Short Run

See Edgartown through the eyes of the man who chose Martha’s Vineyard for the set of “Jaws” back in 1973. Production designer Joe Alves walks us through the iconic town and explains how it was transformed into Amity. Along the way, we meet the locals who brought the movie to life — from extras to carpenters, fishermen to cast members. Hear about the challenges and charms of filming in a tight-knit island community, and how “Jaws” forever changed the Vineyard, blending Hollywood magic with New England spirit. In the second episode of a three-part series, discover the people and place that made “Jaws” a lasting cultural icon.

When Jaws premiered in June 1975 on movie screens nationwide, it wasn’t just a movie release — it was a cultural event. Audiences were captivated by the story of a quaint island town terrorized by a colossal, bloodthirsty shark. Though originally marketed as a horror film, Jaws has become much more than that. It’s a film that continues to resonate deeply with fans around the world. On the 50th anniversary of this groundbreaking movie, superfans boarded the ferry to “Amity Island” — or rather, Martha’s Vineyard, where Jaws was filmed in 1974. The so-called “finatics” joined an island-wide celebration featuring screenings, autograph signings and reunions. Listen to Jaws Island, a podcast from WBUR, to explore why, after five decades, “Jaws” continues to sink its teeth into audiences and refuses to let go. Explore iconic filming locations, meet the devoted fans, and uncover the lasting legacy of a movie that still has plenty of fresh blood in the water. Jaws Island is reported and hosted by WBUR arts correspondent Andrea Shea. Episode 1 drops Thursday, Aug 28.

People are taking steps big and small to move the dial on climate change. This week, in Here & Now's Reverse Course series, senior editor Peter O’Dowd and producer Chris Bentley take listeners across the country for a closer look at projects designed to make an impact. This episode looks at wireless electric vehicle charging. Detroit is testing a new way to charge electric vehicles that doesn’t require plugging in: Just park or drive your car on the right strip of road and watch the battery meter tick up. Dive deeper into this episode here. Find out more about the Reverse Course series and listen to the previous nine episodes here.

People are taking steps big and small to move the dial on climate change. This week, in Here & Now's Reverse Course series, senior editor Peter O’Dowd and producer Chris Bentley take listeners across the country for a closer look at projects designed to make an impact. This episode looks at big commercial airliners, some of the fastest-growing sources of climate-warming pollution on the planet. Scientists and entrepreneurs are trying to solve that problem with sustainable aviation fuels, such as electric batteries and hydrogen. Dive deeper into this episode here. Find out more about the Reverse Course series and listen to the previous nine episodes here.

Introducing Beyond All Repair, a new WBUR podcast from producer emeritus of Dear Sugars, Amory Sivertson. This series tells the story of a murder, but also the woman who was accused of that murder, Sophia. Sophia was newly married and 6 months pregnant when she was charged with murdering her mother-in-law in 2002. She gave birth to a son in jail that she hasn’t seen since, and for the last three years, she’s been telling me her story in hopes of getting justice for her mother-in-law, of having a chance of meeting her son, and of finally being believed. This is the first chapter of Beyond All Repair. Episode 2 is already waiting for you. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Growing up, host Alain Stephens bonded with his dad over guns — an interest Alain still holds today. But more than a decade ago, his family experienced a terrible loss. In this episode, Alain examines how that loss has shaped his career — and what it means for the gun industry to be inextricable from the American government, and for many, American identity. With more than 100 Americans dying from shootings every day, how do we begin to calculate the cost of our country's current relationship with guns?

In 1999, at the end of a decade in which Gary, Indiana, had endured being labeled as the “murder capital of the nation,” then-Mayor Scott King filed a suit against gun manufacturers he believed were knowingly flooding his city with illegal guns. But soon, the NRA would help ensure that such lawsuits were nearly impossible.

The byproduct of producing the world's most lethal guns is that criminals have them, too. We go back to the birthplace of the industry, Springfield, Mass., where nearly every young person we speak with has a story about big guns and the terror they cause in their community.

In episode two of The Gun Machine, host Alain Stephens travels down to Florida to attend the Pew Party, where he talks to Black gun owners about why they carry and examines the link between our nation’s fraught history and why it’s so easy to sell us guns today.

Every time there is a mass shooting in America, the first question is why. When we look for answers, we tend to focus on the incident itself - who the shooter was, why they did it, and who parachutes in to debate the state of regulation — or lack thereof — that allowed it to happen. What we forget is the centuries of history that got us to this long emergency of gun violence in America. Produced by WBUR, Boston’s NPR, in partnership with The Trace, The Gun Machine looks into the past to bring you a story that most Americans never learned in history class: how early partnerships between mad scientist gunsmiths and a fledgling U.S. government created the gun industry in the Northeast, and how that industry has been partners with the government ever since. Host Alain Stephens examines how this 250-year relationship underpins all Americans’ interactions with guns — including our failures in dealing with the fallout of gun violence. The Gun Machine debuts on Oct. 4, 2023. Listen and follow on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Some experts say that while populism can metastasize into authoritarianism, it doesn't have to. They argue that the roots of American populism made this country's democracy better. And that it's time to resurrect progressive populism. But other observers strongly disagree. The fifth and final episode of On Point's special series 'The power of populism' explores whether populism can make better democracies.

It felt for a while like Wisconsin was ground zero in American politics. How has populism flourished in the Badger state? In the third episode of On Point's special series 'The power of populism', hear all about Wisconsin and the politics of resentment.