Occupy the Airwaves— Valley Free Radio

Northeastern University Law Professors Richard Daynard and Mark Gottlieb joins Occupy the Airwaves hosts Emikan Sudan, Bob Gardner and Stephen Linsky to discuss the work of the Public Health Advocacy Institute housed at the law school that has been leading efforts to advocate for consumer protections to the predatory corporate actions operating in the tobacco, food and sports betting industries, i...

Occupy the Airwaves cohosts Linda Ziegenbein, Emikan Sudan, and Stephen Linsky and guests Luke Rotello and Benjamin Spencer continue the conversation about Northampton’s Picture Main Street project. Together, they offer perspectives on the potential impact(s)- positive and negative- of this project, its history, and the role the public has and continues to play as it moves forward.

Join hosts Emikan Sudan and Stephen Linsky for a lively discussion about the changing face of Northampton, Mass with the upcoming Picture Main Street project. We will be chatting with Lauren Rollins of the Western Mass Policy Center, Quaverly Rothenberg, former Northampton City Councilor, and Carlos Dixon, grassroots community organizer for All Power To All People in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The prog...

John E. McDonough, former Massachusetts state representative and present professor at the Harvard University School of Public Health, joins Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Bob Gardner and Stephen Linsky to discuss his sweeping critiques of America’s health care system as analyzed in his new book: America’s Wrong Turn: U.S. Healthcare in the Neoliberal Era .

Join Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Emikan Sudan and Miranda Groux for an in-depth conversation with Amilcar Shabazz of the UMass Amherst W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies. In this show, we discuss the upcoming primary elections as well as the midterm elections and how the results could impact our lives moving forward.

U.S. 1st Congressional District House candidate Jeromie Whalen joins Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Emikan Sudan and Stephen Linsky for a wide ranging conversation about his campaign for Congress in the upcoming September 1st Democratic primary covering local and domestic issues including housing, reparations, data centers, AI, term limits, ICE, potential committee assignments, the direction of the...

State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa (D-Northampton) joins Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Emikan Sudan, Bob Gardner and Stephen Linsky for her periodic update of the present Massachusetts legislative session. Unlike past sessions, this session has been governed by different rules that enables the consideration of pending legislation deeper into the legislative calendar. Rep. Sabadosa touches on som...

UMass Economics professor and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), Gerald Epstein, spoke with Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Emikan Sudan, Bob Gardner and Stephen Linsky about the launching of the ‘Game Changers’ project a compendium of initiatives to produce the social and economic goods most needed and desired by working Americans, from housing and healthcare to banking,...

Al Simon and Renika Montgomery-Tamakloe join Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Emikan Sudan, Bob Gardner and Linda Ziegenbein in a discussion of the state of, financial state, and challenges of the Northampton school system. Topics include ongoing financial struggles in Northampton, staffing shortages, the impact on services for the students who are managing physical, social, and psychological challeng...

Northampton attorney and radio show host, Bill Newman, joins Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Emikan Sudan, Bob Gardner and Stephen Linsky, for the annual analytical review of the most recently concluded U.S. Supreme Court term. The review focuses on four major areas: birthright citizenship, the civil rights of transgender people, voting rights and executive powers vis-à-vis independent federal agenci...

Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Emikan Sudan and Stephen Linsky interview our Occupy co-host Miranda Groux. Miranda discusses her evolution as an activist, from a questioning teenager to a thoughtful and engaged adult. Join us and learn more about the people behind the mics!

Ousmane Power-Greene joins Occupy the Airwaves cohosts Emikan Sudan, Stephen Linsky, and Linda Ziegenbein to discuss the film premiere of "Get a Mule, Forty Acres or So" and podcast recording of "Remind My Soul." Our conversation discusses the important role of Black land ownership to the Black Nationalist movement, the history of Black land dispossession, and this important documentary project to...

University of Massachusetts, Amherst students Diego Echeverri, Malie Geery, and Louis Waibel join Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Linda Ziegenbein, Miranda Groux, and Emikan Sudan to discuss how they are navigating this historical moment. They discuss some of the issues that are impacting them, what they are doing and thinking about, and where they get their inspiration.

Occupy the Airwaves welcomes Kendal Magnum and Amelia Durban, Northampton High School Seniors and members of the Northampton Youth Commission. Amelia and Kendal discuss the planning for Northampton's first annual Juneteenth Festival. This event, held from 11 am - 6 pm on June 6, 2026 at the E.J. Gare Plaza (2 Brewster Court) will honor Black liberation and freedom. It will be a celebration of the...

Nick Mottern from Demilitarize Western Massachusetts and Jennifer Scarlott of River Valley for Palestine join Occupy the Airwaves hosts Miranda Groux, Stephen Linsky, Emikan Sudan, and Bob Gardner to discuss Northampton military contractor L3 Harris and the movement to block these weapons of war. In a memorial action on April 29, 2026 for peace activist Paki Wieland, members blocked the driveway o...

Merri Ansara joins hosts Miranda Groux, Stephen Linsky, Emikan Sudan, and Bob Gardner to discuss the situation in Cuba, including the present blockage of aid and fuel, war threats from the U.S., solar initiatives, solidarity from organizations and countries and conditions on the ground. Merri has a long history of solidarity herself, with her early involvement with the Veneceremos brigade, Radio H...

Chris Ferry, Director of the Easthampton Film Festival, joins Occupy the Airwaves host Stephen Linsky to discuss the history and schedule of events for 5th Annual Easthampton Film Festival running from April 23rd-April 26th, 2026. This season included a total of 57 films, more than half of which were made by Massachusetts-based filmmakers. In addition to the screenings, this year’s festival includ...

Make Polluters Pay co-leader Rachael Boyce joins Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Miranda Groux, Emikan Sudan and Stephen Linsky to discuss the campaign to pass legislation establishing a superfund funded by the fossil fuel industry to offset the array of infrastructure needs required to address climate change-related conditions brought about by carbon emissions. Rachael also discusses important upcom...

UMass Economics Professor and internationally recognized scholar, Jayati Ghosh, joins Occupy the Airwaves co-hosts Emikan Sudan and Stephen Linsky to discuss the state of global economic inequality as revealed in a recent report of the G 20 co-authored by Professor Ghosh. A summary of Ghosh’s report can be found here .

Occupy the Airwaves sits down with all of our hosts, plus many of the friends, relatives and comrades of Paki Wieland to remember her extraordinary life, her achievements and her many fine qualities. Hosts include Linda Zigenbein, Miranda Groux, Emikan Sudan, Stephen Linsky and Bob Gardner. Our guests include Priscilla Lynch (CodePink), Crystal Zevon (Occupy Wall Street), Linda Gordon and Carolyn...

From the Occupy the Airwaves archives, enjoy our conversation with co-host Paki Weiland from 2023.  Occupy the Airwaves is grieving the passing of our cohost and friend. Paki was a dedicated activist whose energy for the causes she cared about and the people she loved was endless. She was a force in nearly all local movements and peace movements. Paki was a long-time member of an anti-nuclear arms...

Cohosts Bob Gardner and Miranda Groux sit down with Larry Hott, local award-winning documentary filmmaker, and co-founder of Florentine Films, to discuss the top five nominees for Academy Awards in the long and short-form documentary film category, and a few other favorites who didn't make the final cut.   Larry is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and as such, participa...

Host Stephen Linsky is joined by local author Ellen Merpool to discuss her latest novel, "Sometimes an Island," ahead of her reading at Broadside Books. Proceeds from book sales benefit Climate Action Now Western Massachusetts.   Ellen Meeropol is the author of the previous novels The Lost Women of Azalea Court, Her Sister's Tattoo, Kinship of Clover, On Hurricane Island, and House Arrest. Her wor...

State Representative from the First Hampshire District, Lindsay Sabadosa, joins cohosts Bob Gardner, Stephen Linsky, and Paki Wieland for a wide-ranging discussion. Topics included the state response to ICE and the possibility of a surge here, the impact of cuts to needed programs like SNAP and Medicaid, the Governor's new energy policies- including a ramp up of nuclear power, and Rep. Sabadosa's...

Join a conversation with Vicky Elson and Tim Wallis- speaking about nuclear weapons bans, the approach of midnight on the Doomsday Clock and what nations and organizations are doing about it. Please join Occupy hosts Paki Wieland, Steve Linsky and Bob Gardner for this important discussion. Visit nuclearban.us to learn more.