FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — September 2, 2026 — Missouri writer and broadcaster Tony Michaels will launch Five Minutes in America, a new weekday series of original five-minute stories, on Monday, September 7, 2026.
Released as a podcast and available to radio stations through syndication, Five Minutes in America takes listeners to Coffman’s Landing, a fictional Missouri town shaped by lake-country life, working people and the communities Michaels knew growing up around Eldon and the Lake of the Ozarks.
“America has no shortage of people explaining what’s wrong with it,” Michaels said. “I wanted to tell stories about what still holds it together.”
Each episode tells a self-contained story about the people and places of Coffman’s Landing. Over time, those individual stories will build an accumulating portrait of a town and the generations of people who call it home.
The series explores work, memory, responsibility, dignity, disagreement, neighborliness and belonging through ordinary moments rather than political commentary or traditional news analysis.
“Coffman’s Landing is fictional, but the feeling behind it is real,” Michaels said. “It comes from growing up in Eldon, from the people I knew and from the Lake of the Ozarks always being there in the background.”
Michaels’s grandparents owned Coffman Beach Resort in Rocky Mount on property that is now a public boat launch. That family connection to the lake and its communities helped inspire both the name and the atmosphere of Coffman’s Landing.
A Town Built One Story at a Time
Although each installment can be heard on its own, recurring characters, businesses, streets and shared memories will gradually give Coffman’s Landing a history and identity of its own.
The brief format is designed to give listeners a complete story they can carry into the rest of their day.
The first published story, “The Fence,” offers an introduction to the voice and purpose of the series.
From Commentary to Storytelling
Michaels previously created more than 1,100 episodes of The Tony Michaels Podcast, covering American politics, constitutional accountability, concentrated power, democracy and working people.
Regular publication of that program ended in July 2026, while its complete archive remains available online.
Michaels now writes and produces The Coffman Chronicle and hosts Five Minutes in America and Along the Way. The new series represents a deliberate move toward using fiction, memory and character-driven storytelling to examine the experiences that connect people and communities.
“After years of talking about the forces pulling Americans apart, I wanted to spend some time telling stories about the things that keep people together,” Michaels said.
Podcast and Radio Availability
Five Minutes in America premieres Monday, September 7, 2026. New five-minute stories will be released each weekday.
The series can be followed at 5MinutesInAmerica.com.
Radio stations interested in carrying Five Minutes in America may contact Keith Rupnik of RadioLinx Broadcast Marketing at keith@radio-linx.com.
About Tony Michaels
Tony Michaels is a Missouri writer and broadcaster based in Jefferson City.
He grew up in Eldon near the Lake of the Ozarks and draws upon the people, places and working-class culture of rural Missouri in his storytelling. He writes and publishes The Coffman Chronicle and hosts Five Minutes in America and Along the Way.
His work blends humor, memory, civic life and the voices of working people.
About The Coffman Chronicle
The Coffman Chronicle is the publishing home of Tony Michaels and Five Minutes in America. It publishes original stories, columns, audio programs and commentary concerning work, dignity, liberty, citizenship and American life.
Visit TheCoffmanChronicle.com.
Media Resources
Approved cover art, a current Tony Michaels headshot, interview information, background materials and additional audio are available on the Press & Media page.
Media Contact
Tony Michaels
The Coffman Chronicle
thetonymichaels@gmail.com
Radio Syndication
Keith Rupnik
RadioLinx Broadcast Marketing
keith@radio-linx.com
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