St. Louis on the Air creates a unique space where guests and listeners can share ideas and opinions with respect and honesty. Whether exploring issues and challenges confronting our region, discussing the latest innovations in science and technology, taking a closer look at our history or talking with authors, artists and musicians, St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region.
The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The engineer is Aaron Doerr.
Coming up September 20-24
Monday: two aldermen discuss the state of downtown | cataclysm, apocalypse and hope with Jeannette Cooperman
Tuesday: play honoring Miriam Makeba makes its world premiere in St. Louis | SLSO conductor laureate Leonard Slatkin has a new book
Wednesday: the legacy of racism in higher ed — and the tragic case of a would-be Mizzou law student | Nikki Glaser on her HBO show, St. Louis and more
Thursday: Nine PBS film explores history of seven ships named USS St. Louis
Friday: stay tuned!
Schedule is subject to change without notice.
St. Louis on the Air is sponsored by:
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Afghan immigrant Qais Meraj tells St. Louis on the Air about his work as an interpreter for the U.S. military and his journey as a refugee, as well as his thoughts on the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. -
The new documentary highlights the first USS St. Louis’ role fighting piracy and the slave trade, “Lucky Lou’s” escape from Pearl Harbor and the current crew’s reflections on the vessel and the city it honors.
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Drew Jameson relaunched Jamo Presents’ concert series this month on Laclede's Landing on the St. Louis riverfront. He discusses what it has to offer and how it’s part of a larger effort to revitalize downtown on St. Louis on the Air.
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STL Juntos helped drive up COVID-19 vaccination rates in Missouri’s Hispanic and Latino community. Two members discuss how the volunteer-based organization jumped to serve St. Louis’ Spanish-speaking community on St. Louis on the Air.
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In 1985, Bill Christman's 13-foot-tall depiction of a Native American man, carved out of foam and fiberglass, was installed at the northwest corner of Cherokee Street and Jefferson Avenue. Removed last week after a vote by neighborhood leaders, the sculpture's new home is the National Building Arts Center in Sauget, Illinois.
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After 10 months at her parents’ home in Des Peres, comedian Nikki Glaser found her own apartment in St. Louis’ Central West End. She discusses “the Nikki Glaser Podcast” and her HBO Max show “FBoy Island” on "St. Louis on the Air."
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Atlantic staff writer Adam Harris discusses his book “The State Must Provide,” which explores the long history of inequality in higher education — and offers provocative remedies for the funding shortfalls that plague universities serving students of color.
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Leonard Slatkin, conductor laureate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, discusses his new book “Classical Crossroads” and the many forces challenging classical music.
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Somi Kakoma discusses “Dreaming Zenzile,” the musical she wrote and starred in, which just had its world premiere at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. The play tells the story of South African singer Miriam Makeba.
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Aldermen Jack Coatar and James Page discuss problems plaguing downtown St. Louis, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ plans to address them and the state of downtown development on "St. Louis on the Air."
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In this audio version of her new essay “Not With a Whimper but With a Bang” for the Common Reader, longtime St. Louis journalist Jeannette Cooperman inspects the surreal contrasts between “our quiet, lamp-lit private life” and “the shadows outside our window” in the contemporary world.
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Long after the National Guard closed its mass vaccination clinic at the Dome, the Urban League continues to administer shots daily in underserved areas of St. Louis. James Clark, vice president of public safety and community response, discusses how that work is going.
