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Media Releases
Mark Austin Thomas Named Co-Host of Marketplace Morning Report®
Contact: Brad Robideau
American Public Media
651-290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
Mark Austin Thomas Named Co-Host of Marketplace Morning Report®
(Los Angeles) February 10, 2006—óMark Austin Thomas has been named co-host of American Public Media's Marketplace Morning Report, effective March 6. With nearly 30 years of experience in public and commercial radio, Thomas joins Scott Jagow as one of the Marketplace Morning Report's two permanent hosts.
"We are thrilled to bring Mark's talent to Marketplace," said J.J. Yore, executive producer of Marketplace and vice president of programming at American Public Media. "His longtime experience in radio, both on and off the air, is a tremendous asset to us. Most importantly, Mark is one of most personable individuals we have ever met. We know our listeners will agree."
Before joining Marketplace, Thomas was the midday anchor at KPCC, Southern California Public Radio. He has served as news director at several radio stations, including KFI, and was program director at KLAC, both located in Los Angeles. Thomas was also senior supervising editor on National Public Radio's "The Tavis Smiley Show."
"Marketplace is the perfect home for me," said Thomas. "My passion is being on the air reaching and connecting with listeners. Marketplace's commitment to its listeners reflects that passion. Not only does Marketplace deliver the latest business and economic news in a style all its own, it helps listeners make sense of the news and understand what it means for them."
About Marketplace
Marketplace is a portfolio of programs that includes the Marketplace weekday afternoon program, the weekday Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money, an hour-long weekend program focusing on personal finance. The programs are heard each week by approximately eight million listeners according to Arbitron estimates — more than any other business program on radio or television.
In its 18th year, Los Angeles-based Marketplace has won numerous awards, including an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia award and a George Foster Peabody award. Marketplace segments revolve around money and business, people, local economies and the world with the signature Marketplace sound and wit. Marketplace desks include Entrepreneurship; Sustainability; Innovation in Raleigh, N.C., in partnership with WUNC; Work and Family; Health in partnership with WGBH in Boston; and the Americaís Desk in Miami, Fla., in partnership with WLRN. Marketplace also has bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., London and Beijing.
American Public Media™ is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.1 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home Companion,® Weekend America,® Saint Paul Sunday,® Marketplace,® Marketplace Money,® The Splendid Table,® Being® and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® American Public Media is the national production and distribution division of Minnesota Public RadioÆ. Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
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Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.Fall 2004 and Spring 2005
Oregon Public Broadcasting to add Being to its Sunday radio programming schedule in February
CONTACT: Carol Howard, Oregon Public Broadcasting
503-977-7751
Jennifer Syltie Johnson, American Public Media
651-290-1071
Oregon Public Broadcasting to add Beingto its Sunday radio programming schedule in February
Portland, Ore. — Jan. 31, 2006 — Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) will add Being with Krista Tippett—public radio's premiere national program about religion, meaning, ethics and ideas-to its Sunday broadcasting schedule starting Feb. 12, 2006. The program will air each Sunday at 7 p.m. on OPB radio frequencies across the state.
Being does not always have "religion" itself as a subject. Week after week, it grapples with themes of American life—asking how perspectives of faith might distinctively inform and illuminate our public conversation. It is produced and distributed by American Public Media.
As host of Being, Tippett has been credited with creating a new way to discuss religion in America, first by probing her guests on the experience behind their own personal beliefs, then asking them to articulate the important ideas and relevant perspectives that faith can add to private and public life. The result illuminates how perspectives of theology, spirituality and ethics can enrich our common deliberation on topics in the news and in our lives.
Tippett is a journalist and former diplomat with a master's of divinity degree from Yale University. She is a graduate of Brown University, and a former Fulbright Scholar. Before creating Being, she consulted with a number of organizations, including the internationally renowned Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at Saint John's Abbey and University. Earlier in her career, she wrote and reported for a number of international news organizations, including the New York Times, Newsweek, the International Herald Tribune, ABC and the BBC. She is currently at work on her first book.
Scott Jagow Named Host of Marketplace Morning Report®
Contact: Jennifer Syltie Johnson
American Public Media
651-290-1071
jjohnson@americanpublicmedia.org
Scott Jagow Named Host of Marketplace Morning Report®
(Los Angeles) January 20, 2006 — Veteran host and reporter Scott Jagow has been named one of two permanent hosts of American Public Mediaís Marketplace Morning Report. Jagow has served as interim host since August 2005 when Kai Ryssdal was named host of the Marketplace and Marketplace Money programs.
"We are excited about Scott's new role at Marketplace. He has a great background in both radio and TV journalism. But what got him one of the signature jobs at Marketplace was his wry sense of humor and his willingness to take creative risks," said J.J. Yore, executive producer of Marketplace and vice president of programming at American Public Media. "Scott also will play a key role in our reinvention of the Marketplace Morning Report to make it even more global, more responsive to breaking news, and more inventive in its sound."
Before joining Marketplace in October of 2004, Jagow was the local host of Morning Edition at WFAE in Charlotte, N.C. It was his involvement with public radio that drew him to Marketplace.
"I would hear the Marketplace Morning Report twice a day, plus the weekday evening Marketplace show and think, 'they sound like they are having a blast out there'," said Jagow. "I loved the writing and the humor and the style. When it was time for me to leave WFAE, I looked at a few places, but I had my heart set on Marketplace." Jagow will work alongside a second host of Marketplace Morning Report to be named soon.
About Marketplace
Marketplace is a portfolio of programs that includes the Marketplace weekday afternoon program, the weekday Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money, an hour-long weekend program focusing on personal finance. The programs are heard each week by approximately eight million listeners according to Arbitron estimates — more than any other business program on radio or television.
In its 16th year, Los Angeles-based Marketplace has won numerous awards, including an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia award and a George Foster Peabody award. Marketplace segments revolve around money and business, people, local economies and the world with the signature Marketplace sound and wit. Marketplace desks include Entrepreneurship; Sustainability; Innovation in Raleigh, N.C., in partnership with WUNC; Work and Family; Health in partnership with WGBH in Boston; and the Americaís Desk in Miami, Fla., in partnership with WLRN. Marketplace also has bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., London and Beijing.
Pat Loeb Named Editor for Popular Public Radio Program, Weekend America
Contact: Jennifer Johnson
jjohnson@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Pat Loeb Named Editor for Popular Public Radio Program, Weekend America
( Los Angeles ) January 12, 2006 — Veteran reporter and editor Pat Loeb has been appointed an editor of American Public Media's Weekend America, the live two-hour weekend radio magazine that broadcasts to stations nationwide. Loeb's experience will bring a new depth to the program, drawing upon her knowledge and flair for cultures and issues both American and international.
"Pat is a seasoned journalist whose broad experience includes domestic and foreign assignments for major print and radio operations," said Weekend America Executive Producer Jim Russell. "We're fortunate to have someone of her caliber and experience joining our editorial staff."
Loeb began her career at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, where she served as a reporter and producer throughout the Eighties. Loeb next moved to Manila, Philippines, and worked as a foreign correspondent for three years; her reports from the region were broadcast on NPR, VOA, CBC, BBC, RTE and ABC ( Australia ).
From 1998-2002, Loeb worked for the Pew Center for Civic Journalism, writing most of the Center's newsletter and other publications, including two books. Since 2000, Loeb has also worked as a reporter for the Washington Post, covering public schools and youth issues for the publication.
"I wanted to work on Weekend America because I am, first of all, a fan of the show," said Loeb. "It is a thrill and an honor to be part of the team that is putting out such a consistently interesting, surprising and creative show."
About Weekend America
Weekend America is a two-hour program designed to fit the weekend state of mind. The program, hosted by Barbara Bogaev and Bill Radke, features short, entertaining segments on newsmakers, issues of the day and the arts. Weekend America is smart radio that fits into every Saturday routine, offering listeners thoughtful, engaging stories produced by the best radio talent across the country. Weekend America reflects America back to itselfóits people, places and activities.
Pipedreams, Public Radio's Celebration of the Pipe Organ, to Present a Live Event from the University of Nevada — Las Vegas on January 8, 2006
Contact: Christina Schmitt
(651) 290-1449
cschmitt@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Pipedreams, Public Radio's Celebration of the Pipe Organ, to Present a Live Event from the University of Nevada — Las Vegas on January 8, 2006
WHAT: Pipedreams, American Public Media's weekly celebration of pipe organs, comes to Las Vegas to present "Around Bach" — an annotated concert of organ music by and inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach. Pipedreams host and producer Michael Barone will appear as master-of-ceremonies for this event.
The program's centerpiece is the recently installed Beckerath mechanical action pipe organ, which resides in the Doc Rando recital hall at the University of Nevada. Eight regional organists, hailing from Nevada, Arizona, Utah and California, will perform during the evening. The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on Pipedreams.
This Pipedreams event coincides with the American Guild of Organists mid-winter conclave in Las Vegas Jan. 8-12. For more information about the AGO, go to www.agohq.org.
About Pipedreams
Broadcast for more than 20 years, Pipedreams is the only weekly radio program that explores the full range, art and potential of the pipe organ. Each week, Pipedreams host Michael Barone shares selected organ works and performances with listeners, and in doing so, encourages them to engage both their ears and imaginations in a greater appreciation of this instrument. He talks with composers, organists, organ builders and restorers. The show features brand new instruments in churches and concert halls, plus historic pipe organs recorded in locations around the world, from ancient instruments in vast cathedrals to the "Mighty Wurlitzers" of movie house fame.
Pipedreams is recorded and distributed nationwide by American Public Media. For more information about the program, go to pipedreams.publicradio.org/.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, January 8, 2006
WHERE: University of Nevada Beem Music Center, Doc Rando recital hall, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas
TICKETS: Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the venue the day of show
TUNE IN: Pipedreams can be heard weekly in the Las Vegas at 10 p.m. Sunday evenings on KCNV 89.7 FM.
The Wild, Wild East: Marektplace Radio Shows to Broadcast Live From China for Two Weeks
Contact: Eric Davis, Haberman & Assoc.
612-372-6447
eric@habermaninc.com
Jennifer Syltie Johnson, American Public Media
651-290-1071
jjohnson@americanpublicmedia.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Wild, Wild East:
Marektplace Radio Shows to Broadcast
Live From China for Two Weeks
Jan. 9-20: Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money will Explore the Growing Impact of China on Global Economy, People's Everyday Lives
Los Angeles — Dec. 20, 2005 — In a far-reaching exploration of China's "capitalist" revolution, American Public Media's Marketplace will broadcast live from China Jan. 9-20, 2006 — covering China through the stories of everyday Chinese citizens who each in their own way are influencing the global economy.
Marketplace will present all three of its shows live, with teams broadcasting from Shanghai, Chongqing (the world's largest city with 31 million people), and other locations throughout the country.
In a nation where economic and cultural change are happening at whiplash speed, Marketplace will turn to the in-depth stories of a variety of individuals — entrepreneurs starting businesses, rural migrant workers making the journey to the big city, young consumers demanding choices and the rising middle class grappling with sudden wealth — to help its audience understand the implications of China on our lives. Among the issues and topics to be explored:
- Speeding Up the World: Chinese don't wait on contracts to seal deals and snap up opportunities. If the Chinese accelerate the speed of business worldwide, will it threaten the U.S. standard of living, or does it drive us to new heights of innovation?
- The Great Mall of China: How e-commerce in China combines shared laptops in a town square with bike messengers delivering goods C.O.D.
- The Most Powerful Me Generation: Chinese youth are the biggest and perhaps the most extreme "me generation" in history. Some say they are materialistic and selfish, but that may be a good thing.
- Countering Counterfeits: U.S. movie executives spy on Chinese stores where counterfeiting of their goods runs rampant. While there, they buy cheap knock-offs anyway. Still, does the massive influx of counterfeit goods actually increase demand for the real things?
- Green China: Chinese cities are polluted and getting worse. But is China at a crossroads? Pressure to clean up its environment could lead to innovation making China the world's first green economy, gaining a unique competitive edge on the U.S.
- The Sea Turtle Start-Up: "Sea turtle" is what the Chinese call a person who lives abroad for years and then returns to China. Follow one sea turtle entrepreneur who returned home from Maryland after learning about China's friendlier business climate. Skilled at launching businesses, he found himself in an entirely different game with no clear rules.
- A Typical Chinese Budget: How the Chinese spend and save money vs. Americans (Hint: the Chinese are doing a much better job managing their personal finances.)
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Full details on the series will be forthcoming on marketplace.org and apmstations.org.
Kai Ryssdal Leads Coverage of Chinese Economy, Business Culture
Conversational in Mandarin and intimately familiar with China, host Kai Ryssdal will bring listeners along as only he and Marketplace can in a series featuring contributions and expert insight from economists, Chinese and American business executives, acclaimed authors, journalists from leading business media and the entire Marketplace news and production team.
"This is not only the most ambitious series in Marketplace's history, but also one of the most important," Ryssdal said. "When I went back to China a few months ago, it was a different place from when I lived there even just eight years ago. And I could see more clearly than ever how understanding the hopes, dreams and fears of 1.3 billion Chinese will change the business, economic and cultural landscape not only in the U.S., but around the world. And that's the story we'll be telling when we broadcast from China."
About Marketplace
Marketplace is a portfolio of programs that includes the Marketplace weekday afternoon program, the weekday Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money, an hour-long weekend program focusing on personal finance. The programs are heard each week by approximately eight million listeners according to Arbitron estimates — more than any other business program on radio or television.
# # #
Sources: Members of the Marketplace news team and experts who contribute to this series are available for interview on this series and on any other stories you may be developing on the economic impact of China. Please contact us to arrange.
Public Radio Veteran Ray Suarez Named Host for American RadioWorks, American Public Media's Documentary Unit
Contact: Jennifer Johnson
(651) 290-1071
jjohnson@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Public Radio Veteran Ray Suarez Named Host for American RadioWorks, American Public Media's Documentary Unit
(St. Paul, Minn.) December 13. 2005 — Veteran broadcaster Ray Suarez has been named host of American RadioWorks, public radio's largest documentary production team. Suarez, who has 25 years of broadcast news experience, begins work in January with the American RadioWorks documentary "Intelligent Designs on Evolution." Suarez is also a senior correspondent for public television's Newshour with Jim Lehrer.
"Ray Suarez is one of the nation's most talented hosts working in broadcast journalism today." said Bill Buzenberg, American Public Media senior vice president for news. "American RadioWorks is enormously pleased to add the power of Ray's journalistic voice to public radioís premier documentary production center. Itís an opportunity for further growth and increased significance for documentaries on public radio nationwide. Public radio stations and audiences will be pleased to have Ray contributing at such an important level."
For many years, Suarez was host of National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation. His journalism career has included assignments in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, London and Rome. He is the author of The Old Neighborhood — What we Lost in the Great Suburban Migration: 1966-1999 (1999).
American RadioWorks (ARW) is the documentary unit of American Public Media. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, ARW has staff journalists in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles and Durham, N.C. The hour-long documentaries produced by American RadioWorks are distributed by American Public Media to public radio stations across the country. American RadioWorks also produces investigative reports and in-depth projects for international newsmagazines, including Marketplace, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, The World and BBC radio.
The Rothko Chapel Presents "Must Religion Divide Us? The Problems and Promises of Being in America Today"
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
The Rothko Chapel Presents "Must Religion Divide Us? The Problems and Promises of Being in America Today"
An Evening with Krista Tippett, Host of American Public Media's Weekly Public Radio Program Being January 23, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Houston — Dec. 9, 2005 — The Rothko Chapel will present Krista Tippett, creator and host of the national weekly public radio program Being in a lecture entitled, "Must Religion Divide Us? The Problems and Promises of Being in America Today." The event will be held Monday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
In light of religion's role in some of today's worst problems and the confusion that often results when religious voices enter in the public debate, Tippett will examine why there is such a chasm between the purpose of religion and its effect on our public life.
Tippett's presentation will be based on her experience as host of public radio's weekly national conversation about religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas — and from the perspectives she has drawn from her numerous interviews with theologians and scientists, politicians and poets on her program.
As host of Being, Tippett has been credited with creating a new way to discuss religion in American life, first by probing her guests on the experience behind their own personal beliefs, then asking them to articulate the important ideas and relevant perspectives that faith can add to private and public life. The result is an open-hearted conversation that illuminates how perspectives on theology, spirituality and ethics can enrich our common deliberation on topics in the news and in our lives.
Tippett is a journalist and former diplomat with a master's of divinity degree from Yale University. She is a graduate of Brown University, and a former Fulbright Scholar. Before creating Being, she consulted with a number of organizations, including the internationally renowned Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at Saint John's Abbey and University. Earlier in her career, she wrote and reported for a number of international news organizations, including the New York Times, Newsweek, the International Herald Tribune, ABC and the BBC. She is currently at work on her first
"Einstein and the Mind of God," Special Two-Part Series on Being Examining Albert Einstein's Legacy To Be Broadcast on Public Radio in December
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
"Einstein and the Mind of God," Special Two-Part Series on Being Examining Albert Einstein's Legacy To Be Broadcast on Public Radio in December
(St. Paul, Minn.) December 2, 2005 — Being with Krista Tippett — public radio's premiere national program about religion, meaning, and ethics — will air a special two-part series — "Einstein and the Mind of God," commemorating the centennial anniversary of some of the scientist's most important discoveries. "Einstein and the Mind of God" will examine the ideas of one of the world's greatest scientific geniuses, including his thoughts on religion, his relationship to Judaism and his belief that the beauty of the cosmos ultimately reveals truths that the scientific mind alone cannot penetrate. Being, acclaimed as a new paradigm for discussing religion in American life, is produced and distributed by American Public Media. The two hour-long programs, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, will be broadcast the second and third weeks of December (check local listings) and nationally on XM satellite radio. Both programs will be accompanied by an extensive exclusive Web treatment at www.speakingoffaith.org.
One hundred years ago, a 26-year-old examiner in the Swiss Patent office in Bern turned mankind’s notions of the universe inside out. That young scientist, Albert Einstein, opened our eyes to the idea that time and space were not fixed and absolute, but elastic and mutable, and that they exist in relationship with unfolding life.
Einstein spent the rest of his years seeking to comprehend what he called the order "deeply hidden behind everything" and to describe it mathematically. He often spoke of this — half-seriously, half-whimsically — as his longing to understand "what God was thinking."
Today there is no thornier subject than the intersection of science and religion. Is there room for a dialogue between them? Krista Tippett's interviews suggest that a new conversation between science and religion is not only possible but necessary. This series on Einstein captures that energy and turns it toward the most significant scientific figure of the 20th century.
"Many of us have heard of the famous Einstein quip that God does not play dice with the universe," says Being host Krista Tippett, “and there are many possible ways to interpret that. I've wanted to know what Einstein meant when he said it, as a physicist." Tippett adds that few figures in modern history inspire as much fascination or wield as much influence as Einstein. His spiritual perspective is especially intriguing and relatively little-discussed.
The Being series draws liberally on Einstein's own words, as documented in speeches and writings. Part one, "Einstein's God" takes Einstein's science as a starting point for exploring his perspective on ideas such as mystery, eternity and the mind of God; part two, "Einstein's Ethics" delves into Einstein's Jewish identity, his passionate engagement around issues of war and race and modern extensions of his ethical and scientific perspectives.
Program interviews, on air and online, include:
— Theoretical physicist and futurist Freeman Dyson, professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where Einstein spent the last two decades of his life. Dyson's books include Disturbing the Universe; and The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet.
— Physicist, cosmologist and astrobiologist Paul Davies of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at Macquarie University. His research has ranged from the origin of the universe to the origin of life, and includes the properties of black holes, the nature of time and quantum field theory. Davies won the Templeton Prize on progress in science and religion in 1995. His books include The Mind of God and About Time: Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution.
— Science writer Tom Levenson of MIT. Levenson has authored several books on science, technology and history, including the widely acclaimed biography Einstein in Berlin. He produced the television documentary "Einstein Revealed" for NOVA.
— Physicist Sylvester James Gates, Jr. of the University of Maryland. Gates works in string theory — a modern extension and variant on the unfinished work of Einstein's later life, towards a theory to unify all the forces of nature.
— Theoretical astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan of Yale. Her work involves cosmology, gravitational lensing, black holes and accretion physics.
Being's treatment of Einstein is part of a larger, ongoing exploration of the relationship between science and religion. Past programs — all of which can be heard online at www.speakingoffaith.org — include "Science and Hope," with South African cosmologist George Ellis; "Quarks and Creation," with physicist and theologian John Polkinghorne; and "Science and Being," with biologist Carl Feit, computer scientist Anne Foerst and geneticist Lyndon Eaves.
"Einstein’s God" will air on public radio stations nationwide from December 8-14. "Einstein’s Ethics" will air the following week, December 15-21. Visit www.speakingoffaith.org and check your local listings for a list of broadcast locations and times.
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Helps to Establish an Entrepreneurship Desk For American Public Media's Marketplace® Public Radio Program
Contact: Jennifer Syltie Johnson
American Public Media
651-290-1071
Wendy Guillies
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
816-932-1046
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Helps to Establish an Entrepreneurship Desk For American Public Media's Marketplace® Public Radio Program
(St. Paul, MN) November 21, 2005 — The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Kansas City, Missouri-based private foundation established by pharmaceutical entrepreneur Ewing Marion Kauffman, will support a new Entrepreneurship Desk at American Public Media's Marketplace programs. The grant announcement was made by Bill Kling, president and CEO, Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media Group. The Kauffman grant of $375,700 will enable coverage of breaking news and trends in business, finance and the economy affected by entrepreneurial activities.
The three Marketplace programs are heard by approximately eight million listeners each week on more than 330 public radio stations across the country. The Marketplace portfolio includes the 30-minute weekday afternoon Marketplace, and its companion 10-minute Marketplace Morning Report and the weekend personal finance program Marketplace Money. Marketplace has the largest audience of any business program on radio or television.
"As an entrepreneurial organization, American Public Media is particularly honored by the Kauffman Foundation's investment in our coverage of entrepreneurship," said Kling. "This partnership and the Foundation's support of Marketplace's Entrepreneurship Desk will help inform public radio listeners about one of the most dynamic and important economic forces in our nation."
In its 16th year, Los Angeles-based Marketplace has won numerous awards, including an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Baton and a George Foster Peabody Award. Marketplace segments revolve around money and business, people, local economies and the world with the signature Marketplace sound and wit. Other Marketplace desks include Sustainability; Innovation in Raleigh, N.C., in partnership with WUNC; Work and Family; Health in partnership with WGBH in Boston; and the America's Desk in Miami, Fla., in partnership with WLRN. Marketplace also has bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., London and Beijing.
"We are grateful to the Kauffman Foundation for support of the Entrepreneurship Desk," said J.J. Yore, executive producer of Marketplace and vice president of programming at American Public Media. "Marketplace's Entrepreneurship Desk will produce programming ranging from features, commentary to breaking news. The broadcasts will include the voices and views of entrepreneurs in finance, banks, venture capital and other segments of the economy and society." In addition, the Marketplace Web site will offer expanded content on the topic, searchable archives and access to transcripts and podcasting.
"Given the significant innovations, jobs and wealth entrepreneurs create for Americans and the American economy, it's fitting to have educational news coverage devoted to the important role entrepreneurs play and the issues that affect them," said Carl J. Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. "We're pleased to fund Marketplace's Entrepreneurship Desk as part of our mission to advance entrepreneurship and raise awareness of the critical contributions entrepreneurs make every day."
Since 1992, the Kauffman Foundation has worked nationwide to catalyze an entrepreneurial society in which job creation, innovation and the economy flourish. The Foundation works with leading educators, researchers and other partners to broaden understanding of the powerful economic impact of entrepreneurship, train the nation's next generation of entrepreneurial leaders, develop and disseminate proven programs that enhance entrepreneurial skills and improve the environment in which entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. More information about the Kauffman Foundation is available at www.kauffman.org.
Esteemed Documentary Unit American RadioWorks® Sets Schedule for Fall Specials
Esteemed Documentary Unit American RadioWorks® Sets Schedule for Fall Specials
Fall Lineup Includes 'Finding Home: 50 Years of International Adoption' and 'Las Vegas: An Unconventional History'
St. Paul, Minn., Oct. 20 — American RadioWorks,® the documentary unit of America Public Media, announces its fall lineup of radio documentaries. In October, American RadioWorks will cover the 50-year history of international adoption in America. In early November, American RadioWorks, in a joint project with the PBS' American Experience, will look at Las Vegas as it celebrates its 100th birthday — and its unconventional history.
Program Summaries
Late October
"e;Finding Home: 50 Years of International Adoption"e;
The international adoption rate has tripled in the past decade, with morethan 20,000 children joining American families each year. The flow ofchildren began 50 years ago with Korean war orphans. Their experiences have helped shape the way families approach international adoption today, fueling a new effort to help children connect with their birth culture. This documentary explores their stories and travels with a family to Guatemala to visit a child's biological mother. It also discusses a new risk for families adopting from abroad: Unscrupulous operators using the Internet to prey on parents longing for a child.
November
"Las Vegas — an Unconventional History" commemorates the 100th anniversary of Las Vegas with a sweeping look at the city's dramatic past. Drawing upon compelling interviews with historians, journalists and cultural commentators, as well as rich archival sound, the program highlights Las Vegas' ongoing role as a barometer of American values, aspirations and ideals.
Check local public radio listings for broadcast dates and times.
MURKY WATERS
Contact: Jennifer Johnson
(651) 290-1071
jjohnson@mpr.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Contact: Katie King
(202) 481-1234
kking@publicintegrity.org
www.publicintegrity.org
MURKY WATERS
A Private Foundation Tied to Red Lobster's Parent Company Paid for House Resource Committee Chairman Richard Pombo's Trips Abroad. Did They Violate the Tax Code?
The Center for Public Integrity and American Public Media's Marketplace will report on Tuesday that the International Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources paid for two foreign trips costing more than $23,000
(Washington, D.C.) Oct. 18, 2005 — The Center for Public Integrity has discovered that a powerful member of Congress may have violated tax law by accepting international trips paid for by a non-profit private foundation called the International Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources.
The IFCNR is bankrolled in large part by the parent company of Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurant chains, Orlando-based Darden Restaurants. From 2000 to 2004, Darden has given IFCNR a total of $574,000, more than a third of its total support. The IFCNR has no staff and its headquarters are located at a home address, yet tax returns claim money for "Leasehold Improvements," "Fence," and "Flooring."
The IRS precludes private, non-profit foundations like the IFCNR from funding international travel by government officials and has potentially stiff penalties if trip costs are not reimbursed. The report, a joint effort of the Center for Public Integrity (www.publicintegrity.org) and Marketplace's "Power Trips" series with American RadioWorks (http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/congtravel/), examines the highly unusual organizational structure and business activities of IFCNR.
The IFCNR, whose Web site features numerous articles that attack animal rights groups, paid for a November 2000 trip to New Zealand and a May 2002 trip to Japan for U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.). Since then, Pombo pushed legislation that critics claim will gut the Endangered Species Act. His staffers have also drafted a working document that suggests some national parks be sold off for development to close the budget gap.
The Center for Public Integrity report includes:
— A chart listing IFCNR's donors and how much they donated
— Links to PDF documents showing IRS rules on paying taxes for foreign trips and copies of the IFCNR's tax filings
— Links to the text of Pombo's bill to amend the Endangered Species Act recently passed by the House— An audio file of Steve Henn's interview with IFCNR President Emeritus Stephen Boynton.
To find local times and stations to hear this report on Marketplace, go to http://marketplace.publicradio.org/about/stations/marketplace_pm.html.
To listen to the streaming audio, visit the Marketplace home page, http://marketplace.publicradio.org/.
Members of the public can examine the records of their own — or all — members of Congress using the searchable, Web-based database at the "Power Trips" page (link supplied above). "Power Trips" is the result of a partnership with American Public Media's Marketplace, its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks and Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism.
The series put the spotlight on some of Congress' most frequent flyers and the groups that most often funded them, revealing that members of Congress have taken more than 4,800 trips funded by private groups at a price tag of $14.4 million.
The Center for Public Integrity conducts investigative research and reporting on public policy issues in the United States and around the world. Through objective and thorough analyses, the Center hopes to serve as an honest broker of information and to inspire a better-informed citizenry that can demand a higher level of accountability from government, elected leaders, and industry. Since 1990, the Center, an independent, nonprofit organization, has released more than 275 investigative reports and 14 books. In just the past eight years the Center has been honored more than 30 times by, among others, PEN USA, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the Society of Professional Journalists and the George Polk Awards.
American Public Media™ is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home Companion,® Weekend America,® Saint Paul Sunday,® Marketplace,® Marketplace Money,® The Splendid Table,® Being® and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® American Public Media is the national production and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio.® Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.
Fall 2004
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CPB to Provide Funding for "Weekend America"
CPB to Provide Funding for "Weekend America"
- Helping Public Radio Serve an Evolving Weekend Audience
For Immediate Release: October 13, 2005
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) today announced a $1.6 million grant for Minnesota Public Radio to support "Weekend America."
"Weekend America" is a two-hour program whose coverage of current events, music, arts, science and other topics is designed to cater to Americans' weekend pace. Broadcast nationally for a year, "Weekend America" reaches a weekly audience of 580,500 on more than 140 stations nationwide.
"CPB is proud to support 'Weekend America' — one of public radio's most innovative national programs," said CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison. "By allowing stations to carry two hours of the show or to use it as a formatted block of programming, 'Weekend America' enables stations to meet the evolving needs of local listeners and strengthen their connection to community."
"Minnesota Public Radio is grateful for CPB's continued support of 'Weekend America'," said Jim Russell, Senior Vice President and General Manager of New Program Development for Minnesota Public Radio. "The program has surpassed its goals and projections, and the talented program staff led by Barbara Bogaev and Bill Radke has successfully blended a style and sound that is at once 'public radio' and 'weekend.' We're still creating and refining, and we thank CPB for its faith that we could and will continue to add value by strengthening public radio's weekend appeal."
Bill Kling, President and CEO of Minnesota Public Radio, said "'Weekend America' is smart, engaging and allows America to reflect on itself, its culture and its variety of weekend life through the connection that it provides for listeners. We are pleased with its success and look forward to continued audience growth of this live national program."
Target Corporation is the founding sponsor of "Weekend America."
CPB, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,000 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related on-line services.
Minnesota Public Radio® operates a 37-station radio network serving virtually all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states and produces programming for radio, Internet and face-to-face audiences. Programs produced by Minnesota Public Radio and its national production and distribution arm, American Public MediaT, reach 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. American Public Media is the country's second-biggest producer of national public radio programs, with a portfolio including A Prairie Home Companion®, Weekend America®, Saint Paul Sunday®, Marketplace®, Marketplace Money®, The Splendid Table®, Being™ and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks® .
Contact Information:
Michael Levy
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
press@cpb.org or (202) 879-9758
Jennifer Syltie Johnson
Minnesota Public Radio
jjohnson@mpr.org or (651) 290-1071
American Public Media's Being Awarded Significant Grants from Lilly Endowment and the George Family Foundation
American Public Media's Being Awarded Significant Grants from Lilly Endowment and the George Family Foundation
Funding will support initiatives and products to drive audience growth and extend educational value of Being content
(St. Paul, Minn.) — Oct. 3, 2005 — In support of its achievement as public radio's paradigm-breaking national conversation on belief, meaning and ethics, American Public Media's Being has been awarded more than $450,000 in funding from two organizations — the Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Minneapolis-based George Family Foundation.
Lilly Endowment, in its first-ever grant to American Public Media and Being, will support research and business development toward new platforms of distribution and educational products related to Being content as a resource for teaching and discussion.
"What makes Being so special is the fact that it takes people's faith very seriously," said Craig Dykstra, Endowment senior vice president for religion. "In listening to the marvelous conversations Krista Tippett holds with her always thoughtful guests, we are provided rare opportunities to discern what motivates and shapes human lives at the deepest levels. We hope our grant will enable this program to stimulate similarly rich conversations in many congregations and other religious and civic institutions all across the country."
The George Family Foundation, which has provided operating support for Being since its inception, is adding additional funding to accelerate audience growth as the program moves into its third year of weekly distribution.
"The George Family Foundation is pleased and proud to partner with American Public Media in supporting their groundbreaking show Being," said Penny George, president of the George Family Foundation. "Listening to Krista's intimate, probing interviews with thoughtful leaders and ordinary citizens about the role and impact of faith in everyday life is a rich and rare opportunity to learn and reflect about our lives and our society. We are pleased to help make this exceptional programming more widely available throughout the U.S.
"These two grants are critical to our plans to take Being into its next stage of growth — making this new paradigm of conversation about religion and ethics more widely known and more accessible," said Krista Tippett, host of Being. "Now we can respond to the demand we've had from the beginning to make these programs practically useful for individuals and families, religious educators and discussion groups of all kinds. We couldn't be more grateful for this support."
Being, which recently celebrated its second year of weekly, national production, is carried on 118 stations nationwide. Being is also supported by the Ford Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John Templeton Foundation and Faith and Values Media.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family — J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli — through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. It is, however, a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. Its three primary areas of giving are religion, community development and education.
About the George Family Foundation
The George Family Foundation fosters human development — spiritual, intellectual, physical and psychological — to enhance the work of people and organizations devoted to exemplary service in the community. The foundation's guiding philosophy is to invest in values, ethics and character formation; to support the efforts of those who are successfully making a difference in people's lives; and to help build the communities in which we live.
THE SPLENDID TABLE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS ON THE AIR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Deborah Broide
(973) 744-2030
Deborahpub@aol.com
THE SPLENDID TABLE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS ON THE AIR
(St Paul, MN)... September 27: The Splendid Table® from American Public Media, public radio's only national food program, will celebrate its 10th season on October 7. The one-hour lifestyle program, hosted by multi-awarding winning Lynne Rossetto Kasper, is not just a cooking show. It's an often irreverent, and always entertaining take on life's pleasures, exploring every curious angle of America's favorite voyeur sport — eating.
Each week, Lynne, who is also a best-selling cookbook writer, takes listeners on a sensual romp of tastes, sounds and scents — from the Saltmen of Tibet, to the Dubai restaurant scene, to a sassy hotdog stand on the streets of New York. She talks with everyone who has anything to do with what we eat — chefs and writers, farmers and filmmakers, scientists and historians, anthropologists and artisans, and most of all to her listeners who call in every week.
Now heard on more than 165 public radio stations across the country, The Splendid Table began as a regional radio show in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Lynne's popularity — her listeners are very vocal about their support — led to branching out into the national radio arena. Ten years later, The Splendid Table is still a one-of-a-kind program.
Station carriage for The Splendid Table has gone up 64 percent the past few years. And while there's a huge new influx of tv cooking shows, radio does something that those shows simply can't — makes food in all its dimensions totally accessible. Lynne is a storyteller first and tuning into her show — at home, in the car, in the garden — is like visiting with a good friend.
The 11th season of The Splendid Table kicks off with two — one hour specials recorded with Lynne in Italy the weekends of October 7 and 14. The Splendid Table is produced and distributed by American Public Media,™ the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA'S MARKETPLACE HEADS TO NEW YORK CITY FROM MONDAY, OCT. 24 THROUGH FRIDAY, OCT. 28
Contact: Aimee Gautreau
914-238-2698
Aimee.gautreau@verizon.net
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA'S MARKETPLACE HEADS TO NEW YORK CITY FROM MONDAY, OCT. 24 THROUGH FRIDAY, OCT. 28
Host Kai Ryssdal to ring NYSE closing bell Monday, Oct. 24, to kick off week of special broadcasts from New York City
(St. Paul, Minn.) Sept. 19, 2005 — American Public Media's Marketplace and its new host, Kai Ryssdal, are heading from Los Angeles to New York City in late October. Bringing its distinctive sound and fresh perspective on "business news for the rest of us," Marketplace will broadcast from the Big Apple for a week of special programs that will explore the massive change at the New York Stock Exchange, whether making it in New York is worth it these days and the career life for women on Wall Street's predominately male populated world.
Ryssdal, host since August 2005, will bring to the broadcasts his diverse background and experiences, including a varied career as a member of the United States Foreign Service in Canada and China, as a pilot for the United States Navy and as a briefing officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.
In its 16th year, Marketplace offers "business news for the rest of us." Segments revolve around money and business, people, local economies and the world with the signature Marketplace sound and wit. Marketplace has six domestic bureaus dedicated to covering specific areas of national interest:
- Los Angeles, Calif. is the home base of the portfolio of Marketplace programs Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money
- New York, N.Y. bureau
- Health Desk based in Boston, Mass. in partnership with WGBH 89.7 FM
- America's Desk in Miami, Fla., in partnership with WLRN 91.3 FM
- Innovation Desk in Raleigh, N.C.
- Washington, D.C. bureau
Marketplace also has international bureaus in London and Beijing.
Marketplace is part of a portfolio of programs including Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money. The trio of programs is heard each week by approximately 8 million listeners according to Arbitron estimates — more than any other business program on radio or television. The only national daily business news program originating from the West Coast, Marketplace airs early evening on weekdays on more than 330 public radio stations nationwide.
American Public Media™ is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home Companion,® Weekend America,® Saint Paul Sunday,® Marketplace,® Marketplace Money,® The Splendid Table,® Being® and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks®, American Public Media is the national production and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio®. Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
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Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.
Fall 2004
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA TO PRESENT A WEEK OF CONCERTS FROM THE WORLD-RENOWNED BBC PROMS
Contact: Ashley Lysne
651-290-1303
alysne@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA TO PRESENT A WEEK OF CONCERTS FROM THE WORLD-RENOWNED BBC PROMS
"Last Night of the Proms" to be broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall on September 10
(St. Paul, Minn.) — September 1, 2005 — American Public Media is proud to bring concerts from the BBC Proms to classical music listeners in the U.S.
The Proms is the world's largest classical music festival, drawing exceptional orchestras and soloists to London for performances in the grand and historic Royal Albert Hall. For the U.S. broadcast series, we've chosen the best of the best. In the first program, one of the finest singers of her generation, Swedish soprano Anne-Sofie von Otter, will sing Gustav Mahler's quot;Rückert Lieder,quot; with Sweden's Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra. Other highlights include the annual Proms appearance by distinguished conductor Bernard Haitink, who'll lead the London Symphony Orchestra in Ravel's jazzy Piano Concerto in G, featuring soloist Hélène Grimaud. In Prom Five, the Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Mˆst will perform Mahler's "Symphony No. 3."
SEPTEMBER 10: LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS
Saturday, September 10, brings "The Last Night of the Proms," the climactic end to the festival. In front of the most boisterous crowd to be found at a classical music concert, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Paul Daniel will explore music inspired by the sea, one of this year's Proms themes. They will be joined by outstanding soloists such as counter-tenor Andreas Scholl and guitar legend John Williams.
"The Last Night of the Proms" will be broadcast live from Royal Albert Hall. American Public Media host Brian Newhouse presents the concert and provides context for the performances.
ABOUT THE PROMS
The festival's name is short for "promenade"; at Proms concerts there's a singular feeling created by members of the audience who stand and move about on the floor of the hall, directly in front of the orchestra, throughout the entire performance.
The first Prom was presented 110 years ago in London as a way to bring classical music to the masses. Concert goers were offered popular programs, an informal atmosphere and inexpensive ticket prices. The BBC took over the festival in 1927. The Proms of today uphold the original spirit, encouraging participants to expand and enrich their classical music experiences.
TUNE IN: The BBC Proms will broadcast the week of Sept. 5-9 on stations nationwide. "The Last Night of the Proms" will be broadcast Saturday, September 10. Check local listings for time.
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA RECEIVES $2.1 MILLION FROM TIDES FOUNDATION FOR GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY DESK
Press Contacts:
Christine Coleman
Tides Foundation
415-561-6354
coleman@tides.org
www.tidesfoundation.org
Connie Stelter
American Public Media
651-290-1113
cstelter@americanpublicmedia.com
www.americanpublicmedia.org
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA RECEIVES $2.1 MILLIONFROM TIDES FOUNDATION FOR GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY DESK
New editorial desk for Marketplace™, nation's leading business news program, supported by Tides' Kendeda sustainability fund
San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA — August 9, 2005 — Tides Foundation (www.tidesfoundation.org) today announced that its Kendeda Sustainability Fund has awarded $2.1 million to American Public Media to support expanded news coverage and programming on global sustainability and the economy.
The grant will primarily support the creation of a new desk for American Public Media's Marketplace business programs, including Marketplace™, Marketplace Morning Report™, and Marketplace Money™, a personal finance program. With a weekly audience of more than 8.5 million, the combined Marketplace programs have more listeners than any other business news program on television or radio.
The new editorial desk will focus on covering sustainability and the economy, including environmental, economic, technological, cultural and other factors influencing the future of humanity. Coverage will be aimed at helping the public better understand global realities that affect domestic and international economies and cultures. The grant, which will be disbursed over three years, will enable Marketplace to seek out diverse perspectives on sustainability related topics.
"Nothing is more important to the future of the economy and, ultimately, to our survival than awareness of how our actions affect global sustainability," said JJ Yore, executive producer of Marketplace and vice president, programming, for American Public Media. "Through this generous grant, we gain the resources to give these issues the attention they deserve."
"More businesses today are contemplating a 'double bottom line'—how their activities impact their profitability and the greater social good. This was almost unthinkable 20 years go," said Idelisse Malavé, executive director, Tides Foundation. "People are adopting a broader view of their activities and how their decisions today will affect all of us tomorrow. Yet this has been a neglected perspective in the news media. We are very excited to support an expanded analysis of major business trends from such a respected and independent news source."
The grant also will fund coverage of sustainability on other American Public Media programs, including American RadioWorks documentaries; Being, a program on belief, meaning, ethics and ideas; and Weekend America, a magazine show which explores lifestyle, leisure, culture and attitude.
"By providing support for sustainability coverage on these programs, the Tides Foundation grant provides a groundbreaking opportunity to reach a large and important audience," said Jon McTaggart, senior vice president and chief operating officer of American Public Media. "Our ability to serve the public will be significantly enhanced as we offer coverage on sustainability across many programs, from many perspectives and at different times of the day and week," said McTaggart.
The Kendeda Sustainability Fund, a donor-advised fund at Tides Foundation, was created in 2003 to explore how to live within the limits of the natural world in ways that promote community, equity, prosperity and health. It funds organizations in the areas of higher education, religion and faith, healthy buildings, materials and processes, and communications/media and the arts.
Through its grantmaking programs, Tides Foundation strengthens social change organizations and increases the capacity and effectiveness of the nonprofit and public sectors. It supports activities in the areas of economic and social justice, environmental sustainability and democratic renewal. In 2004, Tides Foundation awarded over $70 million to more than 2,000 nonprofit organizations.
Marketplace, produced in Los Angeles, maintains five domestic bureaus plus bureaus in London and Tokyo. The 16-year-old program has been called the best business show on radio or television by the Columbia Journalism Review, and it has won the duPont-Columbia Award and the Peabody Award.Marketplace is distributed worldwide by American Public Media. It is broadcast by more than 325 public radio stations and heard around the world via American Forces Radio & Television Service. American Public Media also makes the program available via World Radio Network (WRN), a direct broadcast satellite channel serving Europe, Asia and Africa.
About Tides Foundation
Since 1976, Tides Foundation has partnered with donors and institutions by offering donor-advised funds, philanthropic advice and management services for social change philanthropy. Tides Foundation is committed to strengthening community-based nonprofit organizations through national and global philanthropy.
Tides Foundation is a part of the Tides Organizations, a group of nonprofits that share a common vision for a healthy society—a society based on principles of social justice, broadly shared economic opportunity, a robust democratic process and sustainable environmental practices. The Tides Organizations also include Tides Center, Tides, Inc., Groundspring.org, Thoreau Center for Sustainability and Community Clinics Initiative. For more information, go to www.tidesfoundation.org.
About American Public Media
American Public Media™ is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. Its national programs include A Prairie Home Companion®, Weekend America®, Saint Paul Sunday®, Marketplace®, Marketplace Money®, The Splendid Table®, Being® and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorksÆ. American Public Media is the national production and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio®. Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
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Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.
Fall 2004
Copyright © 2005, Tides, Tides Foundation, Tides Center, Tides, Inc., Groundspring.org, Thoreau Center for Sustainability, Community Clinics Initiative. Other names used in this press release may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Backgrounder
Expanded Coverage of Sustainability at American Public Media
WHAT?
The $2.1 million, three-year grant from the Kendeda Sustainability Fund of the Tides Foundation will support expanded coverage of sustainability on American Public Media (APM) public radio programs Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money, Being and Weekend America, as well as in documentaries produced by APM's American RadioWorks.
WHY?
Sustainability can be broadly defined as policies, practices, and perspectives aimed at supplying the present without compromising the future. It merits a distinct Marketplace desk because it is no longer a concern of environmental groups alone. It's a topic of growing interest for corporations, business schools, university science departments, theological seminaries, entrepreneurs and consumer groups, among others.
Sustainability is a broad news beat, encompassing natural and economic resource management, agriculture, technology, ecology and economics, law, policy, diplomacy and taxation and embracing spirituality, religion and social philosophy.
HOW?
The grant will fund two levels of expanded coverage:
* Creation of a ìMarketplace Sustainability Desk,î which will generate regular features and spot news stories on sustainability as seen through the lens of business, money, and personal finance. Topics of likely coverage include:
- Corporate innovations — technical, philosophical and administrative
- New market niches — for consumer products, alternative process, resources
- Government policies
- International treaties and conventions
- Opinions, attitudes and values — by consumers, pundits, business leaders
- Ethical and faith-based issues and answers
- Architecture and design
- Urban planning
* Enhanced, in-depth reporting on topics related to sustainability on APM programs Weekend America and Being and in American RadioWorks documentaries. Coverage by these programs will bring different approaches to and introduce diverse perspectives in the exploration of sustainability issues. In addition, because these programs serve different audiences, their coverage will expose the topic of sustainability to a broader audience. Examples of the coverage on these programs might include:
- Weekend America (http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/): How lifestyle, technology, trends and the environment affect issues of sustainability.
- American RadioWorks (http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/): Sustainable extraction; scavenger culture and what can be learned from it and how chemicals, such as flame retardants in computers and sofa cushions, are accumulating in human bodies and animal species worldwide.
- Being (http://being.publicradio.org/): The intersection of such sustainability issues as religious environmentalism, alternative visions of a sustainable society, and the integration of traditional Hindu practices in today's emerging global high-tech industry in Bangalore.
ALSOÖ
The grant will enable Marketplace and the other APM programs to augment their sustainability coverage through the use of:
- New Media: including a web site that will serve as a repository for information, contacts and calendars on sustainability topics and, later, interactive simulations.
- Public Insight Journalism, an approach to reporting developed by American Public Media that uses a wide and diverse database of sources with expertise in specific disciplines, as well as online collaborative tools, to tap knowledge and insight from the audience.
WHO?
- Margaret Koval will be editor of the Marketplace Sustainability Desk. She currently is the program's Washington desk editor and also serves as a domestic features editor.
- The Marketplace sustainability reporter will be hired after a nationwide search. In the interim, Sam Eaton will report for the desk.
WHEN?Marketplace listeners will begin to hear the expanded sustainability coverage made possible by the Tides Foundation grant early this fall.
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA'S Being RECEIVES MAJOR FUNDING FROM THE FORD FOUNDATION
Contact: Connie Molby
(651) 290-1113
cmolby@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA'S Being RECEIVES MAJOR FUNDING FROM THE FORD FOUNDATION
(St. Paul, Minn.) July 7, 2005 - In recognition of its extraordinary achievement as public radio's national conversation on belief, meaning and ethics, the American Public Media program Being has been awarded a $275,000 grant from the Ford Foundation's Religion and Culture Initiative. The funds will support production of radio and Internet programming that illuminates the many dynamics of religious pluralism in the United States and internationally.
Constance Buchanan, senior program officer for Religion at the Ford Foundation, said of Being's ground-breaking coverage of religion and ethics in public life: "We are proud to support Being, which each week brings to public radio something all too rare - thoughtful, in-depth discussion of questions of meaning and morality that enrich the national debate about religion and values. By featuring familiar as well as new voices, the program helps us learn about the diverse theological and ethical traditions that are changing America's religious landscape, and takes us deeper into the variety of ways we and others make sense of our lives, society and the universe."
Being recently celebrated its second year of weekly, national production. The program is carried on 116 stations nationwide, including eight of the top 10 radio markets.
The program's creator and host, Krista Tippett, said the Ford Foundation grant will allow Being to cover a wider range of both domestic and international topics and issues, and that support from Ford is particularly meaningful at this stage in the program's development: "Our goal has been to create a new model of journalism about religion and ethics that introduces exciting and unfamiliar voices to the public discussion, demonstrates that intelligent conversation is possible on some of the most contentious issues before us, and illuminates the complexity of religion in American life and the world. This significant support from the Ford Foundation is extremely gratifying."
The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Russia.
American Public Media(tm) is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home CompanionÆ, Weekend AmericaÆ, Saint Paul SundayÆ, MarketplaceÆ, Marketplace MoneyÆ, The Splendid TableÆ, BeingÆ and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorksÆ. American Public Media is the national production and distribution division of Minnesota Public RadioÆ. Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
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Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only. Fall 2004
GARRISON KEILLOR TO STAR IN ROBERT ALTMAN FILM
Contact: Amanda Stanton-Geddes
Prairie Home Productions
Phone: (651) 999-1095
astanton@mpr.org
GARRISON KEILLOR TO STAR IN ROBERT ALTMAN FILM
Major motion picture will be shot in St. Paul.
(St. Paul, Minn) June 24, 2005 — The feature is still untitled. But the screenplay - written by Garrison Keillor - is ready to go, and the cast and crew of famed director Robert Altman's town hall meetings, international call-ins, investigative reports, commentaries and cultural programs — as well as an interactive Web site in partnership with the nonprofit organization NetAid.
It's a stellar cast: Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, Kevin Kline, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Virginia Madsen, Maya Rudolph and, of course, Garrison Keillor.
Keillor has fashioned a comic fable. As the story unfolds, the players, performers and presiding pooh-bah of a long-running live radio variety show discover that this evening may be the program's LAST. Long-simmering passions, feuds, misunderstandings and assorted other human complications come to a head. A love affair - or two - comes to light. A dangerous and beautiful woman - who just might be the Angel of Death - haunts the wings. A teenage girl takes the stage in the very spot her mother had long held. There is backstage gossip, dressing room rivalries and a lot of engaging music.
The film's characters include GARRISON KEILLOR as himself; YOLANDA and RHONDA JOHNSON (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), the last two of what was once a five-sister country music act; Yolanda's daughter, MELISSA (Lindsay Lohan); and the singing cowboys DUSTY and LEFTY (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly). There is DONNA (Prairie Home regular Sue Scott), the make-up artist, and the DANGEROUS WOMAN (Virginia Madsen), who mysteriously materializes backstage. And there's GUY NOIR (Kevin Kline), the show's security guard, who seems to have stepped right out of a Raymond Chandler novel. An imperious STAGE MANAGER (Prairie Home's Tim Russell) and his assistant, ERICA (Maya Rudolph), try their best to keep an increasingly rudderless show on course.
Keillor holds sway over all of this - hosting the show from the stage, refereeing (and occasionally provoking) disputes and quibbles in the dressing rooms and in the wings. And through it all, the show must go on.
FILMMAKER'S BIOS
Garrison Keillor
One of America's most beloved radio hosts and acclaimed humorists, Garrison Keillor has been the host of A Prairie Home Companion since 1974 and of The Writer's Almanac since 1996. A noted author, Garrison has written more than a dozen books, including Lake Wobegon Days, The Book of Guys, Love Me and Homegrown Democrat. He has been honored with numerous awards for his contributions to radio, television and literature, including the National Humanities Medal in 1999 and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Robert Altman
Throughout his extraordinary career, Robert Altman has surprised, entertained and challenged audiences with vibrant, freewheeling films that stretch the boundaries of the medium.
Altman's more than 30 features bear witness to an extraordinary creative range: from M*A*S*H to Nashville, from The Player to Gosford Park. He has inverted, satirized and enriched genres like the western (McCabe and Mrs. Miller), the gangster melodrama (Thieves Like Us), the detective film (The Long Goodbye), the biography (Vincent and Theo) and the English drawing-room whodunnit (Gosford Park). His source material has included comics (Popeye), the theater (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean and Streamers), contemporary politics (Tanner '88) and contemporary literature (Short Cuts).
While his subjects and themes have been diverse, Altman has often cast an irreverent eye on the institutions, mores and foibles of American life, matching that with an encompassing, unsentimental humanism.
Altman has received five Academy Award nominations for Best Director (Gosford Park, Short Cuts, The Player, M*A*S*H and Nashville) and three for Best Film (M*A*S*H, Nashville and Gosford Park).
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