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Eastern Standard
Hosted by Tom Martin

Eastern Standard is a radio magazine of interviews and stories about interesting people, places, and things happening in Kentucky.

Producing Host Tom Martin, a network radio news veteran (AP Radio, RKO Network News, ABC News, WABC News, Paul Harvey News) and a Lexington Herald-Leader contributing columnist, engages in compelling, enlightening conversations with guests from an unlimited spectrum of perspectives. Tom is co-publisher of the online regional arts and culture magazine UnderMain. He received the prestigious Peabody Award for best radio documentary.

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Latest Episodes
  • Gabrielle Helle, Director of Radiology, MCHC, Whitesburg, Ky. One of the 63 Appalachian women who posed for the Malcolm Wilson project.
    Eastern Standard: July 9th, 2026
    Should political appointees instead of scientists vet applications for federal scientific research grants? The White House Office of Management and Budget is proposing the change. Raising concerns is Kumble Subbaswamy, former University of Kentucky Provost.
  • Can required civic education help heal a divided nation?
    Eastern Standard: July 2nd, 2026
    This week on Eastern Standard: Episode 30 of our series, “Democracy Optimist,” hosted by University of Kentucky election law and voting rights research professor Joshua Douglas.
  • Cornbread baked according to the Mindy Merrell recipe.
    Eastern Standard: June 25, 2026
  • Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram and Facebook, has set up data centers across about 900 acres in Gallatin, Tennessee.
    Eastern Standard: June 18th, 2026
    The Kentucky Resources Council is offering model Data Center ordinances for communities debating whether to allow data centers. KRC executive director Ashley Wilmes provides details.
  • How much homework is too much homework?
    Eastern Standard: June 11th, 2026
    In response to economic, public policy, and societal pressures, Kentucky’s flagship public institution of higher learning, the University of Kentucky, is undergoing systemic, campus-wide restructuring and privatization of services.
  • Sweet Evening Breeze
    Eastern Standard : June 4th, 2026
    Many Lexington streets have been bumpy for months while Kentucky American Water Co. has worked to replace antiquated cast-iron pipes.
  • What are the implications as AI arrives in the workplace?
    Eastern Standard : May 28th, 2026
    What are the practical considerations to take into account as Artificial Intelligence arrives in the workplace, displacing human employees?
  • Can required civic education help heal a divided nation?
    Eastern Standard: May 21st, 2026
    Democracy Optimist is hosted by Joshua Douglas, an election law and voting rights and research professor at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law.
  • Free-roaming horses in Breathitt County, Kentucky
    Eastern Standard: May 14th, 2026
    ICE detainments and deportations may seem to have faded, but the actions against immigrants, illegal and legal, continue in Kentucky. Nima Kulkarni, a state representative, immigration employment attorney and founder of the New Americans Initiative, brings us up to date.
  • Household budgets are straining under inflationary pressures.
    Eastern Standard: May 7th, 2026
    This week on Eastern Standard:The term “affordability” is tossed around a lot these days. What does it look like for Kentuckians?
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