"Talking History" brings scholarship to public radio

If you like radio talk shows and podcasts, and if you find yourself drawn to history topics despite yourself, Missouri State University has just the thing for you.

It’s called “Talking History,” and it broadcasts on KSMU on the first Thursday of every month.

Created and co-hosted by associate professor of history Dr. Djene Bajalan and MSU student Patrick Needham and produced by Jessica Balisle of KSMU, the show features conversations “with historians and scholars about the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.”

Radio show and podcast formats

“Talking History” broadcast its first episode in April 2023. The show has evolved into two formats – a brief radio show and a longer podcast that can be accessed online at any time.

“The podcast is basically an extended version of the radio show,” Bajalan explained. “We are limited with our time on the radio (24 minutes). Therefore, we release an extended cut (‘Talking History Extra’) via KSMU where we continue our conversation.”

Bajalan and Needham just completed their October episode, featuring Ozarks history expert Dr. Brooks Blevins.

Balisle said the response to the Blevins episode has already been quite positive, describing it as “the most popular episode so far.”

Previous topics have included the Ottoman Empire, communications in ancient Rome, and China’s one-child policy.

Project inspired by MSU’s public affairs mission

Man smiling for camera — Associate professor of history and “Talking History” co-host Dr. Djene Bajalan.

“Talking History” came about because Bajalan wanted to bring scholarship to a general audience as part of MSU’s public affairs mission.

“There is enormous interest in history,” Bajalan said, “[but] scholars and academics are marginalized in public discussions of the past. This is partly an issue with academia itself, as a lot of scholarship is produced for the consumption of other academics and scholars.”

“That is what prompted us to reach out to KSMU about engaging in a joint project – ‘Talking History,’” he said.

Co-host Needham was intrigued by the idea of bringing professionals and non-professionals together to discuss history.

“History, as a discipline, needs dynamic communicators and capable translators,” Needham said. “I think the professional historian should embrace the amateur as an ally in the quest for truth.”

Needham and Balisle brought on board

The addition of Needham, who Bajalan describes as having a “keen interest” in history, as co-host almost didn’t happen.

“Being familiar with my previous podcast production and hosting work, Djene asked me early in the pitching process if I would come on board as a producer/fixer,” Needham said. “The station instead provided our very talented producer, Jess [Balisle], and suggested I come aboard as a cohost.”

Balisle records, edits and posts the show on KSMU’s website and streaming platforms. She also arranges studio time for the recording sessions.

Needham, a junior majoring in interior design, brings a wide range of experience and an avid curiosity to the project.

“I have always had a love of history,” he said. “My father was a history and social studies teacher and instilled in me a fascination with the past. I have also long been interested in audio as a medium.”

Teamwork makes it happen

Bajalan and Needham collaborate through the entire process, from selecting a topic and speaker to developing the questions and script to the interview itself.

The pair start by discussing potential topics and speakers, then communicate with faculty to identify topics that might potentially interest the public.

“We basically try to make sure we are highlighting the work of different scholars who work on historical topics at Missouri State University, as well as other academics that our faculty recommend,” Bajalan said.

So far, the process has allowed them to identify topics first, then determine guests about one month in advance.

Man and woman in radio recording studio — MSU student Patrick Needham and KSMU producer Jessica Balisle record an episode of “Talking History.” Photo credit: Djene Bajalan.

“We try to link things to current events sometimes,” Bajalan said. “For example, the episode we did with Dr. [Bryan] Brinkman on ‘Roman Twitter’ was inspired by the role of social media in modern politics.”

Once the pair have identified the topic and speaker, they meet with the guest for about 30 minutes to discuss the questions they plan to ask.

After that, the pair work on developing the script.

“Usually, one of us will write the introduction and one of us will spearhead the questions after we initially meet with the guest,” Needham said.

The scriptwriting process can take hours, according to Bajalan.

“We need to get the wording and the questions just right,” Bajalan explained. “This is especially important for the radio portion of ‘Talking History,’ as we have a very strict time limit, and we need to make sure the interview is coherent for the listeners. The podcast allows us a bit more freedom, but making sure we have a tight spot for the radio is important.”

“Some of the topics we’ve covered and plan to cover are a bit granular and nuanced,” Needham added. “Finding those questions that make a niche topic appeal to a wider audience can be a challenge.”

Finally, Bajalan and Needham record their session with their guest in the studio.

“On average, it takes about four to five hours of time to get from booking the guest to posting the show for air,” Balisle explained. “We typically spend about an hour and a half of that recording and the bulk of the rest of the time is editing the audio.”

Why talking about history matters

Both Bajalan and Needham volunteer their time to the “Talking History” project.

This places significant time constraints on their already-busy schedules. Bajalan, for instance, teaches upper-level history courses and serves as the history department’s graduate student director.

“For me, it is all about fitting everything in,” Bajalan explained. “I have to teach and I run the graduate program. So, sometimes it can be hard to schedule interviews that fit everyone’s availability.”

Needham is also busy, not only as a full-time student but also as a part-time student employee on the Springfield campus.

And the production is not cost-free.

“Most of the cost associated with ‘Talking History’ is my time as producer,” said Balisle. “MSU contributes in a couple of ways: through their time commitment from the History Department, and KSMU’s space allocation and budget support. KSMU is largely listener-funded, and those contributions support all of our programming. Fans of ‘Talking History’ can donate to the station to support the show.”

When the benefits outweigh the costs

So why devote so much time and energy to “Talking History?”

Needham believes “Talking History” is worth doing because it explains to a general audience how and why historians do what they do.

“I think the public at large is interested in an idea of history, but maybe not the actual nitty-gritty of historical work,” Needham said. “I think one aim of ‘Talking History’ is to make the historiography, or the sort of meta-study of history as a discipline, and the work of ‘doing’ history, as interesting as the history itself.”

Bajalan agrees that the public benefits from the show, but he also sees benefits for history teachers.

“Our show is of benefit to anyone who is interested in history,” Bajalan said. “However, I know, for example, some of our guests have used the podcast version of our show to aid in their teaching.”

Balisle has been impressed by the commitment Bajalan and Needham have demonstrated for the project.

“Their commitment to research for each show is incredible, and they both have a great rapport with the guests,” Balisle said.

“Djene and Patrick are a delight to work with,” Balisle added. “They are both amazing people with a passion for knowledge. It also doesn’t hurt that they both have great radio voices!”