Take Me Through It

BJ and cousin Mike talk with their Uncle Bill Shaughnessy who, 65 years ago had a front row seat to the development of the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Titan 1.  Bill tells a personal and extraordinary story from the early days of the Cold War.

BJ wraps up his conversation with local news legend Mike Archer about the challenges facing news outlets and the journalists who staff them.

B.J. continues his conversation with Mike Archer of www.thearcherjournal.com , discussing the overuse of cliches and misuse of words in today's journalism.  Can the four C's save our language?

Why do Americans have an issue with trusting journalists? Is it falling revenues at local television stations and newspapers, forcing them to do more with less? Is it inexperience, lack of institutional knowledge or the time pressure of being first to post?  B.J and his mentor/former colleague Mike Archer of www.thearcherjournal.com discuss how these challenges imperil trust, a critical component...

BJ finally follows the advice so many have given him over the decades:  take a hike!  This time he drives and walks up to a bygone symbol of Vermont history, ascending new heights on a spectacular autumn afternoon.

Back by popular demand?  BJ has moved on from local TV and is blowing the dust off the podcast after a 5 year hiatus.  Does anyone care?  Can he create interesting content?  Will anyone listen??  Enjoy episode one of a new season of Take Me Through It!

TV weatherman Spencer Christian had it all:  A great job, a great family, a great life.  But he nearly lost everything to compulsive gambling, before he found the courage to change his life.  BJ and Spencer discuss Spencer's new book, "You Bet Your Life: How I Survived Jim Crow Racism, Hurricane Chasing, and Gambling."

BJ attends the annual commemoration for the USS San Francisco, which was involved in one of the most hellacious, courageous battles  in American military history 76 years ago at Guadalcanal.

Benjamin Zander, Founder, Music Director and Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestras, discusses the world's greatest music; how it uplifts mankind and teaches us all about love, life and humanity.

Former NFL player and now local news anchor Vai Sikahema recounts his transition from the NFL to TV, coming to America at the age of 8, and the important role religion plays in his life. Second of two parts.

Vai Sikahema forever won the hearts of Philadelphia Eagles fans more than two decades ago.  He's now a television news anchor, whose front row seat to history includes an impending nuclear attack heading right for him (well, not really) and the incredible and improbable Super Bowl Run by the Iggles. BJ talks with his old pal Vai about the attack that wasn't, the championship that was, and his jarr...

Bill Finch has spent his most of his life in public service; State Senator, Mayor of Connecticut's biggest city, Executive Director of the New York State Turnpike Authority.  But now, Bill is using his love of science and optimistic view of the future to lead the Discovery Museum and Planetarium in Bridgeport, a place where kids age 1 to 100 can experience the thrill of the daily miracles around u...

Training teenagers to be ready for the next disaster my not be part of a regular school curriculum, but two Connecticut high schools are doing just that. Fox 61 reporter Jim Altman joins BJ to talk about an extraordinary program at one school and an extraordinary gift to another. Plus, being the hockey heads that they are, BJ and Jim can't help but throw in a third (and unrelated) story; how Hartf...

Fires. Murders. Corruption. Bad Weather.  Each among the storylines we expect every day when we tune into the local television news. But the TV news operations that stand out, take the time and make the effort to also tell stories of human triumph and hope in a memorable and impactful way.  BJ sits down with Fox 61 reporter Jim Altman to listen to and discuss three of Jim's recent stories.

FDR was one of our great presidents.  Eleanor was our greatest First Lady. In many ways, it all started when Franklin's mother built them a grand home in midtown Manhattan, a home that still stands today, not just as a museum, but as a beacon of education, freedom, and human rights.

Should we return to the Moon?  Plan a mission to Mars? What is the impact and risks of long term human space travel? In this Best of 2017 episode of Take Me Through It, B.J. and Mike (producer of the movie "Inner Space") go deep into the galaxy for a probing interview with Dr. Mark Shelhamer, NASA's former chief scientist for human research.

One of the greatest Christmas movies of all time has a back story as funny and interesting as the film itself.  Check out the story behind "Gremlins" in a Take Me Through It episode from the 2017 archives.

B.J. continues his Best of 2017 episodes with a look back to summer, and the story of how a young boy raised in the heart of Red Sox Nation became (gasp!) a fan of the New York Yankees.

"Decency Wins."  That two-word tweet from a Republican U.S. Senator reacting to Democrat Doug Jones' victory in the Alabama U.S. Senate race, brought to mind one of our favorite 2017 episodes of Take Me Through It.  How the word "decency" changed the course of history more than six decades ago.

B.J and the Take Me Through It team count down to 2018 by looking back at some of the more memorable episodes from 2017.  This time, B.J. recounts the time he bumped into the President of the United States on his 145th birthday.

B.J. talks with four journalism students from the University of Connecticut to get their take on the future of their chosen profession. In this era of the Great American Polarization, can the truth prevail in an atmosphere of mistrust, lies, ignorance and mis-information? 

BJ visits the campus of the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, and talks to author Gail B. MacDonald about her new book, "Morton F. Plant and the Connecticut Shoreline: Philanthropy in the Gilded Age."

BJ and Mike continue their conversation with Dr. Mark Shelhamer of Johns Hopkins University and NASA's former Chief Scientist for Human Research.  Mark looks into the future and discusses the challenges and the reality of the next space frontier: a trip to Mars.

What is the impact of long term space travel on humans, and can we make it to Mars in the next 20 years? BJ and Mike (producer of the movie classic "Inner Space") go deep into the galaxy for a probing interview with Dr. Mark Shelhamer, NASA's former chief scientist for human research.  This episode is out of this world.

BJ and Joan visit Fenway Park for the star-studded launch party for "The Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight Against ALS," a new book by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge. We learn firsthand  how several generations of a family facing a terrifying disease come together to make a permanent difference in the world.