WireTap is a half-hour radio show that airs on CBC Radio One Sunday afternoons at 1:00 pm (local time, 4:00 pm in the Pacific Time Zone), and again on Wednesday at 11:30 pm and 30 minutes later in Newfoundland. An hour-long version of WireTap is distributed in the United States by Public Radio International and is heard on multiple public radio stations.[1] Hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, former producer of Public Radio International's This American Life, the show features stories that are told over the phone ostensibly by Goldstein's friends and family.
The show falls into what has traditionally been CBC Radio One's comedy slot on Sunday afternoons, replacing Madly Off in All Directions which moved to a different time slot, though the show itself does not fit easily into the comedy category. The show has possibly been best described as "a weekly half-hour of conversation, storytelling and introspection, culled from equal parts real-world experience and the warp of Goldstein's imagination."[2] Each show tends to follow a particular investigative theme; titles for past shows includes: "Life Lessons", "Reach for the Top", "Prized Possessions" and "Our Fathers".
The series began in the summer of 2004 as a 10-episode experiment, after which it succeeded to its own regular timeslot. It is recorded out of CBC's Montreal studios. The show has been criticized by some as being too vague in format and its host as boring.[3] Conversely, other critics of the show find the host's deadpan delivery and the blurring of genres is exactly what makes the show such an interesting listening experience. Goldstein regularly references these criticisms to his show by having the guests call him boring, depressing, and monotonous.
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