Our Town artwork

Society & Culture · Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts

Our Town

by Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts

When new neighbors move into Gainesboro, Tennessee, a small town at the foothills of Appalachia, locals are confused. Who are these self-proclaimed pioneers? And what do they want with their little town?Locals soon discover the new arrivals are connected to something much larger: A network of far-right Christians who have ties to Washington and are backed by venture capital. This is a story about a battle over identity fought on small town soil with small town spunk. Where acreage, heritage, and what it means to be an American are all up for grabs.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Chapter 4: All Metal Mode

 A 12-foot grim reaper becomes a neighborhood war cry, and the preacher-podcaster crosses the street. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 31
43 min

Chapter 3: One Little Bacon-Wrapped Sausage

Backers of the venture are big fans of a town in Idaho where a preacher with a flamethrower tells our reporters how much he hates feminism. See omnystudio.com/listener f

Aug 24
46 min

Chapter 2: This Dangerous Venture of Yours

Diana looks into the town’s newest arrivals: What’s their deal — and who are their friends? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 17
38 min

Chapter 1: Sometimes You Find Silver

Oh, the things you can find with an inquisitive mind – and a metal detector. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 10
45 min

Introducing: Our Town

Our Town from Bloomberg’s Big Take podcast follows residents of Gainesboro, Tennessee, after a group of far-right Christians moves in with plans for a radical social expe

Aug 5
1 min

6. Nothing Is Holy

“This is what happens with spies.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 23
35 min

5. One Way In, One Way Out

The plan gets more complicated. Will Xu Yanjun walk away? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 9
33 min

4. The Duck Analogy

A new asset, a once-in-a-career chance and a very delicate operation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 2
33 min

3. Suck, Squeeze, Burn, Blow

Stealing the world’s most closely guarded technology secrets is really hard. Especially when your boss keeps rejecting your expenses.  See omnystudio.com/listener for pr

Feb 20
21 min

2. The Spy’s Diary

Intelligence officers shouldn’t keep their secrets backed up to the cloud: Xu Yanjun did. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 16
30 min

1. Your Friend From Nanjing

 A spy, deep undercover, was sent to Chicago to deliver a warning. Or was he? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 16
12 min

Introducing: The Sixth Bureau

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 13
1 min

IVF Disrupted Ep 5: The Baby Project

A Kindbody employee discovers the company is helping an imprisoned billionaire father multiple children through surrogates and egg donors. In this episode, reporter Jacki

Sep 29 2025
44 min

IVF Disrupted Ep 4: Fertility Care, Meet Sales Targets

Kindbody implements quotas requiring doctors to perform more lucrative procedures, internal company documents show In this episode, patients report being pushed toward ex

Sep 29 2025
40 min

IVF Disrupted Ep 3: Rocketship to Nowhere

Kindbody doubles its size overnight through a major acquisition, with executives telling employees they'll be rich enough to buy private jets. In this episode, reporter J

Sep 29 2025
33 min

IVF Disrupted Ep 2: The Embryo Mixup

Dina and B arrive at Kindbody for the embryo transfer they've dreamed about for years. But their doctor delivers news that will make them question whether coming to Kindb

Sep 29 2025
36 min

IVF Disrupted Ep 1: The Fertility Spa

In 2018 a startup emerged, aiming to revolutionize fertility care with spa-like clinics and Silicon Valley swagger. Kindbody attracted millions from investors eager to di

Sep 29 2025
31 min

Levittown Ep 7: 'My Son Wasn't There Alone'

The US has a new federal law protecting victims of nonconsensual online porn, reflecting the ubiquity of AI-enabled harassment. What’s a parent to do? In this episode of

May 23 2025
34 min

Levittown Update: The Deepfake Law

This week, the first federal legislation on deepfake porn -- the Take It Down Act -- passed the U.S. House of Representatives. All it takes is a signature from the presid

May 2 2025
20 min

Levittown Ep 6: Warp Speed

In the series finale, our reporters try to crack the secretive companies behind nudify apps that let users create deepfakes in minutes. And a new case rocks another small

Mar 30 2025
39 min

Chart trend

Position in the Society & Culture chart (US), last 90 days.

#11
all-time peak
10
days in the top 50 since Aug 2026

Chart positions

Where Our Town ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 14, 2026).

#96 ▼ 17 Society & Culture US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

It is hard to see that the technology we love to see innovate, finds new ways to exploit and harm young children, girls and women. We must take harm against women, specifically, more seriously before we can begin to have hopes to find ways to protect all potential victims of deep fakes. Great podcast, thanks for bringing this to light.

SSPCO720 · Apr 2025

This is such an eye opener about the world our girls are growing up in. Excellent show. Yes, a lot of commercials but I just skip through those. Excellent reporting. I’ve told so many people to listen to this reporting. It’s a must!

Maria J, mom to a girl · Mar 2025

Oh, this story is heartbreaking and very important for people to be aware of. The real harm people can do anonymously behind their screens is not discussed widely enough and victims need to be aware of their rights. People who think this kind of stealing of images is okay and harmless need to hear the stories of these brave women. Laws need to keep up with technology, law enforcement needs to be able to take action. Social media and AI is allowing algorithms and fake images to rip apart the basic fabric of humanity and it’s vital that we don’t just sit on our hands and let it continue. Not sure why people are complaining about excessive ads, I have found this podcast to have less ads than many. Regardless, I know how to use a skip button.

PCBunnygirl · Mar 2025

I couldn’t believe what these young women are contending with and how they started to fight back. Devastating but also inspiring

Podgod101 · Mar 2025

I agree with everyone about the ads (quantity and lack of smooth transition). However, I really did like the reporting and it was (is) an interesting story. The reason I’m rating this 2 stars is due to the update episode. It’s crazy to me how they do not acknowledge the dangers of the “TAKE IT DOWN” act and how it could be used for censorship. I will not get into details here as there have been numerous articles written about this but to not bring it up on this podcast is irresponsible. They also state how there is no legal recourse for the victims yet one of the main perpetrators in this story went to jail. Also, since 2020 (when the first victim in this story was attacked), 48 states have made non consensual deepfake productions a crime. I sympathize with the victims and non consensual deepfake porn is legitimate issue but the reporters do not make good faith reporting on that episode.

Old Bort · May 2025

A really hard subject, really dark, and bleak. But there is ABSOLUTELY NO transition from this subject matter into ads. It's terrible podcasting. How long would it take to say, "more after the break?" A second. Which would be tolerable. As is, it's so jarring. Does a disservice to all the women who participated.

maggieeekk · May 2025

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About Our Town on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Our Town, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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