AirTalk with Larry Mantle

Producer

Pitch, develop, and produce segments for the long-running live daily news and public affairs radio program “AirTalk with Larry Mantle” on NPR member station LAist 89.3 in Los Angeles, CA.

Additionally, you can read my LAist web pieces here.

SEL. Segments Produced:

What goes into the debris removal process after a wildfire? We ask the experts
In the days and months ahead, those who have lost homes or businesses due to the recent wildfires that have impacted the region will begin the difficult process of removing debris from their property. Last week, as many were just beginning to consider their first steps in that process, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an order prohibiting the cleanup or removal of debris in critical fire areas until a hazardous materials inspection has been performed. For some, this order highlighted how complicated the multi-step, cross-agency debris removal process will be, especially for homeowners eager to rebuild. Today on AirTalk we’re joined by Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County Health Officer, to talk about the recent Los Angeles County Department of Public Health order. Also joining us this morning to walk us through the debris removal process is Bob Fenton, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 9.

Looting, wildfires: checking in wth L.A. District Attorney Nathan Hochman
As the wildfires encroached upon communities throughout Los Angeles last week, many Angelenos had to evacuate their homes quickly, taking with them only the necessities. In the days after, reports of looting and burglary in affected evacuated zones began circulating, with dozens of individuals having since been arrested and, as of Monday, nine people being charged. In one case, a man dressed as a firefighter was caught burglarizing homes — in another, a group of men falsely claimed to be associated with a local fire station. Despite a curfew and National Guard deployment to deter looting in affected areas, many evacuated residents remain concerned about what they left behind. Joining us today to talk about the recent looting and burglaries amid the wildfires is Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County District Attorney.

More than 100 restaurants closed in L.A. last year — we check in on the industry
For many restaurant owners, their business goes beyond just serving food — for them, it’s a way of sharing culture and creating community. However, the last few years have been incredibly difficult for the restaurant world. From the lasting impacts of the pandemic to rising costs, many restaurateurs are questioning the future of their industry. Now, a recent Los Angeles Times tally has found that more than 100 restaurants closed their doors in 2024 — a significant increase from 2023. These restaurants ranged from your mom-and-pop shop to Michelin-starred locals. With so many closures throughout the region, and with a handful being announced just this year, what might 2025 shape out to be for restaurants in Los Angeles? Joining us today on “AirTalk” to discuss the recent closures of L.A. restaurants is Stephanie Breijo, staff writer at the Los Angeles Times Food, and Jot Condie, President of the California Restaurant Association. Also joining us is Bret Thompson, chef and co-owner of Pez Cantina in DTLA and Pez Coastal Kitchen in Pasadena.

SoCal History: LA’s Guerrilla Art and Graffiti Writing
Los Angeles is a city whose history is shaped and preserved by its street art. Today on AirTalk, we’ll take a look into that history, from hobo markings to Chicano muralists to the recent “bombing” of Oceanwide Plaza, and examine how graffiti and street art in Los Angeles have been influenced by shifts in culture and public opinion.

Joining us to discuss is Susan Phillips, professor of Environmental Analysis at Pitzer College and author of the book “The City Beneath: A Century of Los Angeles Graffiti.” Also joining us is Stefano Bloch, an associate professor in the School of Geography, Development & Environment at the University of Arizona and author of “Going All City: Struggle And Survival in LA’s Graffiti Subculture,” and Man One, a longtime graffiti writer in Los Angeles since the 1980s.

Web Article

Who’s Laughing Now? The History Behind TV Laugh Tracks
In 1999, TIME magazine declared the TV laugh track as, “one of the hundred worst ideas of the twentieth century.” At the time, TV sitcoms had been riddled with pre-recorded laughs and snorts for decades, having become a kind of base coating for successful TV comedies. Whether in classics like Leave It To Beaver or more contemporary comedies like Seinfeld or Everybody Loves Raymond, its presence was ubiquitous… and often criticized, particularly for questioning the audience’s intelligence. However, at the turn of the century, with the rise of single-camera shows like Arrested Development and the U.S. adaptation of The Office, the laugh track slowly began to fade out of frame, leaving many to wonder: where are all the laughs, now? And what prompted the industry to leave us to chuckle alone?

Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by Robert Thompson, professor of Television and Pop Culture at Syracuse University, to dive into the history of the laugh track, its recent disappearance, and its cultural significance for early TV audiences.

What’s Behind The Steady Decline of Sex in Movies?
You’ve probably heard rumblings about the sexless and chaste nature of recent Hollywood. Now, a new study has found that there’s a lot less sex in the movies of today than there was twenty years ago. The study, which looked at the 250 highest-grossing movies in America, found that sexual content in Hollywood movies has fallen by nearly 40% since 2000. To put that in perspective, in 2000 less than 20% of the highest-grossing films had no sexual content at all.

In recent years, discussion on the subject has heated social media, particularly in consideration of the MeToo movement and the rise of intimacy coordinators on set, with many people asking what actual narrative and cultural purpose sex scenes offer the medium. So what’s truly behind this decline in sex at the movies? Is the culture informing the box office or vice-versa?

Joining us to help us better understand the data and Hollywood’s relationship with sex is Rachel Lloyd, deputy culture editor at The Economist, and Amy Nicholson, film critic for LAist, film writer for the New York Times and host of the podcast ‘Unspooled.’

How TV Comedies Transformed Gay Rights
From queer-coded characters grappling with identity in shows like Bewitched to the over 40 million viewers that watched Ellen DeGeneres come out on prime-time television, sitcoms have played an important role in America’s evolving understanding of LGBTQ+ issues. But how did we get here?

Through the intimacy of television and the communal spirit of laughter, the TV sitcom of the 60s and 70s paved the way for Americans to welcome controversial subjects, like homosexuality, into their homes. And while these shows were developing queer visibility on the screen, behind-the-scenes creatives were butting heads with the networks that sought to control the narrative of American culture. However, with successful shows like All in the Family and, most importantly, The Golden Girls, queerness became a casual fixture on American television — shaping the way queer topics were discussed in culture.

Joining us today to walk us through the history of queer visibility on American TV sitcoms and its impact on gay rights is Matt Baume, author of the book “Hi Honey, I’m Homo!: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture.”