Radioactive Pop: Best of 2025

  • December 29, 2025
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Monday, December 29th: It's Radioactive Pop! Best of 2025, where we hand-picked some of our favorite conversations that happened here on Mondays. Red Iguana's Lucy Cardenas and Bill Coker talk about the legacy of Don Ramon Cardenas, West Max plays for us in the studio, UAF Legacy Health on World AIDS Day, and local, nonprofit newsrooms on the future of the Fourth Estate.

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RadioACTive Pop! Gets the Origin Story of 'Killer Mexican Food'

Join us to explore the legacy of Red Iguana founder Ramón Cardenas Sr., who passed away recently at the age of 92. His daughter, Lucy, now runs the family-owned business with her husband, Bill Coker. They join us to talk about killer Mexican food, family and culture.

  • "Ramón Cardenas Sr. was born in 1933 in San Luis Potosí, a state that spans eastern and Central Mexico. Maria was born in 1924 in Chihuahua, Mexico, to Manuel and Luz Corral Quinonez. Maria was a natural-born artist from a young age and became very involved in the art scene. She came to the United States in 1953, where four years later she met and married Ramon. Together, they shared a passion for Mexican cuisine and created recipes and dishes that proudly served as delicious expressions of their cultural background."

  • BONUS: Lucy and Bill said they will be opening a new location at Downtown Daybreak in South Jordan, taking their "Killer Mexican Food" to the south end of the Salt Lake Valley in Spring 2026.


40 Years Serving the LGBTQ+ Community + World AIDS Day

The Utah AIDS Foundation was formed 40 years ago, morphing into UAF Legacy Health in 2023. Executive Director Chris Everett joins RadioACTive to talk about the nonprofit's four decades of service, which it will celebrate on Dec. 1st, World AIDS Day.

Homegrown Music: West Max

West Max is back in Utah after time away in England and a broken heart to write about. Tonight, he goes solo on the show live in the KRCL Big Room.


RadioACTive Pop! Celebrates Nonprofit Journalists

Radioactive shines a light on nonprofit newsrooms. Listen as we explore what they do and why, how public support keeps them going, and how you can help. Guests:

None of these independent, non-profit newsrooms can do what they do without your support. Click the links above and find their donate buttons for #GivingTuesday. Heck, why wait?


How You Like Us Now?

You can tell us. Share your thoughts, suggestions and observations by calling the RadioACTive hotline: ‪(385) 800-1889. Or, send a voicememo to radioactive@krcl.org. Either way, please tell us your name and neighborhood and leave a short message that may air on the show.

Monday's RadioACTive Team

Guests' views, thoughts, or opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the board, staff, or members of Community Radio of Utah, KRCL 90.9 FM. Tonight's team included:

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