True Crime’s Area 51 Podcast

Frank Girardot
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Best selling true crime author talks true crime, politics, culture and current events. truecrimearea51.substack.com

  1. 2d ago

    O.J. Simpson, Los Angeles, upcoming elections and the demise of the Dodgers

    This episode dives into a diverse range of investigative and analytical topics. We explore new revelations in the O.J. Simpson murder case via an unsealed FBI informant file, examine historical law enforcement dynamics in Los Angeles, and tackle modern sports economics—including college football NIL valuations, quarterback evaluations, and MLB postseason trends. And, we’re going live with pizza and some special guests on Election Day. Check in here next week for details. Area 51 is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Area 51 at truecrimearea51.substack.com/subscribe

    O.J. Simpson, Los Angeles, upcoming elections and the demise of the Dodgers

  2. Oct 15

    The Index: Crack Cocaine, Cover-Ups, Political Scandals, and Postseason Baseball

    In the latest episode of The Index, J. Brian Charles and I pull back the curtain on how major investigations actually get built—and what happens when reporters follow the money trail into dangerous places. We start by talking shop on the craft of long-form reporting, with Brian sharing a behind-the-scenes look at his upcoming book and the timeline of the Jontay Porter NBA sports betting investigation involving DraftKings and FanDuel. From there, we look back at one of the most consequential—and unfairly maligned—scoops in modern journalism: Gary Webb’s Dark Alliance series for the San Jose Mercury News. We examine how Webb traced the ties between the CIA-backed Contras and the 1980s Los Angeles crack cocaine trade, why major newspapers attacked the messenger instead of matching the story, and how the downstream effects of that era still shape street gangs and urban decay across the country today. Also in this episode: * The $100K Amex Tab: We break down Kimberly Guilfoyle’s resignation as ambassador to Greece following reports that she asked an acquaintance to cover a six-figure American Express bill, and what it says about financial scrutiny and political accountability. * L.A.’s Mayoral Race & 2028 Olympics: A look at the recent debate between Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman, why prediction markets and low voter turnout tell two different stories, and why basic constituent services—like picking up the trash and keeping police leadership stable ahead of the 2028 Games—actually decide local elections. * Dodgers Postseason Trouble: Why the current Dodgers era may be running on fumes, the risk of playing a visibly fatigued and injured Shohei Ohtani without rest, Dave Roberts’ bullpen management, and why the Milwaukee Brewers’ small-ball strategy is built to beat a roster that relies entirely on the home run. Watch the full episode above. If you enjoy the conversation, let us know what you think in the comments, share this post, and make sure you’re subscribed to True Crime | Area 51 and Brian’s Substack, @trackchangesmag. Get full access to Area 51 at truecrimearea51.substack.com/subscribe

    The Index: Crack Cocaine, Cover-Ups, Political Scandals, and Postseason Baseball

  3. Oct 8

    Football, NIL, Media Mergers & True Crime: Inside Our Latest Discussion

    On this week’s episode of The Index we cover ground from high school sports to capital punishment to Bari Weiss’ possible takeover of CNN. And, “The Drop” a sequel to “Snowfall” has premiered. We tease next week’s deep dive into the era of Los Angeles when crack cocaine drove politics, crime and news coverage. Get full access to Area 51 at truecrimearea51.substack.com/subscribe

    Football, NIL, Media Mergers & True Crime: Inside Our Latest Discussion

  4. Oct 1

    College football has a problem or two

    Coaches are losing their grip on players, and the players are beginning to act as if they’re in a video game. And all of that kind of comes together to be a celebration of violence like it was episodic TV. But, it’s something that a lot of people don’t want to see when it comes to football. That said, the Los Angeles Raiders were successful precisely because they were an embodiment of countercultural values. J. Brian Charles substack, mentioned this week, is Get full access to Area 51 at truecrimearea51.substack.com/subscribe

    College football has a problem or two

  5. Sep 23

    Prediction Markets, White House Press Passes, AI, Sydney Sweeney and High School Football

    Converse Apologizes Just Sports Covering the White House T2 Trailer Get full access to Area 51 at truecrimearea51.substack.com/subscribe

  6. Sep 16

    RIP to helicopter reporter Eliana Moreno and others killed in LA Tuesday

    An editorial board was never “the newspaper’s opinion.” It was the last place a paper said, out loud, “we know this town and we will pick a side on a library bond, who should be the D.A. or who should sit on the school board. And, it was contemplative. Basically, it took time to develop an opinion. Editorial boards often spoke up after news was reported. Now, news and opinion often happen at the same time. Endorsements were alway radioactive. In some cases they alienated 50 percent of readership. But editorial baords carried institutional memory. They knew who was the county supervisor and why a gadfly might not make a good candidate. Maybe someone somewhere is cranking out the obituary for print newspapers. But, if we’re being honest, this is a requiem that should have been in the can years ago. Newspapers are slowly circling the drain. They had a good run. News in Los Angeles is event driven. You know, there’s a press conference today. Everybody runs to the press conference. There is a shooting. There’s a celebrity involved in something, everybody runs there. That’s the way news is driven ad reported here. On Tuesday there was a bus and a car that collided up in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley and it was fatal. And as often happens, helicopters from around the area, police helicopters and television helicopters went to capture his event, live, for their audience. During the televised reporting of the fatal accident, one of the helicopters went down. The event was captured on live television as stunned anchors attempted to explain the unexplainable. Helicopter pilot George Marciniw and reporter, Eliana Moreno, who worked at NBC4 died in the firey accident. Also killed was a bystander who sadly was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Moreno was a beloved figure in Los Angeles. She will be missed by many. And, not just here, People around the country know her for her play-by-play on car chases and developing crime stories. She had a smiling social media presence that transcended the day-today traffic and crime that probably made up a lot of her job. We sometimes forget that journalists, even those that are up in these helicopters, are constantly putting their lives and their safety in danger. Reporters go to riots, people shootings. These are people often on the frontlines of wildfires. Sometimes I think we’ve lost that respect for that part of the profession, because we focus too much on the opinion part of what a publication or news station seems to believe. And it’s good to kind of step away from that and separate it and remind people real reporters, and the opinion folks run in separate circles. So as authorities begin to piece the accident together, we will offer a heartfelt Rest in Peace to Eliana and George and the others killed in the vehicle collision and to the bystander killed by the falling news helicopter. Let’s hope that their grieving families will see an outpouring of respect from the rest of us on the sidelines. Get full access to Area 51 at truecrimearea51.substack.com/subscribe

  7. Sep 9

    Will AI Kill Us All?

    Get full access to Area 51 at truecrimearea51.substack.com/subscribe

  8. Sep 3

    The Index for Sept. 3, 2026: What’s in a name?

    Journalists and writers Frank C. Girardot and J. Brian Charles focused on the news of the week in this edition of the Index. Not only did one of the Great Lakes get a name change, so did pop star Miley Cyrus and maybe soon the Los Angeles Angeles will return to glory as the California Angels. The 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur was back in the news this week, with a verdict in the murder trial and some questions about journalism and journalism ethics. Finally a look at prediction markets and how a bet on gambling might have paid off. Get full access to Area 51 at truecrimearea51.substack.com/subscribe

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Best selling true crime author talks true crime, politics, culture and current events. truecrimearea51.substack.com

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