Rob Schmitz looks back at 10 years as an NPR international correspondent, first in China and now in Germany.

He talks about Europe's relationship now with the US; how Chinese EVs have left German automakers in the dust; and a scary night in an Israeli bomb sghelter,

Ron also remembers the life lesson from his father that led him to an award-winning career as a public radio reporter.

In the first of two episodes, NPR international correspondent Rob Schmitz looks back at his decade in China, first as a Peace Corps volunteer and later as a reporter for "Marketplace" and NPR.

Rob recounts his life as one of few Westerners in Sichuan province in the 1990s; traveling with Arnold Schwarzenegger on a China trade trip; and moving to Germany for a new NPR assignment a few weeks before COVID-19 exploded across China.

For nearly 30 years, Chery Glaser kept morning commuters in LA up-to-date - first on commercial radio, and later on Southern California public radio powerhouse KCRW.

She was so well-known as KCRW's local host of NPR's "Morning Edition" that a Santa Monica kid who listened before school put Chery's name on her punk rock band.

Chery Glaser talks about public radio news - and that namesake punk band Cherry Glazerr.

Jane Lindholm's life in public radio began as a kid in the backseat of her dad's car, listening to Click & Clack on NPR's "Car Talk." Backseat kids still listen today, but now Jane does the talking in her "But Why?" children's podcast for Vermont Public Radio.

We'll talk with Jane about "But Why?" - and about her years reporting local news as the "Vermont Edition" host. She'll also look back at the time she listened to hours of elephant grunts for an NPR story!

Julie Slater's dream was to be a rock 'n roll DJ on a big radio station in a big market, and she was in New York and Los Angeles. But 17 years of formats that demanded she play the same songs over and over wore her down.

Julie is now the music director at The SoCal Sound - LA's indie music public radio station - where she chooses and plays what she wants!

Julie talks about how commercial rock radio has changed - and how she's found freedom and joy in public radio.

For more than a decade, public radio stations in California could depend on reporter Ben Adler at Capital Public Radio to keep track of the state legislature in Sacramento.

Ben looks back on his time covering California state government now that he's moved from broadcast journalism to politics. And he'll remember his summer as a minor league baseball broadcaster fresh from college.

For 27 years, Boston's WBUR was home to "Only A Game" - the hour-long sports program that aired on more than 250 public radio stations each week. And right up until it ended its run in 2020, Karen Given had a hand in nearly every show as a reporter, editor or host.

Storytelling in sound is still Karen's only game as a freelance editor and writing coach. She'll talk about her love of storytelling - and how she won awards for sports reporting when she's not really a sports fan!

It's our second season of stories from the people who make public radio magic! You'll hear from more of the talented reporters, editors, producers and hosts who create the sounds that keep you tuning in every day.

Season 2 of "Roman on the Radio" debuts Friday, December 12.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your favorite podcasts!