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.
Back Channel Utah
Latest Episodes
AI Infrastructure, Why Delta Works, and Behind-the-Meter Power with Ray Conley
Ray Conley, founder and CEO of Creekstone Energy, breaks down why the AI era is becoming a land rush for power, fiber, and the physical footprint needed to train frontier models. Conley explains why Delta is unusually advantaged, how Utah’s “go...
Healthcare Complexity, Primary’s Growth, and “The Child First” with Dustin Lipson
Dustin Lipson, president of Primary Children’s Hospital, explains why healthcare is so difficult to reform, and what it takes to run a children’s hospital built on deep community trust. He shares how Primary has climbed into the top tier of U.S...
Rolled votes, DC realities, and sweater days with Rob Bishop
Rob Bishop served nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and previously held the gavel as Speaker of the Utah House. After retiring from Congress, he returned to the Utah House of Representatives to serve his local district, bringing d...
Todd Weiler on the Senate, Sutherland, and what Utah politics feels like right now
Utah State Senator Todd Weiler joins Back Channel for a candid look at his fourteen-year career in the legislature and his new role as President and CEO of the Sutherland Institute. Growing up as the son of a custodian in the Chicago suburbs, W...
Labor Day, a Short Break, and Where Back Channel Goes Next
Back Channel is taking a short break for Labor Day — but this is a great weekend to catch up. Listen to last week’s conversation with Utah Attorney General Derek Brown or go back through the full catalog wherever you get your podcasts or on You...
