This episode revisits the story of the notorious skyjacker with a unique twist: a factual documentary with a fictional ending
VANCOUVER – Re-Imagined Radio will premiere “D.B. Cooper’s Last Interview” at 1 p.m. Nov. 17. Just in time for the anniversary of one of America’s most enduring unsolved crimes, this episode revisits the story of the notorious skyjacker with a unique twist: a factual documentary with a fictional ending.
Adapted from an original print story by author Tom Vandel, “D.B. Cooper’s Last Interview” blends research, archival news and dramatized excerpts to explore the only unsolved case of passenger air piracy in U.S. history. On Thanksgiving Eve 1971, a man who purchased a ticket under the name Dan Cooper hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines flight, secured a $200,000 ransom and parachuted into the night over southwest Washington. Despite decades of investigation, D.B. Cooper was never found and remains a legend.
“We’ve always been fascinated by the Cooper mystery,” said John F. Barber, producer and host of Re-Imagined Radio and faculty member in the Digital Technology and Culture program at Washington State University Vancouver. “By combining documentary storytelling with a fictional ending adapted from Tom Vandel’s work, we offer listeners a sense of closure without diminishing the power of the true mystery that has captivated the public for more than 50 years.”
The premiere will air on KXRW-FM (99.9) in Vancouver, KXRY-FM (91.1 and 107.1) in Portland KNOM-AM (780) in Nome, Alaska, with subsequent broadcasts and streaming by local, regional and international partners.
This episode is part of Re-Imagined Radio’s Guest Writer series and features a script written, produced and hosted by Barber, with sound design, music and post-production by Marc Rose; promotional graphics by Holly Slocum with Evan Leyden; social media by Caitlyn Kruger; and YouTube management and announcing by Rylan Eisenhauer. Vandel’s original story, “The Last Interview,” is used with permission.
Re-Imagined Radio premieres new episodes on the third Monday of each month. Each episode is streamed globally and later available as a podcast and on YouTube. Previous episodes are released weekly on YouTube. Information and listening links are available at reimaginedradio.fm, where all episodes are archived.
The website also features Re-Imagined Radio EXTRA, providing additional sound-based storytelling between monthly episodes.
About Re-Imagined Radio
Created in 2013 by Barber, Re-Imagined Radio explores sound-based storytelling across genres — from drama to comedy, from documentary to sound art. Through performances, broadcasts, streaming, podcasts and social media, the program re-imagines radio storytelling for contemporary audiences.
About WSU Vancouver
As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
Information provided by WSU Vancouver Communications.
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