This Is Nashville

The Roundabout is your news of the week, analyzed by our panelists from points of view that span left, right and center. Joining us today are Mark Rogers, Republican Party advisor; Dahron Johnson, chaplain and co-chair of the Nashville committee of Tennessee Equality Project; And Meribah Knight, reporter and producer of special projects for WPLN.

What stories are making the rounds in your circle? Call 615-760-2000 to join o...

There’s a poster in the This Is Nashville studio that says “Our City, Our Stories.” And today it could say “Nuestra ciudad, nuestra historias.”

Eleven percent of Nashvillians identify as Hispanic or having Hispanic heritage and today we're spending the hour with some of our Spanish-speaking neighbors: a coffee shop owner who can be found some days passing out free sweet bread to drivers stuck in traffic, a community health ...

In My Place is a series that educates listeners on what communities like Nashville can do to prevent and end homelessness — while caring for our neighbors who are still unhoused.

In our last episode, we celebrated getting those keys!

In this episode, we’re talking about the difficulties of having a home.

It’s easy for those of us who have never been homeless to celebrate someone getting housed, breathe a sigh of relief, and t...

Fred Bailey didn’t just defy the odds. He didn’t see his circumstances as a deck stacked against him. In fact, he couldn’t see at all, which was one of the challenges you’d expect to hold someone back. "You’re Black, blind, and poor," his father told him, adding that hard work was going to be the only way out. 

And he lived it out. 

In this profile interview, Bailey talks about his memoir, his career and his nonprofits that ...

It’s Thursday and time for another episode of The Roundabout – the "Nashville Nice" edition

"Nashville Nice" is a unique flavor of Southern hospitality and friendliness. And since we last took a look three years ago, a lot more than the skyline has changed. Today we wonder, as more transplants move in and Lower Broad leans into its "party city" reputation, are cracks starting to appear in our collective civility? Are we in ...

Let’s discuss the dreaded G-word – geriatrics – and clear up common misconceptions about that medical specialty and why it’s important for healthy aging.

For many, it conjures images of decline, disease, and – well – dying. But what if we take the view that geriatricians are experts in body and mind maintenance for late-model humans? That’s the focus of this episode of our monthly series, NEXT AGE, where we’re reframing agi...

Running a small business is tough — especially if you’re in a city like Nashville where commercial lease rates are increasing significantly.

Today, we’re tallying the cost of doing business in Middle Tennessee. Joining us are small business owners, subject matter experts, and property developers to enlighten us on how small businesses are adapting to the changing economic landscape.

You can also join us live on YouTube to ge...

When people in Nashville have nowhere else to go, they find our guest this hour.

We’re getting to know the story of Joy Flores, the vice president of ministries at the Nashville Rescue Mission. Her journey includes time working in foster care, years on Skid Row in Los Angeles, and losing her own brother to the perils that accompany homelessness. It’s a career that has shaped her whole-person philosophy of caring for anyone ...

Freddie O’Connell is back for another round of “Ask the Mayor.”

Today we have questions for him about a land swap deal for Dolly, massive gridlock at the airport, deploying the National Guard to cities around the country (is Nashville next?) and if public employees should lose their jobs for private speech. But there’s more to be asked and that's where you come in. Call in to ask Freddie your own question.

Plus, the phone li...

Maybe we didn’t know what we had until it left a theme park-size hole in Nashville’s heart. A documentary premiering at the Nashville Film Festival, called “A Circle Broken,” gives us a good excuse to reopen that wound and hear the story of Opryland like we’ve not heard before, a story about how perhaps Opryland saved the Grand Ole Opry itself. We’re talking to the characters who are keeping the memory alive and hearing yo...

Predatory lending practices are not new. Think salary buying and loan sharks of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

But the modern version was born in the 1990s right here in Tennessee. Sometimes called "payday loans," many who use the service are in a financial crisis and need quick cash — often leading to a trap of high interest debt. Today we speak with Tennessee Lookout reporter Adam Friedman, who along with ProPubl...

Abdikadir Mohamed spent fourteen years in a Kenyan refugee camp before being able to immigrate to Nashville, where he and his family made a life for themselves.

From not knowing where his next meal would come from to advocating for others who are currently facing what he went through, he joins This Is Nashville to share what his upbringing taught him, what life in a refugee camp is like, and the challenges and blessings tha...

This past spring, Durham, North Carolina, hosted a sprawling roots music festival called Biscuits and Banjos. For the thousands of attendees, it had some similarities to a lot of folk music events around the country. But one major thing set it apart: Nearly every featured performer was Black.

The event is just one part of a Black folk music revival sweeping the country that's rescuing lost traditions and challenging stereot...

We’ve given you a lot to think about this week as we've examined harm reduction, medication assisted treatment and substance use disorder recovery and loss.

Today, it's your turn to talk. Our guests this week have talked about clean syringe exchange, using drugs to get off drugs and the shame and stigma surrounding substance use disorder. Our Roundabout panel is here to listen to your stories and answer your questions. What...

While doctors are prescribing fewer and fewer opioids, there’s one that’s not going away – buprenorphine, often known by its brand name of Suboxone. Compared to other narcotics, it's harder to abuse. It’s far less dangerous than the synthetic street drugs. And it reduces the risk of overdosing. But it’s still an opioid that is very hard to get off of. The number of Tennesseans prescribed these opioids as addiction treatmen...

On today's episode of "This Is Nashville," we dive into the work of sanctioned harm reduction.

Needle exchanges, distributing drug overdose reversal medication and fentanyl test strips — these tactics to limit the damage of the opioid crisis were once broadly illegal in Tennessee, and now they’re being used by certain groups to, essentially, help people use drugs more safely without necessarily trying to get them to stop. I...

When it comes to drug addiction, trying to help someone quit can feel like a lost cause. But there are still ways to keep people as healthy as possible. They’re just a little bit controversial. It’s a philosophy known as "harm reduction."

And some of the work isn’t just controversial – it can be illegal in Tennessee. A few harm reductionists are willing to take legal risks because they see the work saving lives.

Today launch...

It’s Thursday and time for another episode of The Roundabout.

The Roundabout is your news of the week, analyzed by our panelists from points of view that span left, right and center. Joining us today are attorney John Spragens, former reporter and political operative who also previously handled communications for Congressman Jim Cooper; Toby Compton, who worked for Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and also in the administrations o...

Chicken and Waffles, shrimp and grits, powdered sugar on top of fresh French toast—not to mention bottomless mimosas.

For those not addicted to social media, that spells brunch. According to listwithclever.com, New Orleans, Indianapolis and San Francisco are ranked among the top cities in the country for that late-morning, breakfast/lunch hybrid. Although Nashville is known for music, food, and satiating that grumbling stom...