PODCAST · news
Archiver
by Fountain City Frequency
Archiver is a tour through the most important moments in history with host, Sam Zeff. Using archival tape, our show will pull you into the world of these events while explaining how they still affect us today.
Episodes
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Episode 6: Queen Comes Home
In the season finale of Archiver: Queen Bey from KCK, we return to the historic Gem Theater, where Queen Bey—at 83—sings “Misty” in a pandemic-era tribute concert. Though the crowd is sparse, the emotion is rich. This episode reflects on Queen’s final years, her role as a mentor, and her…
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Episode 5: Ambassador Bey
In this episode, we follow Queen’s journey across continents—from singing in Saudi Arabia and performing for royalty in Bahrain to captivating audiences in Germany, Costa Rica, and beyond. Despite early struggles in California, Queen Bey found her voice on the global stage and eventually returned...
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Episode 4: Queen Bey the Actor
Queen Bey wasn’t just a singer—she was a natural-born performer whose acting career added another layer to her story. In this episode, we explore her work on stage and screen. Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Willmott reflects on Queen’s soulful presence and instinctive talent, and how he wrote…
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Episode 3: From Classical to Jazz
Queen Bey’s artistry didn’t emerge in a vacuum—it was nurtured by a rich musical legacy rooted in Kansas City, Kansas. In this episode, we trace the deep cultural and educational foundations that shaped her, from ragtime pioneer Charles Johnson to the groundbreaking music programs at Sumner High...
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Episode 2: The Artistry in Me
Queen Bey’s musical genius emerged early—so early, in fact, that she wrote a sultry R&B hit for Linda Hopkins while still a teenager. In this episode, we explore Queen’s formative years as a songwriter and performer, shaped by the legendary club scene of Kansas City’s 18th and Vine. From jazz...
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Episode 1: Queen Bey from KCK
In this premiere episode, we meet Queen Bey—born in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1937—via the final interview she gave before she died in 2024. Raised in a Muslim household in a segregated city, Queen Bey found her calling in music early, performing in legendary Kansas City clubs by age 12. She…
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TranScript: Trans Teachers
In many states teachers are being attacked by politicians who oppose public education. In many states trans people are being attacked by politicians for, well, who really knows. So imagine you’re a transgender, public school teacher. How hard is that? In this episode we find out from Riley Long…
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TranScript: Trans Issues in the Media
Chances are whatever you know about trans issues in education came from reporters who cover the issue. The best education reporting starts with students and works its way out to larger issues. Few things have complicated education reporting more than trans issues. The reporting is complicated by...
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TranScript: What’s Next In State Legislatures?
With everything else they must deal with…law enforcement, taxes and economic development…state legislators spend an enormous amount of time on transgender issues in education. Why, is the most important question but also, are we done watching endless debates on trans students in statehouses? On...
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TranScript: Being The Parent Of A Trans Student
It’s hard enough being the parent of a middle school student. But now your child comes out as trans and you have to navigate the school district bureaucracy to make sure your child is safe. Add to that, many school board members lean towards anti-trans and that makes parenting even harder. In…
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TranScript: How Did We Get Here?
There are few education topics more heated than transgender students. Should teachers use preferred pronouns? What restroom should trans kids use? And the question that generates the most heat: should kids be allowed to play sports on the teams they identify with? In this episode, we ask two…
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The Man From Russell: Becoming Bob Dole
We start this season of Archiver in 1960 on the streets of Russell, Kansas right there on the plains about half-way between Kansas City and Denver. It was a railroad town, an oil town but for our purposes, it’s Bob Dole’s town. His first campaign for federal office featured four girls in homemade...
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The Man From Russell: Mr. Dole Goes To Washington
By 1960 Bob Dole had his sights on a much bigger political stage after his one term in the Kansas Legislature and five terms as Russell County attorney. There was a shake-up in the western Kansas political landscape starting in 1954 and by 1960 Dole saw his opening. There was a bigger three-way...
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The Man From Russell: Here Comes The Hatchet Man
When Bob Dole was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives in 1961 it didn’t take the freshman congressman from western Kansas long to attack the Democrats. He opposed almost everything the new Kennedy Administration wanted. In March, 1961 he voted against extending unemployment...
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The Man From Russell: Ambition
The 1964 election was a disaster for Republicans. Lyndon Johnson crushed Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater with 61% of the vote. Goldwater only carried six states. It was the biggest landslide since Franklin Roosevelt crushed Kansas Gov. Alf Landon in 1936. But, out in western Kansas, Bob Dole was...
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The Man From Russell: The Move To The Middle
After Bob Dole’s victory in 1966 many political observers believe he started to move toward the middle. Hunger became an issue that Dole got deeply involved in. CBS showed the documentary “Hunger in America” on May 21, 1968 and it helped profoundly change how the U-S government dealt with hunger....
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The Man From Russell: One Moment
In his first run for Senate in 1968, Bob Dole had no trouble winning. He crushed Gov. William Avery in the Republican primary with 68% of the vote and in the general election he beat Democrat William I. Robinson with 60%. It probably didn’t hurt that Tonight Show regular and Kansas City jazz…
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The Man From Russell: The National Stage
On August 20th, 1976 the new ticket of Gerald Ford and Bob Dole made their first campaign stop in Dole’s hometown of Russell, Kansas. It was the night before the two were nominated at the Republican National Convention in Kansas City. It was also Bob Dole Day in Russell, 95 degrees with a...
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The Man From Russell: The Runs For The White House
After losing as Gerald Ford’s 1976 vice presidential running mate, Dole made another run for the White House in 1988. It was a crowded GOP field that included Ronald Reagan’s vice president, George H.W. Bush. The campaign started well enough with Dole winning in Iowa. But Bush started running ads...
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The Man From Russell: Legacy
On November 8th, 1996 just three days after Bob Dole got pasted by Bill Clinton for president, he walked on stage at the Late Show with David Letterman to a standing ovation. There has never been a politician just as comfortable and formidable marking up legislation as they are on late night TV.…
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KMBC Women
KMBC radio was headquartered atop the swanky Pickwick Hotel in downtown Kansas City. The Pickwick was the place to stay for men doing business with the city and county. It was a favorite of Harry Truman when he was Presiding Judge of Jackson County. And while there were probably plenty of deals...
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Brush Creek Follies
We kick off this season of Archiver on February 8th, 1941 at the Ivanhoe Temple in Kansas City. The Ivanhoe was home to much of the city’s musical talent but on Saturday nights it was home to the Brush Creek Follies which originated on KMBC in Kansas City.
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Kansas Voices Of The Vietnam War: Lou
It's been more than a half century since the start of the Vietnam War. Vietnam changed American politics, changed the US military and most importantly changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. In this special Archiver series, we meet four Kansans who fall into that category. Four...
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Kansas Voices Of The Vietnam War: Susan
It's been more than a half century since the start of the Vietnam War. Vietnam changed American politics, changed the US military and most importantly changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. In this special Archiver series, we meet four Kansans who fall into that category. Four...
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Kansas Voices Of The Vietnam War: HC
It's been more than a half century since the start of the Vietnam War. Vietnam changed American politics, changed the US military and most importantly changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. In this special Archiver series, we meet four Kansans who fall into that category. Four...
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Kansas Voices Of The Vietnam War: Richard
It's been more than a half century since the start of the Vietnam War. Vietnam changed American politics, changed the US military and most importantly changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. In this special Archiver series, we meet four Kansans who fall into that category. Four...
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The A's (Big League Baseball is Gone, Long Live Big League Baseball)
Literally from the moment Charles Finley bought The As, he wanted to move them out of Kansas City. He claimed otherwise but it was a lie. In 1967, he made it happen.
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The A's (A's On The Air)
For most fans, it’s not just the players that conjure up memories of a team. The broadcasters are just as important.
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The A's (Charlie O' The Despised)
You already know about Finley the showman; Charlie O The Mule, the exploding scoreboard, Kelly green and gold uniforms at a time everyone else wore white and gray, his lobbying for orange baseballs. Sounds like a real funster. But not at all. Finley had a mean streak, he was mercurial, dictatorial.
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The A's (Charlie O' The Showman)
There just aren’t many songs about mules. But in the mid 60's (the exact release date is unknown) Charlie O' the Mule by Kansas City song writer and rockabilly performer Gene McKown was released. It’s about a Missouri mule that helped usher in a wild, complicated and, at times, maddening seven...
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The A's (A Yankee Pipeline)
In the 13 years the A’s were in Kansas City, they were simply terrible. But the A’s didn’t get this dismal without some help. It all goes back to the New York Yankees, and the unholy alliance between Yankee owners Del Webb and Dan Topping and their handpicked A’s owner Arnold Johnson.
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The A's (22nd And Brooklyn Ave.)
The A’s were always an awful baseball team. But Municipal Stadium, well that was special to almost anyone who ever went.
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The A's (Leading The Way)
While we all know the Monarch's place in baseball history—they won ten league championships and launched the big league careers of many black players–you might not know the role the A’s played in integrating blacks into the big leagues.
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The A's (Fleeing Philadelphia)
It was one of the greatest conspiracies in sports history. One that would lead to turmoil in Kansas City, a congressional hearing and, eventually, one of the craziest owners in all of professional sports.
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The A's Trailer
Archiver fans, get ready for a special season of the podcast. We’re leaving Kansas for now to tell a story that covers some of the most tumultuous years in baseball…but it’s more than just a sports story. This is about power, greed and corruption that went all the way to congress.
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How Did We Get Here?
I want to take you back to August 19th, 1991. It’s 93 degrees and humid. Hundreds of anti-abortion protestors from around the country have gathered in Wichita. There’s nothing spontaneous about it, planning went on for weeks and eventually hundreds would swell to thousands. Most people, including...
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The Most Important Basketball Player You've Never Heard Of
The Globetrotters have always been innovators. But perhaps the greatest innovation was in 1985 when they signed a woman, the first woman to ever play professionally with men. That woman was from Kansas, and she would not only change the game but become a hero to female athletes, to be sure, and...
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Derby Day in Kansas
We’re talking horse racing on this Archiver, something not associated much with Kansas. But for an amazing two minutes and four seconds in 1938, a horse from Johnson County was the top three-year-old in the land. Owned by a man who was better known for suits than stallions, and who had an odd...
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Fast Food Kansas
Do you know the 1946 musical “The Harvey Girls?” It stars Judy Garland and in the film she sings one of the most famous show tunes of all times “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.” The movie is about Harvey House restaurants and the young women in their starched, white aprons and cuffs who...
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Out Whiting The White Man
This episode is about the Haskell Institute in Lawrence back when it was a boarding school for American Indians. Tens of thousands of school age Indians were forced into these boarding schools all across the country, many times kidnapped by soldiers or police. Kids would, naturally, run away from...
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Women And Sunflower Politics
This Archiver starts in 1984. Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum is running for reelection. Now with Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, you may not realize the uniqueness of a woman in the United States Senate in 1978. Depending on how you define it, Kassebaum was the first or second woman elected in her...
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Small But Powerful
Newspaper endorsements were crucial for political candidates, be it for president or city council. It’s less so now, but they’re still important. Even President Trump when he was a candidate met with the editorial boards of the Washington Post, New York Times and Chicago Tribune.
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The Most Powerful Newspaperman In Kansas History
This story starts with a tape that, until recently, was in a box at the Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas. Archiver historian Virgil Dean found it.
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The Free State Myth
Anyone with a passing knowledge of the civil rights movement knows about the lunch counter sit ins at the Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina. But before Greensboro and Miami there was Dockum Drug Store in Wichita.
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Season 3 Trailer
Archiver fans, get ready for another season of audio gems that tell the most surprising stories from Kansas history.
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The Beat Comes To Lawrence
If you look around YouTube, you’ll find no shortage of videos featuring William S. Burroughs, the famous beat writer. One of the best videos shows rock ‘n roll hall of famer Patti Smith playing the acoustic guitar in Burroughs tiny bungalo in old east Lawrence. That’s Lawrence, Kansas. River…
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Midwesternish: The First Black Astronaut ... Almost
As a kid, Ed Dwight never dreamed he might one day go to the moon, but he did fantasize about escaping life in Kansas. And it was that idea of escape that was so powerful for a young black man in the 50s.
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The Most Important Coach You've Never Heard Of
John McLendon changed the way basketball is played forever with his "fast break" style, and he broke the color barrier for black athletes in the sport.
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G.I. Joe From Kansas
We start this episode of Archiver in 1918, the end of the first World War, because the way America treated those veterans would forever change the way the country takes care of its soldiers, sailors and marines. Make no mistake, it would take decades plus lots of pain and suffering to do the…
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Kansas Killers And Our Rocky Relationship With Capital Punishment
While the Clutter murders are the best known in Kansas history, they aren’t the most infamous and certainly not the most bizarre. The killers were eventually put to death, but the state hasn't always been in favor of the death penalty. In fact, Kansas has struggled with the capital punishment for...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Archiver is a tour through the most important moments in history with host, Sam Zeff. Using archival tape, our show will pull you into the world of these events while explaining how they still affect us today.
HOSTED BY
Fountain City Frequency
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Archiver have?
Archiver currently has 61 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Archiver about?
Archiver is a tour through the most important moments in history with host, Sam Zeff. Using archival tape, our show will pull you into the world of these events while explaining how they still affect us today.
How often does Archiver release new episodes?
Archiver has 61 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Archiver?
You can listen to Archiver on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Archiver?
Archiver is created and hosted by Fountain City Frequency.
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