Callie Crossley, host of Under the Radar with Callie Crossley, loves when listeners tell her that they’ve never heard of the guests on her show. For her, introducing new voices into the conversation is what makes radio compelling, important and interesting.
Her show, which airs Sundays on GBH 89.7 at 6pm, gives audiences an opportunity to hear diverse community voices sharing stories that media outlets typically ignore.
The hourlong program features roundtable conversations based on a theme. Her guests include journalists from local news organizations along with academics, pop culture critics, local authors, leaders from the Latinx and LGBTQ communities, environmentalists and professionals working in the food and wine world — all reflecting Crossley’s wide-ranging interests and the rich world of stories that hide in plain sight.
“Under the Radar doesn’t cover the news happening ‘today,’” Crossley said. “We focus on the news happening ‘these days.’ We pull a new thread from an overlooked trend and create conversations with unheard voices. I’m very intentional about who gets a seat at the table.”
Here’s an example of one of these untapped angles: To unpack the historical significance of the Black Lives Matter movement, Crossley hosted a conversation with a Smithsonian Museum curator responsible for collecting protest signs for posterity and a representative from The Blackivists, a group of professional preservationists who focus on underdocumented communities.
Crossley said that audiences won’t find this conversation anywhere else, and that makes it all the more important to share it. “Eventually, the long view has the greatest impact,” she said. Listen to Under the Radar with Callie Crossley on 89.7 FM or wherever you get your podcasts.
