Something Offbeat

This week, we’ll explore the sometimes-treacherous travel habits of baby cows in the Pittsburgh area and of salamanders in the Detroit area. In human transportation news, we’ll hear a lawmaker in Minnesota explain why she took a bike to the hospital to have her baby. Then, to send us out, Georg Papp of Outhouse Americana in Colchester, Conn., is going to explain why he’s dedicated to preserving the history of a vintage way to use the loo. He says that outhouses reveal more about culture than we might realize… Featuring audio from Drivetime with DeRusha out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities, The Big K Morning Show out of KDKA in Pittsburgh, WWJ Newsradio out of Detroit and Own the Road with Kelli and Bob out of KRLD in Dallas.

This week, we’re getting nostalgic. We’re headed to a photography museum, a toy museum, retro pizza joints and more. We’ll also sit in on an interview with Jon Taffer of the long-running series "Bar Rescue", now entering its 10th season. Featuring audio from Own the Road with Kelly and Bob out of KRLD 1080 in Dallas, the Dana & Parks show out of KMBZ in Kansas City, Drivetime with DeRusha out of WCCO News Talk in Minneapolis and KNX News in Los Angeles.

This week, we’re diving into one of our favorite topics, aliens. While extraterrestrial life is often thought of as a sort of fringe topic, two U.S. presidents have recently been talking about them, so we had to get in on the fun. We’re also going to get a bit darker than usual this week with some talk about death. Featuring audio from WWJ Newsradio, Tommy Tucker out of WWL and the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ.

On this week’s agenda, we’ve got a surprise Great White shark sighting from WWL Radio in Louisiana and exploration about what’s going on in our brain when we hesitate from KCBS Radio in San Francisco. Then, we’ll listen in on a discussion of the dawn of the Fire Horse year with the Lunar New Year this week from the Dana and Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City and take a trip to the Old Farmer’s Almanac headquarters with Own the Road with Kelli and Bob out of KRLD 1080 in Dallas.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you face-planted on an escalator while trying to catch a flight? This week, we’ll look into the data on escalator mishaps with the Dana & Parks podcast out of KMBZ in Kansas City. We’re also going to hear from an expert who spoke to KCBS Radio on the Bay Area about why another location for possible escalator wipeouts – malls – are disappearing all over the country. Another thing that’s disappearing? Sex, according to multiple studies. We’ll hear more about that from Chad Hartman out of WCCO in Minneapolis, as well as a concerning uptick in heart attacks from an expert who spoke to WWJ Newsradio in Detroit.

This is a roundup of weird news from Audacy’s Something Offbeat podcast, Olympics 2026 edition. We’re checking in with reporter Sloane Martin, who is covering the sport in Milan who has been brushing up on her research to de-mystify curling. We’ll also peek into the dark side of what awaits some Olympic champions once they win their medals, debunk a myth about catching colds and hear about the highest marathon on Earth. Featuring audio from WCCO News Talk, Dana & Parks from KMBZ, Scoor at WWL and WWJ Newsrdio.

This week, we’re going to go down the rabbit hole in New Orleans with the Magical Krewe of MadHatters. While that krewe is focused more on beautiful costumes and rocking parade floats for Mardi Gras than rabbits running around checking their pocket watch like in the Alice in Wonderland tales they take their name from, another time of watch is looming over us. A clock, to be more precise. The Doomsday Clock. We’ll also head to the West Coast, where a mountain lion trapped in a San Francisco alley was freaking out residents this week. To round out the show, hear a more… esoteric sighting of an alleged sasquatch. Featuring audio from: The Dave Glover Show out of KMOX, KCBS Radio, WWL Radio and WWJ Newsradio.

This week we’re going up, past chairlifts, past aurora borealis and into space to get the latest on a long-running search for extraterrestrial life. On the way there, we’ll also check in on the rare solar storm that impacted Earth this week, people getting stuck on those chairlifts and a conspiracy theory about gravity. Featuring reports from KCBS Radio in the Bay Area, the Dave Glover Show out of KMOX in St. Louis and the Adam & Jordana Show out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities.

This week, we’re diving into not one but two weird animal stories, as well as chemtrails, a scientist dubbed doctor Frankenstein, a man wreaking havoc with a sword and how to become a real-life storm-chaser. Featuring segments from the Dave Glover Show out of KMOX in St. Louis, WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, the Scoot Show and the Tommy Tucker shows out of WWL in New Orleans, the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City and KNX News out of Los Angeles.

This week, we’ve got some expert insight on whether we can make it back to moon by 2028, a marriage proposal attempt that turned into something straight out of a sitcom, and some stories about sandwiches. With dispatches from the Dana & Parks show out of KMBZ in Kansas City, Tommy Tucker out of WWL in New Orleans, WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, The Dave Glover Show out of KMOX in St. Louis and the Adam & Jordana Show out of WCCO in the Twin Cities.

These are the weirdest animal stories we covered in 2025.

There were the weirdest viral stories we covered in 2025.

Here's the weirdest space stories we covered in 2025.

We're rounding up the weirdest stories of 2025. In this episode, the top of the top -- Colossal Biosciences' work to bring back extinct animals, the rapture that never came and a possible break in the D.B. Cooper case.

Something Offbeat host Mike Rogers interviews a man from Kentucky about becoming the world's stone skimming champion and about a scandal at the competition in Scotland.

This week, we’ve got a conversation about cemeteries where you wouldn’t expect them from KMBZ's Dan & Parks in Kansas City, opinions about the little-known delicacy that is soft shell shrimp from Scoot at WWL in New Orleans, and a surprise sighting of a mythical creature from The Dave Glover Show out of KMOX in St. Louis. But first, we’re headed to WCCO News Talk Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they’ve got potty problems.

Mike Rogers interviews a grad student from Scotland who has been trying a different sport every week.

Host Mike Rogers interviews Annalisa Nash Fernandez to discuss how the future of fast food might play out and what companies should keep their eye on to keep appealing to customers.

This week, we cover the story of a mom and seven of her children who went on a 2,300 paddle adventure on the Mississippi River; a reason why you might want to get six, maybe seven, Frosties, and fashion from queer sheep wool.

This week, we’re starting with an ancient discovery, then looking forward at a few things. Those things are: the possibility of bars in Kansas City opening from 6 a.m. to 5 a.m., the future of endangered animals and how to avoid being a jerk during upcoming holiday celebrations.