Is Nashville
Profile: Ann Powers
For over 40 years, Ann Powers has been writing about music and pop culture for outlets such as The Village Voice, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times…
- This Is Nashville
How Metro Arts conflict is impacting artists
As much as we all love drama, we’d prefer it stayed on stage. At the June 4 council meeting, Metro Council approved the $200,000 settlement that would ensure…