“Artifacts of a bygone era” feels like a fitting description for what we do here on The Big Dig. Personally I’m happy to be a throwback to 2010s podcasting (minus the weird VC $$). And I’m so grateful to still be making this show in 2026 along w @ljbob and @isabelcata1ina and everyone at @gbhnews . Thanks to the @bostonglobe for shining a light on what we do.
**Drop a 🎣 to catch the Codfather pod right in your DMs!**
In Season 3 of The Big Dig podcast, “Catching The Codfather,” GBH host @iancoss goes down to the docks to trace the rise of New England fishing tycoon Carlos "The Codfather" Rafael and his escalating conflict with the government. The six-part series is available wherever you get your pods!
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#Boston #Massachusetts #NewEngland #History #HistoryLovers
Tonight: The Big Dig is LIVE in Baltimore w @wypr881fm . What’s next for the Key Bridge? /2026-03-05/whats-next-for-the-key-bridge-the-big-dig-live-podcast-taping-comes-to-baltimore #infrastructure
The Big Dig HOV Lane (our membership program), is holding our first virtual gathering on April 1st. It will be a chance to meet the whole Big Dig team, hear about our process, and share your own ideas & questions. If you want to join us (and support the show!), all the info is at WGBH.org/hovlane
Our final episode of “Catching The Codfather” features the story of Paulo Valente, who is part of a long lineage of fishermen that extends both before him and beyond him. During our interview, he kept getting pulled away by phone calls – he was about to leave on the first trip of his season and was trying to confirm how much quota he had to work with. As Paulo sighed with frustration on the phone, I explored the pilot house of the boat.
This boat, The Fisherman, is many decades old – it dates back to the boomtimes of the New Bedford fleet – and every corner of it looks well worn, including these hydraulic controls. I love the mixture of Portuguese and English here – “Arriar” means ‘to lower’.
Valente keeps a well-worn bible directly in front of the helm. To the right hand side is a bunch of fish finding gear and an ashtray full of cigarette butts. To the left is a binder with colorful tabs, detailing the various government procedures the boat must follow. Scattered in between is this collection of religious icons: a saint holding a sailboat, an image of Jesus on the cross, and an artifact from a small town in Portugal where the Virgin Mary once appeared to a group of children.
I was struck by these displays of faith everywhere, but it shouldn’t be surprising. To go out to sea, to risk unpredictable weather, to drop a net in the water and hope what comes up will feed your family – these are nothing if not profound acts of faith.
The whole series is out now on all the podcast apps as well as YouTube.
wgbh.org/podcasts/thecodfather
The Big Dig takes Brooklyn! At @onairfest 2026, host @iancoss was joined by special guest @stephennessen of @wnyc to talk about the BQE, New York’s own outdated highway.
Looking to binge? The Big Dig from @wgbh and #PRX is available now wherever you get your podcasts!
