# The Backstory

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "The Backstory," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-backstory/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*The daily Radio Sputnik programme John Kiriakou co-hosted with Lee Stranahan, carried on terrestrial radio in the Washington area as well as online. It was the successor to his earlier show Loud and Clear with Brian Becker, and he described its format as two men with a beer talking about the day.*

- **Hosts:** John Kiriakou and Lee Stranahan
- **Carriage:** 105.5 FM and AM 1390 in the Washington area, plus streaming
- **Slot:** Weekday afternoons, 4 to 6 pm
- **Format:** Daily; guest segments with live call-ins
- **Predecessor:** *Loud and Clear*, with Brian Becker

**The Backstory** is the daily Radio Sputnik programme [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) co-hosted with Lee Stranahan, carried on 105.5 FM and AM 1390 in the Washington area from four to six in the afternoon alongside its online audience, and structured around guest segments with live call-ins.[1][2] Episodes were reissued as a podcast on the usual platforms, and Kiriakou described the run as Monday through Friday.[3]

## Origin

The programme exists because its predecessor ended and a career detour failed. *Loud and Clear*, which Kiriakou co-hosted with Brian Becker, was not cancelled on its merits — *"the contract was up is what it was,"* and the show was shut down around the end of August. Kiriakou went into the private sector; that did not work out. He then telephoned Sputnik back and said he would not mind having another show, and was placed in the same four-to-six slot, this time with Lee Stranahan.[4][5]

Kiriakou's affection for the predecessor survived the change. He describes deep respect for Becker even where they disagreed politically — *"he's such a good kind good-hearted person, I learned a lot from him."*[4]

## Format

The distinction Kiriakou draws between the two shows is one of register rather than subject. *Loud and Clear* was the newsier programme; The Backstory, by his own description, is *"two guys drinking a beer, just talking about the day."*[5]

Kiriakou opens editions in his own name and with his own credential: *"welcome back to the Backstory — I'm former CIA officer John Kiriakou."*[6][7] The hosts trade the sign-off, which doubles as the daily promise of continuity: *"I'm Lee Stranahan, joined by my co-host John Kiriakou. We'll be back tomorrow. This is The Backstory."*[8][9]

## On radio as a medium

When his co-host teased the format as old-fashioned, Kiriakou defended it with evidence from his previous programme: *"when Brian and I were doing Loud and Clear, he mentioned to me several times how surprised he was that taxi drivers would tell him that they listened to our show. So a lot of people do listen on terrestrial radio."*[10]

The show's recurring guests include the journalist [Caleb Maupin](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/caleb-maupin), whom Kiriakou introduces as *"one of the best informed people out there."*[6]

## See also

- [Caleb Maupin](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/caleb-maupin)
- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)
- [Kiriakou's daily news diet](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/kiriakou-daily-news-diet)

## Sources

1. Cuba Crisis, Marxism & Automation (2021-07-13), at 00:11. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh0vejtIEhE&t=11s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-07-13-caleb-maupin-cuba-crisis-marxism-automation/
2. Ex-CIA John Kiriakou-waterlogged whistleblower S3Ep4 (2021-03-10), at 47:24. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J82Ry2N8jbM&t=2844s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-03-10-heidi-weber-no-stop-heidi/
3. From CIA Whistleblower To Convicted Felon to Political Analyst: The Journey of J (2021-03-24), at 1:04:15. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rss6190c060&t=3855s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-03-24-the-platform-talk-podcast-from-cia-whistleblower-to-convicted-felon-to/
4. The Bitter Truth with Abe (2021-02-01), at 03:09. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ETk7Q-8Ez4&t=189s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-02-01-the-bitter-truth-with-abe-the-bitter-truth-with-abe/
5. The Bitter Truth with Abe (2021-02-01), at 03:40. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ETk7Q-8Ez4&t=220s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-02-01-the-bitter-truth-with-abe-the-bitter-truth-with-abe/
6. Sanctions & US Efforts in Eurasia (2021-03-13), at 00:12. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKbHPuKfF2k&t=12s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-03-13-caleb-maupin-sanctions-us-efforts-in-eurasia/
7. Sanctions & US Efforts in Eurasia (2021-03-13), at 12:08. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKbHPuKfF2k&t=728s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-03-13-caleb-maupin-sanctions-us-efforts-in-eurasia/
8. Divisions in the US Deep State (w/ Lee Stranahan) (2021-01-22), at 39:34. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFAHekt9_mg&t=2374s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-01-22-caleb-maupin-divisions-in-the-us-deep-state-w-lee-stranaha/
9. Divisions in the US Deep State (w/ Lee Stranahan) (2021-01-22), at 18:50. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFAHekt9_mg&t=1130s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-01-22-caleb-maupin-divisions-in-the-us-deep-state-w-lee-stranaha/
10. Cuba Crisis, Marxism & Automation (2021-07-13), at 00:44. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh0vejtIEhE&t=44s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2021-07-13-caleb-maupin-cuba-crisis-marxism-automation/

---

From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-backstory/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt