Tenderfoot TV

Join “RFK Tapes” Host William Klaber As He Uncovers The 50-Year-Old Murder Mystery into the Plot to Kill Dr. King - Premiering January 10

Listen To The Official Trailer Here

WHAT:  According to the official story, on April 4th, 1968, a lone gunman assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. That man, James Earl Ray, pled guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in prison and for most people, the case was closed. However, there is more to the story, including a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the King Family that concluded Martin Luther King’s death was the result of a conspiracy involving multiple groups, including government agencies. “The MLK Tapes,” a new true crime podcast from the creators of “Atlanta Monster” and “Monster: DC Sniper,” will explore never-before-heard details about what happened to King on the day of his death, with rare recordings of eye-witness testimonies and new interviews with people who were there to reveal the true story of the plot to kill Dr. King.

The series will be hosted by William (Bill) Klaber, an author, part-time journalist and co-host of the podcast “The RFK Tapes”, who has been investigating the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy since 1989. While working on “The RFK Tapes,” Klaber interviewed a man named Bill Pepper, who spent forty years investigating the assassination of his friend, Dr. King. Pepper’s decades-long investigation included recording witnesses on tape. They revealed what they saw, and in some cases, what they had done. When Klaber heard this audio it opened up another opportunity to expose the lies in a 50-year-old murder mystery using  secrets that had been hidden on tapes.

Many little known facts about the case will be explored in the series, including the original recordings of witnesses who heard, saw or did something on or around the day Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, as well as new interviews from William Pepper, James Lawson, Arthur Hanes Jr., Isaac Newton Farris Jr., Joseph Brown, and John Currington. In the first episodes alone, many listeners might be surprise to learn that: 

• April 4th, 1967: Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech at Riverside Church in New York City titled Beyond Vietnam.
  • “…I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government.” -MLK
• April 4th, 1968: A year (to the day) later, Martin Luther King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
• April, 1968: On MLK’s final visit to Memphis, the all black, 8-person security team that normally accompanied him was reassigned.
• 1969: James Earl Ray pled guilty to murdering Martin Luther King Jr. Three days later, he recanted the plea. He never confessed to the crime and the evidence against him was never tested in a trial by jury.
• 1993: HBO aired a mock-trial of James Earl Ray with real attorneys and a jury. The jury found Ray not guilty.
• 1999: A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the King Family concluded that Martin Luther King’s death was the result of a conspiracy involving multiple groups, including government agencies.
• The goal of this podcast is to bring additional information to light that has, until now, not been widely discussed.

WHO: “The MLK Tapes” is produced by iHeartMedia and Tenderfoot TV, and distributed by The iHeartPodcast Network. The series is hosted by William (Bill Klaber), an author, part-time journalist, and co-host of the podcast “The RFK Tapes.” Klaber is the coauthor of “Shadow Play: The Murder of Robert F. Kennedy” and author of the novel “The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell.”

WHEN + WHERE: “The MLK Tapes” premieres on Monday, January 10, 2022, with the first two episodes readily available. Following episodes will be released each Monday, and will be available on iHeartRadio and wherever you listen to podcasts.

ASSETS: 

• Cover art
• William Klaber headshot
• Official trailer
  • Embed code: <iframe allow="autoplay" width="100%" height="200" src="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-mlk-tapes-91141955/episode/the-…" frameborder="0"></iframe>

About Tenderfoot TV

Founded by Atlanta director and independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright, Tenderfoot TV is a hub for creators and storytellers. The company launched in August 2016 with the release of the viral true crime podcast, “Up and Vanished”, which helped crack the decade-old cold case of missing person Tara Grinstead. Tenderfoot has since created multiple successful podcast franchises, including “Monster,” “Radio Rental,” “To Live and Die in LA,” and more, amassing over 650 million total downloads in just five years. Tenderfoot has partnered with major media companies, including HBO and Issa Rae’s label Raedio, iHeartRadio, Audible, Cadence13, and Netflix. They have expanded into TV and film, developing their IP for both fiction and nonfiction content. In 2020, Tenderfoot partnered with Oxygen to release a 6-part docu-series based on “Up and Vanished.” As one of the pioneer podcasts companies for Apple podcast subscriptions, they have ranked among the top performing channels with the release of Tenderfoot+, which offers listeners a seamless experience and greater access to their favorite shows.

Tenderfoot projects reflect a range of diversity across content to show genres. They launched their first political podcast ahead of the 2020 Georgia Senate runoffs, “Gaining Ground: The New Georgia,” and also have a satirical crime show that sheds light on social justice issues, their first scripted series titled “We Stay Looking.” The company has been recognized across the industry, winning numerous best in audio podcasting awards, including being a Pulitzer Prize finalist for ‘Audio Reporting’ in 2021 for “Somebody.” Founders Donald Albright, dubbed Atlanta’s Podcast Kingmaker” by Atlanta Magazine, and award winning creator Payne Lindsey, were ranked among the top ten “Most Powerful People in Podcasting” by Inside Radio, as well as named to the “Atlanta 500,” a list of the city’s “Most Powerful Leaders.” Tenderfoot continues to use their platform to raise the bar by telling compelling and important stories. No rules. No restrictions.

Slate includes “The MLK Tapes,” next installment in the Monster series and first foray into weekly podcasts, including new project from host Payne Lindsey

“Sworn” returned with two-episode premiere, covering topics including racial bias in the justice system, featuring the case of Georgia's first exoneree, Calvin Johnson

(ATLANTA and NEW YORK -- July 20, 2020) -- Award-winning content creation company Tenderfoot TV, and iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally, will deepen their relationship and create a slate of nine new iHeartRadio Original Podcasts to air beginning today through 2022. The upcoming podcast slate will focus on limited series as well as several weekly shows, a new strategy for Tenderfoot TV, who has garnered over 500 million downloads for its true crime hits since the company’s launch in 2016.

“iHeart has been an essential partner for Tenderfoot TV over the last several years. It was important to both of us that our next projects together explored important issues and brought new formats to the table, while still providing the storytelling experience our listeners expect,” said Donald Albright, president of Tenderfoot TV. “With the addition of real time, weekly formats, we’re able to amplify more stories than ever before, while sticking to our commitment of bringing forth real change in cases that have either been ignored or forgotten.”

The new collaboration will kick off with the second season of “Sworn,” Tenderfoot TV’s popular criminal justice system podcast that exposes the untold stories and hard truths behind major cases. The newest episode will focus on racial bias in the criminal justice system and explore the case of Georgia's first exoneree, Calvin Johnson, who served 16 years in federal prison for a crime he did not commit. “Sworn” season two is available today on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard. Fans can listen here now.

Additionally, new investigative series podcasts for the slate will include “The MLK Tapes,” produced in partnership with author Bill Klaber, co-creator of “The RFK Tapes,” set to premiere January 2021; and the next Installment of the Monster podcast series, which has over 100 million downloads with the success of “Atlanta Monster” followed by “Monster: The Zodiac Killer,” “Monster Presents: Insomniac” and “Monster: D.C. Sniper,” set to debut early next year.

As part of the slate, Tenderfoot TV will also release their first set of weekly podcasts co-produced by iHeartRadio. Tenderfoot TV co-founder and popular host of “Up and Vanished,” “Atlanta Monster” and “Radio Rental,” Payne Lindsey, will host and executive produce a new series that will cover a different case each episode. The slate will also include an additional weekly series in 2021, with details forthcoming.

“In Tenderfoot TV, Donald Albright and Payne Lindsey have built one of the most innovative podcast studios out there – especially in the true crime space,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “iHeart and Tenderfoot have been in partnership for a long time together – from ‘Atlanta Monster’ to ‘Zodiac Killer’ to ‘DC Sniper.’ We here at iHeart want to support creators like Tenderfoot however we can – and that means doubling down on a collaborative slate of incredible, new, groundbreaking shows, to redefine the true crime genre yet again.”

The slate will be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network which is home to more than 750 original podcasts with over 215 million downloads each month. iHeartRadio Original Podcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between – making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. These shows are distributed on all major podcast platforms including the iHeartRadio app, which additionally distributes more than 320,000 shows.

About Tenderfoot TV

Founded by Atlanta director and independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright, Tenderfoot TV is a hub for creators and storytellers. The company launched in August 2016 with the release of the viral true crime podcast, “Up and Vanished.” It has since created additional breakthrough podcasts including the critically acclaimed “Atlanta Monster” as well as the true crime hits “To Live and Die in LA”, and “Culpable.” Tenderfoot is also developing multiple projects for TV and film, but podcasts remain the company’s primary focus, having amassed over 500 million total downloads in just 3 years. Tenderfoot strives to tell compelling and important stories. No rules. No restrictions.

New Season to Launch as “Monster: The Zodiac Killer”

“Monster: The Zodiac Killer” to join the iHeartRadio Podcast Network with first episode to premiere exclusively on broadcast radio nationwide before available anywhere else

NEW YORK AND ATLANTA – September 5, 2018 – iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America which also has a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, today announced a partnership with the teams behind popular podcast Atlanta Monster — HowStuffWorks,  the largest for-profit podcasting company in the world and Tenderfoot TV, a hub for content creators and storytellers — to launch season two as Monster: The Zodiac Killer and continue tackling high-profile cases in subsequent seasons. 

Emerging from its debut season as 2018’s breakout hit with more than 30 million downloads, season two will be released in early January 2019, with trailers running through December. Under this agreement, the podcast will officially join the iHeartRadio Podcast Network, and iHeartMedia will become the primary distribution partner for all Atlanta Monster and Monster: The Zodiac Killer episodes. The partnership also includes plans for additional seasons to come.

Atlanta Monster host, director and award-winning documentary filmmaker Payne Lindsey will serve as an executive producer on Monster: The Zodiac Killer, in addition to lending his creative voice on the podcast throughout upcoming seasons. Tenderfoot TV and HowStuffWorks will continue to co-produce the series with Tenderfoot TV President Donald Albright and HowStuffWorks Head of New Initiatives Jason Hoch also serving as Executive Producers. Season two will explore The Zodiac Killer, a serial killer connected to a string of murders in California in the 1960s and 1970s whose identity, to this day, still remains unknown.

“It’s evident that our listeners across the country continue to have a huge appetite for true crime programs -- stories involving real people and actual real crimes.  Monster: The Zodiac Killer is not just about exploring the crime, it’s about the people and communities around the crime,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio and iHeartMedia Networks Group. “Atlanta Monstertold a powerful story that delved deep into the societal context and cultural significance of the events that took place. This is true crime flipped on its head, and we know season two will be even more captivating and compelling than the first.  We are excited about this partnership and being able to introduce this program to our hundreds of millions of listeners.”

The first episode is set to premiere January 3, 2019 exclusively on iHeartRadio’s broadcast radio stations across the country. A digital roll-out of the full season will follow the broadcast premiere and will be available on iHeartRadio. UTA brokered the deal on behalf of HowStuffWorks and TenderfootTV.

“iHeartMedia has extraordinary reach and the ability to engage millions upon millions of listeners via its vast network of broadcast radio stations and its highly engaged digital user base,” said Conal Byrne, President and CEO of HowStuffWorks. “This partnership is an immense opportunity to accelerate the growth of our listenership and expose the next phase of Atlanta Monster to an entirely new audience, thirsty for true crime.”

“With Atlanta Monster, we really tried to explore and understand all the layers of what was an integral and transformative time in not just the city’s history, but the nation’s history,” said host, co-creator and Tenderfoot TV Co-Founder Payne Lindsey. “I think the success of the podcast proved that listeners want more of these true crime stories where we are dissecting not only harrowing, oftentimes tragic, events, but the complex people involved in them. The new season examines the narrative around one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, and we believe that our partnership with iHeartMedia will allow us to bring this fascinating story to a massive audience that only iHeart can provide.”

iHeartMedia is the No. 1 commercial radio podcaster in the U.S. and the largest publisher of podcasts in the country, featuring more than 750 original shows on the iHeartRadio Podcast Network. With iHeartRadio, listeners can enjoy their music and podcasts across more than 250 unique device platforms including in-car, in-home, on wearables, across gaming consoles and more – making their favorite audio content available everywhere they are, on the devices they use most. Visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to Atlanta Monster on your favorite device now.

About HowStuffWorks

HowStuffWorks is the leading for-profit publisher of entertaining and informative podcast content. With more than 30 brands, including Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Atlanta Monster and Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities, the HowStuffWorks team reaches a highly engaged fan base across multiple platforms and distribution partners and has amassed a library of more than 10,000 podcast episodes and driving more than 1 billion downloads to date. With this expansive and award-winning collection of audio podcasts, HowStuffWorks is ranked #2 in global downloads and streams. The company, founded in 1998, is headquartered in Atlanta and also operates studios and teams out of Los Angeles and New York. 

About Tenderfoot TV

Founded by Atlanta director and independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright, Tenderfoot TV is a hub for content creators and storytellers. The company launched in August 2016 with the release of the viral true crime podcast “Up and Vanished” and has since created podcasts including the number one hit podcast “Atlanta Monster” and “Sworn.” Together these podcasts amass over 235 million downloads in total, with “Up and Vanished” making up 200 million of those downloads and “Atlanta Monster” and “Sworn” cultivating the remaining 35 million downloads. Additionally, Tenderfoot will transition into the television space with Up and Vanished, as it is now in development with Propagate as a docu-series for Oxygen. Tenderfoot strives to tell compelling stories that connect with the audience, delivering those stories in an entertaining fashion that keeps the audience engaged. No rules. No creative restrictions.