Podcast Playlist

CBC's David Common on catching scammers and the new Marketplace podcast

David Common joins Leah in studio to talk about what he's been working on lately, and share some of his favourite pods.
CBC journalist David Common listens to a guest while sitting behind a microphone during a 2019 interview.
CBC journalist David Common during a 2019 interview. (Andrew Nguyen/CBC)

This week, we're sharing one of our favourite episodes from October. 

As a foreign correspondent, David Common's reporting has taken him to more than 80 countries, including warzones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine. 

But these days he's staying a bit closer to home. David has recently taken over hosting duties on CBC Radio's morning show in Toronto, Metro Morning. He's also the co-host of the consumer watchdog show, Marketplace, on CBC Television.

Marketplace now has its very own podcast. This week on the show, David will tell us what it was like turning a TV show into a podcast, plus he'll share some of the podcasts in his rotation.

Like the show Wind of Change: The song "Wind of Change" by The Scorpions was a massive hit at the end of the Cold War. But was it really written by the CIA? We'll hear about the surprising links between the agency and pop culture.


A banner featuring this week's podcasts: CBC Marketplace, SLOC, Wind of Change, Yo! Is this Racist and War on the Rocks.
(Courtesy of podcasts.)

CBC Marketplace: "Phone scammers have stolen millions from Canadian victims and the losses are staggering. We take you inside an investigation we've been working on for more than five years and introduce you to an inside man at an illegal call centre who's putting his life on the line to help people."

The Secret Life of Canada: "In Falen's community of Six Nations, every Victoria Day weekend people from the community get in line and walk through the local arena to get a big squishy slice of bread and a giant hunk of orange cheese. Delicious? Yes. But why?"

Wind of Change: Could The Scorpions' 1990 hit "Wind of Change" have actually been written by the CIA as part of an elaborate psyop campaign? This podcast attempts to find out. In this episode, host Patrick Radden Keefe speaks to an ex-CIA disguise expert about some of the surprising links between the CIA and popular culture.

Yo, Is this Racist?: Is it racist to wish a Chihuahua a happy Cinco de Mayo? What about a happy St. Patrick's Day? Andrew and Tawny dig in.

War on the Rocks: "This episode comes to you from Ramstein Air Base, where host Ryan Evans spoke with Gen. James Hecker of the U.S. Air Force and Air Marshall Johnny Stringer of the Royal Air Force about what we can learn from airpower and spacepower almost a year and a half into the war in Ukraine." Note, this conversation was recorded in June 2023.


What podcasts have you been loving lately? Email us at podcastplaylist@cbc.ca. Or find us on Facebook. For more great podcasts, check out CBC's podcast portal, and subscribe for free in Apple Podcasts.