Rnz: The Podcast Hour

Sooner or later 'The 'Big One'- a 7.8 magnitude earthquake- is going to hit Los Angeles and Southen California. In fact, there's a 50:50 chance this is going to happen in the next 30 years. When it does, hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people will lose their lives, and the damage bill could approach US$300 billion. Hearing about big earthquakes here in New Zealand and elsewhere made the Southern California public radio station KPCC think about how ready its local community really was for a natural disaster. And its series 'The Big One' tries to picture what might happen after a big LA quake. and what you'll need to do to survive. We speak to Jacob Margolis who presents the show and play some of episode 2 called 'The Walk'.

Ross Sutherland's a writer, poet and actor from Edinburgh who also makes a podcast called 'Imaginary Advice'. He does it all himself and calls the podcast the most important thing he makes, and a 'sketchpad' to try out new ideas. We play some of a story called 'Please Hold' in episode 51 'After This' and some of 'Re: The Moon' (Episode 49).

'The Complete Woman' is a 6-part series sending up domestic life back in 1960s America. Drawing her inspiration from old self-help guides, Amanda Lund creates domestic guru Marabel May. And you don't have to listen too hard to see through her bright and breezy veneer!

A parody of self help Sixties style in 'The Complete Woman'. 'Imaginary Advice' blends fact and fiction in clever audio stories about the human condition. 'The Big One' explores LA's and California's readiness for the next major earthquake, and 'Shedunnit' uncovers the real life mysteries that lie behind the pages of classic detective fiction.

The white nationalist movement that calls itself the "alt right" is moving into comic books as a way of pushing its political agenda. It's a story told by Reveal, an investigative podcast aiming to "change minds, laws and lives". Its recent stories have included exposes about police corruption and about worker safety at the electric car maker Tesla. We join host- and comic fan- Al Letson to play some of an episode called 'Never Meet Your (Super) Heroes'.

'Ladies, We Need To Talk' is a podcast from the ABC in Australia that tackles potentially delicate topics head on. Recent episodes have covered mean girls, menopause, cosmetic surgery, and anxiety. Here's one that confronts a tricky question. We've probably all got ideas about what a great relationship should look like. But when the reality doesn't measure up to the expectations, when the passionate soul mate of your dreams doesn't quite materialise, host Yumi Stynes asks if it's ever OK to settle for average in a relationship.

Every community's got its colourful characters and memorable stories to tell. But how do you take a great local story and get it in front of the widest possible audience? That's the challenge that 'Multi Story' from the BBC tackles as it draws on England's network of 40 local radio stations. Each episode's made up of a few different stories hanging together around a theme like parenting or animals. We play some of 'Episode 5: Searching' about a New Zealander based in London who's doing a very important job, and speak to Becca Bryers who produces and presents the show about how she selects the best stuff from all of this potential material.

I've always been a bit of a sucker for the duty free shop at the airport. And I'm not alone...the global duty free market is worth an estimated US$70 billion a year and that's predicted to rise to over US$110 billion annually within the next 5 years! NPR's Planet Money has been telling stories about the global economy and the forces that shape it for more than a decade and over 900 episodes. And if economics reporting sounds a little bit dry and dull and not really your thing, then Planet Money might surprise you: it's engaging, explains sometimes complex ideas in a way that makes sense and isn't too patronising, and might even make you laugh! So back to the duty free shop- how did this strange idea that air travel qualifies you to save money on booze, perfume and chocolates even start? Robert Smith and Karen Duffin explain on NPR's Planet Money episode number 841 'The Land Of Duty Free' (originally published on May 11th 2018).

'Planet Money' explores the origins of duty free shopping, 'Multi Story' takes English local radio stories global, 'Ladies, We Need To Talk' considers if it's ever OK to settle for average in relationships, and 'Reveal' investigates the "alt right" moving into comics.

The author and journalist Jon Ronson made the podcast "The Butterfly Effect" about the many and sometimes surprising consequences of the rise in free online pornography. He's also written a book about public online shaming and abuse called 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed'. These two worlds meet in 'The Last Days of August' his new show telling the story of August Ames, an adult actor and model who took her own life in December 2017. We play some of episode 1 of The Last Days of August, presented and produced by Jon Ronson and Lina Misitzis and available exclusively via Audible. [Warning: the clip deals with mature subject matter and contains some discussion of suicide.]

Every week, the latest medical treatments, clinical trials, food, drug and supplement recommendations fill the media... and it seems we have a boundless appetite for advice on how to live a longer, more healthy life. But how can consumers separate the reliable from that based on bad science or spin from drug companies? Medical journalist and practicing GP Mark Porter does his best to deliver the best, most up-to-date advice on the BBC Radio 4 podcast Inside Health.  taking low dose aspirin to protect against heart attack or stroke

He's 11 years old but Tai Poole's searching for answers to some of life's big questions. Like...what happens after we die?....and how can we fix climate change?! From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, we play some of 'Tai Asks Why' and part of an episode called 'Should We Trust Our Gut?' produced by Veronica Simmonds and Yasmine Mathurin.

The legend of Sasquatch, of a hairy hominid living out in the wild, is widespread and enduring. Laura Krantz found out that she'd got a distant relative who'd devoted his academic career, and risked his reputation, on finding Bigfoot. So she spent a year in the lab and out in the wild on the hunt for the big guy, tip-toing between sceptics and believers to explore the Sasquatch story, some of the wacky theories about it, and what modern science is saying about it today. We play some of the first episode of Wild Thing called 'Grover' and speak to producer and presenter Laura Krantz about the Bigfoot story and how it's viewed today.

Hunting for Bigfoot: Wild Thing. Tai Asks Why: an 11-year old ponders life's big questions. Updating medical advice: Inside Health. The Last Days of August: what caused a porn star's death?

Space isn't just some vast arena for people to explore using the latest, shiniest technology. It's also a place that can hold important stories about us humans too...and that's what the emerging discipline of space archaeology is trying to study and preserve. From the SAPIENS podcast, we play an excerpt from a recent episode called 'Is Space A Human Place?'.

'Sound Opinions' is a long-running music show that's been on air for around 25 years. In it hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot share their encyclopedic and evolving knowledge of music ranging from the mainstream to the obscure. In the featured episode Jim and Greg share their favourite diss tracks...or music that settles a score.

In July 1965 Canadian Pacific Air Lines flight 21 crashed in British Columbia when a bomb went off. Everybody on board died, but more than 50 years later still nobody knows who planted it. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's 'Uncover: Bomb on Board' tries to find out what really happened on Flight CP-21.

Christmas is almost here...that special, festive time for family, friends, food and fun. Over in Australia, Mike Williams' extended family can only all get together every couple of years to celebrate. This is his story about one memorable family Christmas, when things didn't quite go according to plan. (First heard on the BBC show 'Short Cuts' presented by Josie Long and produced by Eleanor McDowall).

The Nightmare Before Christmas! Bomb On Board: who bombed a Canadian airliner in 1965? Sound Opinions shares its favourite diss tracks, and the SAPIENS podcast looks into the emerging discipline of space archaeology.

In 'No Feeling is Final ' from the ABC the writer and podcaster Honor Eastly presents a highly personal account of her experiences of living with anxiety and suicidal thoughts. The show weaves together years' worth of audio diaries with scripted narrative and recreations of scenes from her past. It creates a moving memoir about mental health that's difficult and heartbreaking and confronting at times, but also speaks powerfully and with humour about the experience of living with a cruel voice in your head that's always trying to put you down. We play some of Episode 1 of 'No Feeling Is Final' from the ABC called The Voice presented by Honor Eastly, produced by Alice Moldovan, the sound engineer's Russell Stapleton, and the Executive Producer is Joel Werner.