Spacebridge 4 – The Fifth Dimension
Radiotopia Presents: We're Doing the Wiz
Radiotopia
4.3 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 8 April 2019
⏱️ 46 minutes
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Summary
In the final episode of Spacebridge, big TV-satellite “spacebridges” become popular in the USSR, but remain a logistical nightmare—and for American producers, especially—a labor of love that few can afford. Meanwhile, a new breed of citizen diplomat enters the scene, determined to do an end-run around the USSR’s ancient telephone system. They find ways to connect people via a new-fangled contraption, the modem. The consequences of those connections linger today.
Spacebridge is a production of Showcase from PRX’s Radiotopia with additional funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Our Russian content partner is the history site Arzamas.Academy.
Find out more and listen to the previous series, Ways of Hearing, The Polybius Conspiracy, Secrets, Errthang, The Great God of Depression and The Stoop at radiotopia.fm/showcase.
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to Radiotopia Presents from PRX's Radiotopia. |
| 0:07.6 | Monday 9.35 p.m. |
| 0:15.0 | If you open in America, there's a growing feeling of hysteria. |
| 0:23.6 | Conditioned to respite all threats in the rhetorical speech of the Sovietist, |
| 0:31.6 | Mr. Crude Chef's say we'll bother you. I don't subscribe to this porch of you |
| 0:41.5 | It's such an ignorant thing to do |
| 0:45.6 | If the Russians love their children |
| 0:48.3 | Hmm |
| 0:50.3 | Hmm 1987 1887. Years of space bridge connections have still not fully resolved tensions between the United States and the USSR. |
| 1:07.0 | Satellite links have gotten people from either side of the iron curtain talking to each other, |
| 1:12.5 | but mostly they're arguing. |
| 1:14.8 | And so, it's time to send in the heavy hitters. |
| 1:18.9 | Well, thank you for this invitation. |
| 1:21.3 | I've looked forward to coming for a long time. |
| 1:23.7 | At 8.50 p.m. each weeknight, just about every child across the 11 time zones of the Soviet Union |
| 1:29.9 | tuned into the same program from State TV. |
| 1:33.4 | Spakunia Noche Malachi, or Goodnight Little Ones. |
| 1:37.4 | And what? Where is your name? |
| 1:39.5 | Krusha. |
| 1:40.0 | Krusha the pig has been the mainstay of Goodnight Little One since 1964. |
| 1:44.4 | He's a two-foot-tall pig-lit hand puppet, and today he's receiving a foreign guest, |
| 1:48.9 | an American named Mr. Rogers and his shy friend, Daniel the Tiger. |
... |
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