WPRB News and Culture

WPRB News and Culture: The Pidgin has growing pains, and we can feel ourselves aging like fine wine, so today we’re talking seniority – in all the meanings of the word. We talk about the elders in our lives, and our communities, but we’re also thinking about chapters ending and beginning. Ariel Chen starts us off by reporting on this past week’s May Day protests in the community, and points to how...

This week, The Pidgin keeps its wits about it and takes on something that's been plaguing our online spaces, and how we interact with them: brainrot . Mind-numbing and addictive, born on TikTok and leaking into real life, brainrot has come to be a quintessential part of contemporary culture. And we're turning it on its head. For our community section, Maggie Stewart talks to sociologist Ni...

WPRB News and Culture: The Pidgin is dedicating an entire episode to the beauty of the radio. Independent radio enables the Pidgin’s existence, and does so much more than bring audio to our car speakers. First, Natalia Maidique and Teo Grosu host a LIVE interview with Dr. Jeff Dror from Florida University about what’s behind this medium – radio waves! – and what these waves can tell us about the e...

The Pidgin knows what you truly want: some gosh darn peace and quiet… We are still working on bringing that to you, but we did the next best thing: talked about it! Our show today opens with its Community segment, in which Ariel Chen and Maggie Stewart report on the long-standing silent protests that the Society of Friends (and their friends) have been organizing in the town of Princeton. Next, Ma...

Today, we on The Pidgin ask if we can take you out for a coffee... episode. First up, Ariel Chen and Lucy McWeeny peer inside your cup and ask ‘how did it get there’? You’ll hear their conversation with the world’s youngest Q-grader, who draws from her experience of having her own coffee line to give us an insider’s view of what it takes to grow, and commercialize coffee. The Culture section of to...

WPRB News and Culture: The Pidgin has been noticing lately that a lot of our decisions are being made for us: algorithms decide what we watch, AI decides what we do, and lawmakers decide how we live. The Pidgin wants to learn more about those decisions today, and what they mean for each of us. First, Maggie Stewart and I talk about a recent court case in New Jersey affecting ballot design. Next, S...

For Valentine's Day, The Pidgin spreads its wings and goes looking for love. Natalia Maidique peeks inside Princeton’s community to find a pair of lovebirds who are still in school. For our culture section, Isabel Jacobson has a conversation with singer-songwriter Kate Short about love songs. And our science segment ends this episode with Teo Grosu and Ariel Chen talking to ecological research...

This week, the Pidgin is talking about little red dots. Teo Grosu has a conversation with a researcher at Princeton University about new astrophysical discoveries coming from the James Webb Space Telescope, learning how a few little red dots on a telescope image can actually disrupt our understanding of how old the universe is. Hosted and produced by Natalia Maidique. Reported, recorded, and produ...

This week, the Pidgin’s theme is kicking and screaming. Inside of each of us, there’s a little kid who wants to fly into a rampage when things just aren’t going right – so we’re gonna be digging into those times where you just want to put up a fight, give it your all, and lose control. First, Lauren Kim and Ariel Chen set the tone by talking to us about how adults have their tantrums. Next, Pat Gr...

Today, we’re talking Dissonance – but no, we won’t be sharing tips on how to navigate political conversations with difficult people. Instead, we’re talking about dissonance in music and in our inner worlds, to help us all remember how dissonance can sometimes be a great thing. First, Brianna Dai asks composers about how dissonant sounds can add emotion to compositions. Next, Lucy McWeeny talks Oed...

On 11/11, The Pidgin has stories about superstitions, wishes and symmetry. Something about the date being a palindrome, the same read forwards or backwards (or upside down), makes it feel like anything can happen. Lucy McWeeny and Cynthia Torres revisit middle school crushes and angel numbers. Then, Izzy Jacobson looks at how random alignments can lead to the closest friendships. Hosted and produc...

WPRB News and Culture: The Pidgin sends out sound waves about sound waves this week. Sena Chang and Brianna Dai learn how wind ensembles are created, and listen in on one. Next, Sophie Leheny discusses the benefits of talking to herself. And finally, Teo Grosu hears about asteroseismology, the study of the sounds stars make in outer space. Hosted and produced by Natalia Maidique. Reported, recorde...

WPRB News and Culture: The Pidgin dives into a local building controversy this week. Natalia Maidique goes on a tour of Princeton's historic Jugtown neighborhood and learns about the affordable housing development proposal at 344 Nassau Street. Hosted and produced by Natalia Maidique. Reported, recorded, and produced by Natalia Maidique. All music used under Creative Commons license. Theme music:...

WPRB News and Culture: The Pidgin grapples with rejection this week. Lucy McWeeny and Annie Wang some local canvassers about the many, many, many times a day they are ignored and sent away. Next, Sena Chang and Brianna Dai learn how artists handle rejection, when their work is both an extension of themselves and how they make a living. And finally, Cynthia Torres asks a psychic about reading rejec...

WPRB News and Culture has been patiently waiting for this season's first episode. Navani Rachumallu talks to ecological researchers, whose work depends on observing an animal that may or may not show up, and hears how they deal with that time in between. Natalia Maidique finds out about the hidden guild of people making lace all around us, and how they’ve learned patience from their craft. (00:00)...

WPRB News and Culture brings you an update from the scene at Princeton University, where protesters have occupied McCosh Courtyard for multiple days.

WPRB News and Culture continues its coverage of the ongoing sit-in protest actions at Princeton University, with a short segment focusing on the educational efforts at the sit-in. This is a developing story, and WPRB News and Culture will be covering these events as they continue.

WPRB News and Culture takes you inside the first day of the pro-Palestinian sit-in protest at Princeton University, where more than a hundred students have occupied McCosh Courtyard desiring the university's divestment from Israel and its war in Gaza. We speak to Professor Max Weiss, who led a walkout of his lecture course "History of Palestine/Israel" into the sit-in, and with journ...

WPRB News and Culture reports on the ground from the emerging protest and counter-protest actions on the Princeton University campus, in response to the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and to the developing protest situations at universities across the United States. Reported, recorded and produced by Laura Robertson, Navani Rachumallu, Frankie Solinsky Duryea, and Adam Sanders,

WPRB News and Culture loves stuff. From little knick-knacks to things that arrive at your front door in big boxes, we are ready to explore it all. First, Helen Heuer speaks to members of her community about the things that they collect. Next, Stephanie Yen investigates the world of jewelry, its significance, and its creation. Finally, in a story from the archives, Oliver Whang follows Bill Freeman...

WPRB News and Culture delves into some deep secrets. First, Navani Rachumallu and Alvaro Basso speak to an archivist at the Institute for Advanced Study about the role of secrecy in her work. Then, Stephanie Yen surveys some fast food chain workers about "secret menus." And finally, Sophie Leheny and Natalie Hahn read aloud some listener-submitted secrets; how fun! Hosted and produced by...

News and Culture starts our Spring season with stories about anticipation. Helen Heuer visits local businesses in Princeton, New Jersey. Natalie Hahn speaks to a professional astrologer. And Adam Sanders gathers his two friends to visit the Princeton Airport as they explore the minds and worlds of the aerophile. Hosted by Natalie Hahn. Reported, recorded, and produced by Helen Heuer, Natalie Hahn,...

WPRB News and Culture shrugs off the December chill with three stories about the toils of growing and the fruits of summer soil. Natalia Maidique speaks to a beekeeper who forged her own path to master the hive. Adam Sanders learns about the power of seeds. And Anna Hiltner speaks to a farmer with spiritual insights into how best to let things grow. Hosted and produced by Adam Sanders. Reported, r...

News and Culture embraces our inner love of gossip – with stories from the grapevine and about the very foundations of the whispering urge. Natalia Maidique and Navani Rachamallu speak to bartenders about the ways gossip shapes their job. Sophie Leheny and Synai Ferrell learn about the psychological and human roots of our snarkiest, most whispery impulses. And Clara McWeeny, Izzy Jacobson, and Hel...

WPRB News and Culture puts on a scary mask and knocks on your door with three stories sweet enough to make your teeth hurt, thinking about the kind of people who make Halloween what it is. First up, Adam Sanders and Izzy Jacobson visit a Halloween superstore to understand the mechanics behind the costume-and-décor industrial complex. Then, in a story from our archives, Charlie Nuermberger and Henr...