Samantha McIntosh
Talk Show ProducerExpertise: Finding, booking, preparing and connecting guests with listeners on IPR's two talk shows: <i>Talk of Iowa</i> and <i>River to River</i>
Education: Bachelors degree from St. Cloud State University
Favorite Iowa Destination: Iowa's bike trails!
Experience:
- Audio, talk show production and writing across various topic areas for IPR as a talk show producer
- Sub-hosts for Morning Edition and All Things Considered for IPR
- Has reported and written features on topics including local government, public safety, K-12 education, and arts and culture for M&H Broadcasting in southeast and west-central Iowa
- Is an award-winning producer and reporter, including Iowa Broadcast News Association awards across multiple years
- A weekend host at KQGO 96.3 in Minneapolis, MN
My Favorite Stories
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Actor Will Ferrell and writer Harper Steele have been collaborators and friends for 30 years. -
From Muddy Waters to The Lumineers, a venue located in the basement of Iowa State University's Memorial Union has seen 50 years of music, theatre, comedy and more.
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A recent poll from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 62% of adults say democracy in the U.S. could be at risk in the 2024 presidential election.
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Every spring, nearly a million sandhill cranes pass through an 80-mile stretch of the Platte River in Nebraska on their northward migration.
My Latest Stories
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Over a century ago, the Reed-Niland Corner opened at a major intersection in Colo. Today, the site is being preserved by a new nonprofit, Reed-Niland Corner, Inc., with celebrations planned for June 14. -
Des Moines Performing Arts CEO Monica Holt spent nearly two decades at The John F. Kennedy Center, which she left shortly after President Donald Trump removed and replaced a majority of the center's longtime board leadership. -
Internationally renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo is known for creating towering, whimsical trolls that can be found all around the world. Built from reclaimed materials, they've popped up in hidden, natural locations all across the globe. Now, there are four to find in Iowa.
My Latest Podcasts
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In a new University of Northern Iowa course, a pottery lesson from a local artist is a chance for intergenerational connection. Jim Kerns has been joining the class, Understanding Aging Through a Creative Lens, to not only share his artistic skills, but also to show the benefits of creative pursuits as we age. Kerns joins the show, along with Melinda Heinz, a gerontologist who started the class, and one of her students, Randy Williams. Later in the hour, we learn about Iowa's first men's shed, a space for men in the area to create and connect. (This show was originally produced November 6, 2025.)
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Tensions flare again between the U.S. and Iran and NATO leaders wrap up a tense summit. On this Politics Day episode, we discuss the political fallout with political scientists Jim McCormick of Iowa State University and Evan Renfro of the University of Northern Iowa. We hear about the new round of U.S.-Iran hostilities that overshadows the days-long funeral for Iran's Supreme Leader, take a look back at the nation's 250th birthday celebration and more. -
'Angel Down' is a World War I story told as one continuous sentence, which vividly portrays the horrors of that conflict. Author Daniel Kraus is no stranger to horror. Growing up in Fairfield, he would watch horror movies like 'Night of the Living Dead' and episodes of 'The Twilight Zone' as a five year old with his mom. Kraus joins this episode to talk about his horror and Iowa roots, his latest book, which won this year's Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and his 2023 novel 'Whalefall.' (This show was originally produced February 26, 2026.)
