Arizona curiosity, answered one question at a time.
Valley 101 answers the kinds of Arizona questions that start as casual wonderings and end in local history, policy, culture, or lore. Its episodes move from plain-English hooks into reported conversations about Phoenix, the wider state, and the people connected to both.
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Valley 101 is a reported question-and-answer show about Phoenix, Arizona, and the surrounding stories people half-know but rarely stop to investigate. It starts with curiosity. Why did Route 66 skip Phoenix? Why is there a swimming pool at Chase Field? How did The Wave become the photo destination it is now? Those questions sound small at first, but the show treats them as doors into history, geography, policy, sports culture, and local identity. The tone is clear and conversational. It does not assume the listener already knows Arizona politics, development history, baseball traditions, or desert landmarks. Instead, it lays out the premise, adds context, and lets guests or reporting fill in the shape of the answer. Some episodes lean playful, especially when the subject is a ballpark organist, a movie filmed in the state, or the strange private feeling of watching a Diamondbacks game from a pool. Others carry more weight. The show has examined Black cowboys in Arizona and the way some histories were recorded only when a person became exceptional enough to be noticed. It has also looked at Arizona’s experiment with non-lawyer ownership of law firms, where a flashy billboard leads into access-to-justice theory, consumer complaints, and oversight concerns. That range is the point. Valley 101 can move from a population statistic to a wilderness destination, from local restaurants in an opening promo to the old routes that shaped northern Arizona. Its structure is familiar in the best way: a direct question, a little scene-setting, then a patient walk through the answer. The reporting comes from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, and the show keeps that newsroom backbone even when the topic is odd or charming. It is local without feeling narrow. It is casual without getting loose with the facts. For listeners who like place-based storytelling, it makes Arizona feel less like a backdrop and more like a living puzzle, one question at a time.
Made for: For listeners who like local history, civic explainers, Arizona culture, and the hidden stories behind familiar places. It especially suits Phoenix-area residents, newcomers, and desert-curious outsiders who want context without homework.
What sets it apart: Valley 101 turns listener-scale questions into newsroom-shaped stories, keeping the reporting grounded while letting the oddness of Arizona lead. Its strength is the mix: Route 66 politics, Diamondbacks rituals, population facts, desert landmarks, and overlooked Western history all fit under the same clear format.
Whether you're a longtime Arizona resident or a newcomer, chances are there's something you've always wondered about the Valley. From The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com comes Valley 101, a weekly podcast where our journalists find answers to your questions about metro Phoenix and beyond. From silly to serious, you tell us what to investigate. You can submit questions at valley101.azcentral.com or reach us on social media @azcentral. This show is hosted by Bill Goodykootz and produced by Amanda Luberto.
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A concise history of Black cowboys that widens the familiar myth of the American West.
The episode starts with the familiar Southwest idea of the cowboy, then opens the frame to Black figures whose place in Western history was too often left out or written down only in fragments.
A reality-TV curiosity opens into a clear, grounded look at Arizona's non-lawyer-owned law firm experiment.
Valley 101 starts with a reality-TV selfie pointed toward a Popeye's billboard, then follows the odd trail into a much less flashy question: why would a Real Housewives connection land in Arizona's legal market?
A warm, conversational snapshot of Phoenix summer, where baseball, paleteros, and September signal the season's slow retreat.
Valley 101 frames the end of a Phoenix summer as its own local calendar, marked by students returning to school, snowbirds eyeing the Valley again, and baseball edging toward its final stretch.
Bourbon talk, barrel stories, messy good pours.
Bourbon reviews with memory, candor, and community.
Everyday life, thought through together.
Valley 101 host Amanda Luberto and her Arizona Republic colleagues share personal summer traditions that define an Arizona summer.
Host Bill Goodykoontz investigates why Joe Gorga, a star from 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey', owns an Arizona law firm despite not being a lawyer.
Team Mom's Baseball places Kim Kardashian-backed reality drama at Legendary Prep Academy, a Scottsdale school centered on baseball and limited classroom time.
Tavian Whitehurst explains why Phoenix nights can feel hotter than the daytime air.
This episode explores why Route 66 bypasses Phoenix, Arizona, despite its iconic status as a historic highway.
Bill Goodykoontz reads a story about Real Housewives star Joe Gorga promoting his Arizona law firm via billboards.
Bill Goodykoontz introduces the story of why Chase Field has a pool, starting with the stadium's history and his personal experience at its opening.
This episode of Valley 101 explores the discovery and history of The Wave, a stunning natural rock formation in Arizona.
This episode of Valley 101 answers the question of how many people live in Phoenix, revealing it as the 5th largest city in the US.
Valley 101 asks whether there were Black cowboys in Arizona and answers with the Smithsonian claim that "one in four cowboys were black." Tricia Martineau Wagner, author of Black Cowboys of the Old West, links that history to 1865, post-Civil War labor, and ranch work across the West.
Valley 101 follows Arizona Republic climate reporter Joan Miners as she rides the Arizona Trail from Utah to Mexico with camping gear, food, and water treatment supplies.
TSMC's North Phoenix campus could reach three square miles, with Halo Vista and North Park around it.
Movie critic Bill Goodykoontz discusses the surprising number of good movies filmed in Arizona and introduces the question of which is the best.
Arizona Republic media columnist Bill Goodykoontz interviews Diamondbacks organist Bobby Freeman about his career and experience playing at Chase Field.
Bill Goodykoontz introduces a debate with music writer Ed Masley about the biggest band to come out of Arizona.
Bill Goody Koons introduces rosé season and Arizona wine, promoting his newsletter and teasing a discussion on wine in Arizona's changing climate.
Bill Goody Koons introduces a discussion about hiking in Arizona's summer heat, promoting his newsletter and setting up the question of how hot is too hot to hike.