Conrad Black: The Fleet Street Fleece | 154

Scamfluencers

Wondery

Society & Culture

4.1 • 7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 April 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Conrad Black turned ownership of a single Canadian newspaper into a global media empire, and he used his wealth and status to cozy up to conservative superstars like Magaret Thatcher and Henry Kissinger. For years, he and his business partner lived large, looted company coffers to buy gulf stream jets, fund pet charity projects, and of course, throw lavish parties with famous people. But when a savvy investor reveals his self-dealing, Conrad will face the fight of his life to preserve his status and stay in the black.

Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter

Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/scamfluencers/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, Scamplencers, listeners. If you're as hooked on these jaw-dropping schemes as we are,
0:04.6	you'll love Wondry Plus. Think of it as you're all access past the world of scams. Add free episodes,
0:10.6	early access, and exclusive deep dives that uncover even more shocking details. Don't just listen.
0:16.5	Immerse yourself in the chaos with Wondry Plus.
0:27.8	Sarah, what do you think when I say the words Conrad Black?
0:29.6	Oh my God, the boogeyman.
0:34.3	I mean, I feel like he just kind of hovered over our lives as Canadians.
0:38.6	I know that he was the publisher or the owner of National Post,
0:41.0	which is a newspaper, some might say.
0:42.7	Yeah, I did say a newspaper.
0:48.2	But, yeah, he was always in the news for going to court, fraud.
0:51.4	He's just like one of those people that you hear about when you're a kid and you're like, oh, yeah, that's adult stuff.
0:53.2	And then you become an adult and you're like, oh, bad man.
0:56.2	Yeah, his specter loomed very large.
0:58.8	He was like the Babaduke.
1:00.3	I was afraid of him all the time for some reason.
1:02.9	Definitely, scary guy.
1:04.6	Well, you know, I love when a scam brings us back home.
1:07.5	And this week, we're heading back to Canada to hear about one of our very own
1:11.9	fraudulent businessmen.
1:13.8	And Sarah, if you were hoping today's scammer would inexplicably be connected to every
1:18.2	living, evil person from the last three decades, I have a treat for you.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 13 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wondery, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Wondery and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.