Back Channel Utah
Back Channel is a Utah politics, policy, and business podcast hosted by Marty Carpenter.
Every episode is a one-on-one conversation with someone who matters in Utah — an executive, a policymaker, a lobbyist, a community leader. Someone who's in the room when things happen.
The conversation has four parts: who they are before they're a title, the issue they're closest to right now, their read on what's happening in Utah, and a few lighter questions at the end. It's candid, it moves fast, and it doesn't sound like a press release.
Marty's been the one in the room too — as a governor's spokesman, his job was to take complex policy and make it clear, make it compelling, and keep it on message. That's still the job.
Back Channel. Off Script. On Record.
Episodes
6 episodes
Lime rickey, digital twins, and a quiet giant with Johnny Ferry
Johnny Ferry is President and CEO of the Utah Manufacturers Association. Manufacturing matters more in Utah than most people realize, and Johnny breaks down why. Manufacturing is the whole process, from R&D and supply chain to q...
One River, Seven States, No Snow. Water update with Gene Shawcroft
Utah just came through its worst winter for water in recorded history. What happens next — and who decides?Utah River Commissioner Gene Shawcroft breaks down Lake Powell’s “3,500-foot line,” the storage and infrastructure Utah relies on,...
Wall Street, Capitol Hill, and How Utah Builds with Rep. Cal Roberts
Utah is growing fast. Can our infrastructure and institutions keep up?In this episode of Back Channel, Rep. Cal Roberts breaks down how Utah politics works when you zoom in on budgets, incentives, and the unglamorous mechanics t...
Diet Coke, Tackling Homelessness, and the Art of a Lacrosse Faceoff with Tyler Clancy
Utah's state homeless coordinator Tyler Clancy joins Back Channel for a conversation about the experiences that shaped him before public office.From growing up in South Carolina and playing lacrosse at BYU to working in homelessness ser...
The Power of Streaks, Cold Plunges, and Candor with Francis Gibson
Francis Gibson joins Back Channel for a candid conversation on leadership, healthcare, public service, and personal discipline.The President and CEO of the Utah Hospital Association and former Majority Leader of the Utah House r...
Power, Policy, and the People Behind Utah’s Decisions with Abby Osborne
Episode one is live.Abby Osborne, Chief of Staff for the Utah House of Representatives, joins *Back Channel* for a candid, one-on-one conversation on the people and decisions shaping the state.No scripts. No spin. Just real pers...
