American RadioWorks Exposes Nationís Capital as "Imperial Washington"
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American RadioWorks Exposes Nationís Capital as "Imperial Washington"
Documentary Reveals an Insular World of Privilege that Isolates Lawmakers from the People They Serve
(St. Paul, Minn.) January 4, 2007—American RadioWorks,® the award-winning documentary unit of American Public Media,™ today announced its current broadcast, "Imperial Washington."
The 110th Congress takes power this month, and in many ways, it will be a very different Congress than the one that preceded it. After years in the wilderness, Democrats will hold the balance of power in the House and the Senate. Yet no matter the party, when the new members of Congress reach Washington, the red carpet rolls out.
"Imperial Washington" from American RadioWorks looks at how power and money combine to make Washington an Imperial City, where the corridors of power are dominated by insiders intimate with palace rules. The documentary explores the last great frontier of congressional perks: travel that's funded by special interests. Listeners also get a first-hand account of what happens when a Washington rookie takes on veteran lobbyists.
TUNE IN: "Imperial Washington" will air on public radio stations nationwide in January. Check local listings for broadcast date and time.
WEB SITE: "Imperial Washington" has a companion Web site, http://www.americanradioworks.org/features/congress/, which includes the documentary's audio and transcript; a sample list of Congressional perks, observations about the Washington lobbying scene, reflections from a Congressional Quarterly reporter on the increasing sophistication of lobbying in the information age, and other links and resources.
American RadioWorks
Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, American RadioWorks is public radio's largest documentary production unit. It creates documentaries, series projects, and investigative reports for the public radio system and the Internet. American RadioWorks has staff journalists in Washington, D.C., Duluth, Minn., Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The American RadioWorks team features some of the most accomplished names in public radio journalism, including executive editor/correspondent Stephen Smith, economics correspondent Chris Farrell and host Ray Suarez.
Major funding for American RadioWorks is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.