Apr 24, 2026 · 36 min
Ben Maller explains the radio glitch behind a bizarre on-air lapse
The Fifth Hour: Ink Stained Wretches Goblin
The episode shows how live-radio preparation and improvisation can turn a technology failure into part of the performance.
- 1A laptop and production-software failure made Ben Maller’s commercial copy flicker, vanish, and rearrange itself during a live broadcast.
- 2Maller treats customized commercial reads, listener references, and improvisation as essential parts of the show’s entertainment.
- 3A cross-country trip to Newport, Kentucky, brings listeners together for a Mallard meet and greet built around pizza and community.
Don't miss
Maller reconstructs the live moment when commercial copy flickered, disappeared, and rearranged itself, making a software failure sound like an inexplicable on-air breakdown.
The brief
Ben Maller previews a trip from the Northwoods to Newport, Kentucky, for a Mallard meet and greet, with travel logistics, pizza, and an unusual listener gathering ahead.
He revisits an on-air lapse that left listeners wondering whether something was wrong, then reveals the less dramatic culprit: malfunctioning production technology.
Maller explains why his commercial reads are deliberately customized with improvisation, inside jokes, and listener references rather than delivered as fixed copy.
The laptop goblin made copy flicker, disappear, and rearrange itself during a live broadcast, creating pauses and repetitions that sounded mysterious on air.
The episode’s larger point is theatrical: preparation matters, but live radio still depends on continuing through backstage failures without losing the thread.
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