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Media Releases
American Public Media Launches Poetry Radio Project
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Anne Halsey
(312) 799-8016
ahalsey@poetryfoundation.org
American Public Media Launches Poetry Radio Project
American Public Media and the Poetry Foundation collaborate to bring great poetry and poets to radio
(St. Paul, Minn. & Chicago, Ill.) March 25, 2009—American Public Media™, creator of distinctive, signature programs for public radio and the Internet, and the Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, today announced the Poetry Radio Project, a new initiative using poets and poetry to enrich public radio programming and listeners' experiences.
A partnership between the Poetry Foundation and American Public Media, the Poetry Radio Project incorporates poets and poetry into select features and conversations across several programs produced and distributed by American Public Media, including Marketplace®, Marketplace Morning Report® and Marketplace Money®, Performance Today®, Being®, The Story™, and The Splendid Table®. Through informative and engaging presentations of poets and poetry within a variety of contexts, the initiative is intended to broaden listeners’ perspectives on global events and American culture and to expand listeners’ engagement with contemporary and classical poetry.
From conversations with poets-on a wide variety of subjects and genres, to the inclusion of archival audio for historical perspectives on current events, to adding a moment of contemplation or complexity to a broadcast, the pilot project demonstrates poetry’s contemporary appeal to a wide and varied audience.
Recent broadcasts of poetry features include:
- The Splendid Table—recently featured a poem by Yale Professor and Inaugural Poet Elizabeth Alexander
- Performance Today—a project which follows the creative process of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet C.K. Williams, who will write a new, original poem inspired by a piece of classical music chosen by the Performance Today audience.
- Marketplace—spoke with former hedge fund recruiter and poet Katy Lederer, who found inspiration for the poems in her latest book from an unusual source—finance.
Upcoming segments are scheduled to include conversations with Rita Dove, Paul Muldoon, Nikki Giovanni, Tony Hoagland, Todd Boss, and more.
For additional information about the Poetry Radio Project and links to other American Public Media poetry features, visit www.americanpublicmedia.org/poetryradioproject.
About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine and one of the largest literary organizations in the world, exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs. For more information, please visit www.poetryfoundation.org.
GARRISON KEILLOR TAKES A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION TO NEW YORK CITY FOR FIVE APRIL SHOWS AT THE TOWN HALL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: David O'Neill
Prairie Home Productions
Phone: 651-999-1095
E-mail: davido@prairiehome.us
March 25, 2009
GARRISON KEILLOR TAKES A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION TO NEW YORK CITY FOR FIVE APRIL SHOWS AT THE TOWN HALL
Special guests: Marilyn Horne, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Rush,Great American Duet Sing-Off finalists, and more.
(NEW YORK, N.Y.) This April, there are five opportunities to see Garrison Keillor and his immensely popular A Prairie Home Companion in New York at The Town Hall (West 43rd Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway).
Attend one of the APHC live radio broadcasts on April 4, 11, and 18 at 5:45 p.m. Or catch a nonbroadcast performance on April 3 or 17 at 8:00 p.m. These are APHC's final New York shows for this season.
Jazz great Wynton Marsalis and his Quintet make their Prairie Home broadcast debut on April 4. Singer Heather Masse joins Garrison on April 3 and 4. Opera legend Marilyn Horne and folk/blues stalwart Tom Rush will take the stage on April 17 and 18. And on April 11, it's APHC's annual talent contest - this time, the Great American Duet Sing-Off - when the finalists compete for the coveted Silver Water Tower Trophy.Actress Sue Scott, Tim Russell (the man of many voices), and sound-effects wizard Fred Newman will be on hand. And, as always, we'll catch up on the news from Lake Wobegon during Keillor's signature monologue.There's lots more. See www.prairiehome.org for details.For tickets to these A Prairie Home Companion shows, contact Ticketmaster at 212.307.4100 or www.ticketmaster.com. Or stop by the Town Hall Box Office.
Currently in its 35th season, A Prairie Home Companion is heard on close to 600 public radio stations nationwide, with a weekly audience that tops 4.3 million listeners. The program can also be heard on XM Radio, the Armed Forces Network Europe, the Far East Network, and in dozens of European cities via the Astra satellite network. The News from Lake Wobegon, is available via podcast/iTunes.
Garrison Keillor is the recipient of Grammy, ACE and George Foster Peabody awards, and he has been inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His weekly op-ed column, "The Old Scout," appears in newspapers coast to coast, and his books include Lake Wobegon Days, The Book of Guys, Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 and his latest, Liberty (Viking).
A Prairie Home Companion is produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public Media. The show is sponsored nationally by General Mills, Inc. and by the Ford Company. Audio clips, scripts and more information on A Prairie Home Companion can be found online at www.prairiehome.org.
WHAT: A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor
WHO: Garrison Keillor, with Tim Russell, Sue Scott, Fred Newman. Plus special guests, including Marilyn Horne, Tom Rush, Wynton Marsalis with his Quintet, the finalists in APHC's talent contest the Great American Duet Sing-Off, and many others. See www.prairiehome.org for dates on which specific artists perform.
WHEN
Live radio broadcasts: April 4, 11, and 18 at 5:45 p.m.Nonbroadcast performances: April 3 or 17 at 8:00 p.m.
WHERE:
The Town Hall — 123 West 43rd St. (West 43rd between 6th Ave. and Broadway)New York, NYTICKET INFO: Saturdays: $57 to $63; Fridays: $36 to $43. Purchase in person at the Town Hall Box Office, or through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or 212.307.4100
FOR MORE INFORMATION: go to www.prairiehome.org, or contact David O'Neill at davido@prairiehome.us
# # #
Marketplace Announces Three Major New Hires
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Marketplace Announces Three Major New Hires
(Los Angeles, Calif.) March 13, 2009—Marketplace® today announced that veteran public radio journalists Bill Radke, Rod Abid and Deborah Clark will join its portfolio of award-winning business and economics news programs produced and distributed by American Public Media.™
"This is the moment for Marketplace," said JJ Yore, executive producer of Marketplace. "Never since we went on the air more than 20 years ago has the need been greater for informed and accessible reporting on the economy. Bill, Deb and Rod are each pros at creating programming that resonates with stations and their listeners. Adding them to the Marketplace team will make our coverage stronger than ever in the months and years ahead."
Bill Radke is the new host of Marketplace Morning Report,® the popular business newscast that airs each weekday morning on public radio stations nationwide offering listeners a fresh look at business news from a global perspective. Radke will join Steve Chiotakis as one of Marketplace Morning Report's two hosts on April 13. The new host position was created when former Marketplace Morning Report host Scott Jagow became Marketplace's new online host.
Radke brings a distinguished career to Marketplace Morning Report. He joined American Public Media as co-host of Weekend America in 2004. In this role, Radke also developed stories and served as a senior editor for the program. For the past few months, he has worked as a fill-in host for Marketplace Morning Report.
Before coming to American Public Media, Radke was the creator, writer and host of Rewind, a weekly news satire program produced at KUOW 94.9 FM in Seattle, Wash., and distributed by NPR to nearly 140 public radio stations nationwide. At KUOW, Radke was a reporter and Morning Edition host and became the station's news director. While in Seattle, he wrote a weekly news and humor column for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. In 2003, Radke published his first book, "Seattle," from Sasquatch Books.
"I wasn't a big Wall Street Journal reader until the last few months," said Radke. "But now, I am hip-deep in business news...and it is gripping. Bad as this economic fallout is, it is also spellbinding and I love translating the story of the century to morning radio listeners."
Rod Abid is the new senior producer of Marketplace Morning Report.
Abid has more than 25 years of experience in public radio. He began his career at KWMU in St Louis as a punk rock DJ and later as a jazz and classical music announcer. Abid later moved to Washington to join the production team at NPR's Morning Edition. Over the next 11 years, he worked on every single NPR News program. In 1995, he joined the NPR Foreign Desk as a roving producer spending time in Bosnia and Kosovo with NPR's team of reporters. Since 2000, Abid has been senior producer of NPR's weekly quiz program, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
"After nine years in comedy, I am excited to join the Marketplace team and return to my first love: the excitement and deadline pressures of daily news coverage," said Abid.
Deborah Clark is the new senior producer of Marketplace Money,® the weekly program hosted by Tess Vigeland that looks at the week's major national and international stories impacting the average listener's wallet.
An award-winning journalist, Clark returns to Marketplace after serving as executive producer of NPR's Day to Day. Clark was on the staff of Marketplace for five years, producing both Marketplace and Marketplace Morning Report. For three seasons, she was senior producer for the public television program, California Connected. Clark also worked as an independent producer for many years, during which time she worked for, among others, the Savvy Traveler,® Sound Money,® Public Radio Weekend (pilot for Weekend America®), and Marketplace. Her biggest project for Marketplace was the two-week, three-show broadcast from China: "The Wild, Wild East: Marketplace goes to China."
"I'm thrilled to be working with Tess Vigeland, who I think is a terrific host," said Clark. "Plus, there is no better time to be growing a show about personal finance than in the middle of the toughest economy most of us have ever seen. There's little else a producer can ask for."
Performance Today Invites Audiences to Inspire Poetry with Classical Music
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Performance Today Invites Audiences to Inspire Poetry with Classical Music
(St. Paul, Minn.) March 3, 2009—American Public Media's™ Performance Today® today announced "Notes to Verse," a new project that explores the connection between classical music and poetry, and invites audiences to join the creative process.
The history of composers setting poetry to music runs deep, stretching from Giovanni Palestrina to Sergei Prokofiev. Just as composers draw on poetry for inspiration, music has inspired many poets as well.
In "Notes to Verse," Performance Today has asked Pulitzer Prize-winning poet C.K. Williams to write a new poem inspired by a piece of classical music that listeners will help choose. Beginning Monday, March 2, listeners are invited to visit www.performancetoday.org to make their selection. The online voting ends Friday, March 13 at noon CT.
Performance Today listeners can follow C.K. Williams through the process and hear how he infuses music and words. C.K. Williams will read his poem on the Wednesday, April 1 broadcast of Performance Today. Listeners can take on the task as well. Performance Today invites them to write their own original poem inspired by a piece of classical music and submit it online. To find out more about the project, to see a list of stations and broadcast times, or to listen online via streaming audio, visit www.performancetoday.org.
Minnesota Orchestra to be Featured on BBC Radio 3
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Gwen Pappas
(612) 371-5628
gpappas@mnorch.org
www.minnesotaorchestra.org
Minnesota Orchestra to be Featured on BBC Radio 3
Weeklong Broadcast of Performances Hosted by Minnesota Public Radio'sBrian Newhouse
(St. Paul, Minn.) February 19, 2009—The Minnesota Orchestra and Classical Minnesota Public Radioreg; today announced the Minnesota Orchestra will broadcast on BBC Radio 3, the BBC's classical music network, each evening beginning Monday, February 23 through Thursday, February 26. The broadcast, hosted by Minnesota Public Radio's Brian Newhouse from the BBC Radio 3 studios in London, will feature rare archival performances, outstanding recent performances from the Minnesota Orchestra and—the centerpiece of the week's programming—a full Minnesota Orchestra performance from London's Barbican Centre, as part of the Orchestra's February-March European Tour.
Minnesota Orchestra Week on BBC Radio 3 Highlights:
Monday, February 23—"A Century in Sound: The Minnesota Orchestra Turns 100" (Part I)
On November 5, 2003, the Minnesota Orchestra marked its centennial season, and Minnesota Public Radio created a highly produced one-hour documentary. Host and producer Brian Newhouse uses rare archival recordings of the Orchestra's great performances and includes voices of luminary music directors—Eugene Ormandy, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Antal Dorati, Sir Neville Marriner, Edo de Waart, and others—reflecting on the excitement of making music in Minnesota.
Tuesday, February 24— "A Century in Sound: The Minnesota Orchestra Turns 100" (Part II)
Wednesday, February 25—The Minnesota Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, London. BBC Radio 3 will present the concert recorded live the night before (February 24) at London's Barbican Centre, featuring the Minnesota Orchestra and Music Director Osmo Vänskä. Brian Newhouse hosts this program which spotlights Joshua Bell performing Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, as well as orchestral performances of John Adams' Slonimsky's Earbox and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3.
Following this broadcast, Newhouse will present the newly released Minnesota Orchestra recording of Stephen Paulus' Holocaust memorial oratorio, To Be Certain of the Dawn. Commissioned by the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., and featuring a libretto by Michael Dennis Browne, To Be Certain of the Dawn was premiered by the Minnesota Orchestra in November 2005 at the Basilica to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of prisoners from the Nazi concentration camps. To Be Certain of the Dawn will be available on CD in the United Kingdom in mid-March.
Thursday, February 26—The Minnesota Orchestra in recent recordings. The Orchestra has received rave national and international reviews for its just-completed Beethoven symphony cycle on the Swedish label, BIS. Brian Newhouse presents a sampling of this historic cycle, as well as a sneak preview of its newest Beethoven project: all five piano concertos led by Music Director Osmo V‰nsk‰ and featuring pianist Yevgeny Sudbin. The rarity in this broadcast will be an excerpt of the Concerto No. 4, recorded a few weeks ago at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, and scheduled for full commercial release in the fall of 2010.
Information about listening to BBC Radio 3 online via streaming audio is available at www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/.
About Brian Newhouse
Brian Newhouse was the producer and host for the Minnesota Orchestra broadcasts from 1986-91. In 1992, he moved to Germany and served as a journalist with Radio Deutsche Welle in Cologne, covering topics from the Balkan War to European summer music festivals. He returned to the states and Minnesota Public Radio, and is happily back in the host's chair for the Minnesota Orchestra broadcasts. Newhouse is also the host of American Public Media's SymphonyCast,® a two-hour weekly public radio program featuring a full-length concert by a major symphony.
Newhouse holds degrees in voice and English literature, has been a soloist with the Dale Warland Singers and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and an Artist-in-Residence at the Oregon Bach Festival. He won a Peabody Award, broadcasting's equivalent to the Pulitzer, in 2000 for writing the seven-part music documentary The Mississippi: River of Song. Simon and Schuster published his memoir, A Crossing, in 1998.
About the Minnesota Orchestra
Led by Music Director Osmo Vänskä, the Minnesota Orchestra is recognized as one of America's leading orchestras. Founded in 1903, it offers nearly 200 concerts each year, with nearly 400,000 attending, and reaches more than 85,000 music lovers annually through its outreach programs. The Orchestra is heard through frequent international tours and through its vast collection of recordings, dating to the 1920s. Having premiered and commissioned more than 175 compositions since 1903, the Orchestra nourishes a strong commitment to contemporary composers. In February and March 2009, the ensemble will embark on an eight-city tour to England, Germany, Luxembourg and Austria.
Since 1974, Minnesota Public Radio has broadcast the Minnesota Orchestra's Friday night concerts from Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. The program's host, Brian Newhouse, enhances the enjoyment of the performances by sharing his artistic insight, the background of the works performed and interviews with conductors, guest artists and composers. The Minnesota Orchestra's concerts are also featured in American Public Media's national programs, Performance Today® and SymphonyCast.
Marketplace Money Presents Debt of Service: Personal Finance in the Military
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Marketplace Money Presents Debt of Service: Personal Finance in the Military
Program to focus on the financial challenges facing military personnel and their families
(Los Angeles, Calif.) February, 18, 2009—Marketplace Money,® the weekend personal finance program hosted by Tess Vigeland, and produced and distributed by American Public Media,™ today announced it will devote an entire program to the financial challenges facing military personnel and their families. "Debt of Service: Personal Finance in the Military" will air on public radio stations nationwide the weekend of February 20. For a list of stations and broadcast times, visit www.marketplace.org.
"Debt of Service: Personal Finance in the Military" will feature in-depth stories about the personal finance issues facing military families during and after their service. The program coincides with the start of "Military Saves" Week, an initiative to increase individual and family financial fitness.
Highlights:
- Marketplace Money host Tess Vigeland reports from aboard the USS Peleliu to talk to the ship's command financial specialists, the commanding officer and other sailors about coordinating personal finance issues while at sea;
- Vigeland reports from Naval Base San Diego on a personal finance counseling program for military personnel;
- Interviews about whether and how the military builds the U.S. middle class, and one female soldier explains why she sees the military as a great job, despite almost dying in a grenade attack in Afghanistan.
- Reports on some of the complex and dramatic issues that military families are dealing with, including the limited career options for non-military spouses, the financial sacrifices of reservists who run small businesses and the painful burdens of retirees who now must care for sons or daughters seriously wounded in action.
"All of us are dealing with tough financial choices because of the economic crisis," said Tess Vigeland, host of Marketplace Money. "Members of the armed forces face many of those same issues. But they're also dealing with deployments that can affect all areas of their financial lives. And that goes for their family members as well. We felt it was important to focus an entire hour on some of those specific challenges."
Support for "Debt of Service: Personal Finance in the Military" is provided by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.
Tune In: "Debt of Service: Personal Finance in the Military" will begin broadcasting nationwide on Marketplace Money the weekend of February 20. Check local radio listings for stations and times or go to www.marketplace.org.
Online Features: Beginning February 20, visit www.marketplace.org/military for "Debt of Service: Personal Finance in the Military" online features. See images from in and around Naval Base San Diego, where host Marketplace Money host Tess Vigeland met sailors training to be Command Finance Specialists for their peers. The Web site will also include a section on advertising in the military, with vintage audio, video and images from recruitment campaigns, war efforts at home, and internal communications to help service members with their money. See examples of ads that aim to lure military members into businesses, or loans, or other financial products that may not be trustworthy. Marketplace Money will also offer an extended Web version of ìGetting Personal,î where Marketplace finance expert (and former Merchant Marine) Chris Farrell will answer money questions from active, reserve and former service members, as well as military family members.
Sources: Members of the Marketplace Money news team who contributed to "Debt of Service: Personal Finance in the Military" are available for interviews on this program and on any other stories you may be developing on personal finance. Please contact Brad Robideau at American Public Media to schedule interviews at (651) 290-1113 or brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org.
The FINRA Investor Education Foundation supports innovative research and educational projects that give underserved Americans the knowledge, skills and tools necessary for financial success throughout life. Since its inception in December 2003, the foundation has approved approximately $46 million in financial education and investor protection initiatives through a combination of grants and targeted projects. For details about grant programs and other FINRA Foundation initiatives, visit www.finrafoundation.org.
LOVE IS ON THE AIR A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION SEEKS ORIGINAL SONGS/POEMS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY BROADCAST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: David O'Neill
Prairie Home Productions
Phone: 651-999-1095
E-mail: davido@prairiehome.us
February 6, 2009
LOVE IS ON THE AIR — A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION SEEKS ORIGINAL SONGS/POEMS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY BROADCAST
Tell that special someone what's in your heart — and win a prize, too.
(SAINT PAUL, Minn.) "How could we not have valentines on our February 14 show?" asks A Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor. "No way. But which valentines to include? Good ones, of course, and ones that really persuade the Beloved that he or she is truly loved. So a contest is in order."
Write a valentine — either a poem or a song — and send it to APHC by noon (CT) on February. 13.
Here are the rules (please see full list of regulations at www.prairiehome.org):
Songs and poems (1) must be original and (2) must be addressed to a real person. (We'd like to know who that person is, but if you don't want us to say, we won't.)
Submit text of poems or songs (in MP3 format) at our Web site: www.prairiehome.org/valentines
Give us your phone number or e-mail address, and if yours is a winning entry, we'll notify you prior to showtime.
The best poems or songs will be used on the February 14 broadcast. Winning authors will receive a selection of: POEM (Professional Organization of English Majors) T-shirt; English Majors, a two-disc CD compilation; or Love Sonnets, Keillor's new collection of sonnets, to be published in spring 2009.
Tune in and listen with your sweetheart — or buy tickets for two and attend the show at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.
Cajun band BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, trombonist Roswell Rudd and singer Heather Masse will be on hand, as will actress Sue Scott, Mark Benninghofen, sound-effects wizard Tom Keith and the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band. And as always, we'll catch up on the news from Lake Wobegon during Keillor's signature monologue.
Currently in its 35th season, A Prairie Home Companion is heard on more than 500 public radio stations nationwide, with a weekly audience that tops 4.3 million listeners. The program can also be heard on XM Radio, the Armed Forces Network Europe, the Far East Network, and in dozens of European cities via the Astra satellite network. The News from Lake Wobegon, is available via podcast/iTunes.
A Prairie Home Companion is produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public Media. The show is sponsored nationally by General Mills, Inc. and by the Ford Company. Audio clips, scripts and more information on A Prairie Home Companion can be found online at www.prairiehome.org.
WHAT: A Prairie Home Companion's "Home of the Heart" Rhubarb Tour hits 16 cities beginning August 10, 2008
WHO: Garrison Keillor, the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, singer Suzy Bogguss, sound-effects wizard Fred Newman
WHEN/WHERE:
Aug. 10 Bayfield, WI - Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua
Aug. 12 Lewisburg, WV - State Fair of West Virginia Grandstand
Aug. 13 Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fair Grandstand
Aug. 14 Bismarck, ND - Bismarck Civic Center
Aug. 15 Seattle, WA - Marymoor Park (Redmond, WA)
Aug. 16 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
Aug. 17 Des Moines, IA - Iowa State Fair Grandstand
Aug. 19 Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series
Aug. 20 Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Aug. 21 Ocean Grove, NJ - The Great Auditorium
Aug. 23 Essex Junction, VT - Champlain Valley Fair Grandstand
Aug. 24 Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion
Aug. 26 Santa Fe, NM - The Santa Fe Opera
Aug. 27 Salem, OR - Oregon State Fair, L.B. Day Amphitheater
Aug. 31 Hyannis, MA - Cape Cod Melody Tent
Sept. 1 Cohasset, MA - South Shore Music Circus
TICKET INFO: See links at www.prairiehome.org
ABOUT SUZY BOGGUSS: go to www.suzybogguss.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION: go to www.prairiehome.org, or contact David O'Neill at davido@prairiehome.us
# # #
All-classical KWRV 91.9 FM expands signal in Sun Valley listening area
Contact: Christina Schmitt
(651) 290-1449
cschmitt@mpr.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
All-classical KWRV 91.9 FM expands signal in Sun Valley listening area
(St. Paul, Minn.) February 2, 2009—KWRV 91.9 FM, a classical music station from American Public Media in Sun Valley, has moved to a new location, increasing the station's signal coverage and the size of the audience we reach. The expanded coverage area now reaches more than 10,000 additional residents in the greater Sun Valley area, reaching listening areas in Hailey and Bellevue.
"We know that having a classical music radio station is important to residents and visitors to Sun Valley," says Jon Gossett, senior vice president, Development, for American Public Media. "We are always looking for ways we can serve more listeners and feel lucky that we can bring a strong, clear signal to a larger audience."
KWRV broadcasts classical music around the clock; special programming includes nationally distributed classical music shows such as Performance Today,® SymphonyCast,™ Pipedreams® and the Metropolitan Opera. A Prairie Home Companion® broadcasts live on Saturdays from 4ñ6 p.m. on Saturdays and again at 11 a.m. on Sundays.
"We are so fortunate to have such a high quality classical music radio service on the radio," said Tom Heinrich, chairman of the Sun Valley Regional Development Advisory Council. "Our KWRV Regional Council and I are so pleased that American Public Media has maintained and now strengthened its commitment to the Sun Valley. Their willingness to expand the geographic, and their population, base for the radio service is exemplary."
Listener financial support is the single most important source of funding for KWRV. KWRV listeners are asked to support KWRV by becoming members of the station. To become a member of KWRV, go to www.kwrv.org.
UPDATED COVERAGE MAPS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
AMERICAN RADIOWORKS WINS DUPONT-COLUMBIA AWARD FOR DOCUMENTARY "WHAT KILLED SERGEANT GRAY"
Contact: Jacqueline Cartier
(651) 290-1113
jcartier@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
AMERICAN RADIOWORKS WINS DUPONT-COLUMBIA AWARD FOR DOCUMENTARY "WHAT KILLED SERGEANT GRAY"
UPDATED DOCUMENTARY, FOR RE-RELEASE TODAY REVEALS A HAUNTINGLY SIMILAR DEATH IN GRAY'S UNIT
St. Paul, Minn. January 14, 2009; American RadioWorks, public radio's largest documentary unit, is being honored with a silver Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award for excellence in broadcast journalism. The award was announced today by Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. The winning documentary by Michael Montgomery, Joshua E.S. Phillips and Catherine Winter examined the mysterious death of Sergeant Adam Gray, who made it home from Iraq only to die in his barracks. Upon investigating his death American RadioWorks uncovered new allegations of detainee abuse and followed members of a U.S. Army unit as they struggled to come to terms with what they did, and didn't do, in Iraq.
Given continued news coverage of torture, and new studies such as the recent RAND study finding that nearly one in five returning service members suffer symptoms of PTSD or depression, the ARW team followed the story of Sergeant Adam Gray's unit after the program's release in the fall of 2008. Since the documentary first aired, another soldier in Gray's unit died after coming home from war, his death was hauntingly similar to Gray's. Full audio, video clips from Gray's unit, and reporter Joshua Phillips reporter's notebook from "What Killed Sergeant Gray" can be found at americanradioworks.org.
Still a relevant discussion, ARW has updated "What Killed Sergeant Gray" to better reflect the psychological struggles these men face. The updated hour-long program will air on public radio stations across the country starting January 22 and full audio can be found at americanradioworks.org.
Accepting the award on behalf of American RadioWorks, executive editor Stephen Smith, producer Michael Montgomery and reporter Joshua Phillips, will attend a ceremony January 21 at Columbia University in New York. This is the second duPont award for American RadioWorks, winning in 2000 for the documentary "Massacre at Cuska." ARW has also been the recipient of the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for "Engineering Crops in a Needy World," the George Polk Award for "Reports from a Warming Planet," as well as two Investigative Reporters and Editors Certificates.
The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, established in 1942, honor overall excellence in broadcast journalism; the awards are considered the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. A complete list of the thirteen winners announced this year is available at dupont.org.
American Public Media Awarded Grant to Expand Public Insight Journalism
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Contact: Mark Fest
(305) 908-2677
fest@knightfdn.org
www.knightfoundation.org
American Public Media Awarded Grant to Expand Public Insight Journalism
(St. Paul, Minn.) January 12, 2009—American Public Media,™ the country's second-largest producer of national programs for public radio, announced today it has received a $2.95 million, three-year grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to support American Public Media's Public Insight Journalism.®
American Public Media's Public Insight Journalism is a system that brings together the knowledge and insight of tens of thousands of citizen sources to help make journalists better informed, more connected to the communities they serve and able to produce more powerful and trusted stories.
Public Insight Journalism uses the radio, the Web, and face-to-face meetings to invite people into its growing Public Insight Network® of citizen sources. More than 70,000 people have already joined. Public Insight Journalism uses software to track their expertise and experience and request their help on stories. Then specialized reporters known as Public Insight Analysts distill and fact-check the sources and their knowledge for use in reporting. Public Insight Journalism doesnít just use them as sources, but as partners in journalism, by inviting people to help set the agenda of what stories will be covered.
American Public Media pioneered Public Insight Journalism in its Minnesota Public Radio® newsroom and is now using the model to inform coverage on its national shows, including Marketplace® and Being.® Additional information about Public Insight Journalism is available at http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/cij/.
Specifically, the grant will help American Public Media expand Public Insight Journalism in the following key areas:
- Seek up to 15 additional media partners nationwide;
- Evaluate the composition of the Public Insight Network to enhance the quality of the database;
- Strengthen the technical infrastructure of the Public Insight Network to better serve partners by assuring the reliability and vitality of the network;
- Produce a working version of the Audience Insight Repository (AIR) system—the underlying software of the Public Insight Network—under an open source license;
- Assess the impact of Public Insight Journalism on both media partners and audiences;
- Connect with journalism schools to promote a new model for newsgathering; and
- Form a national advisory board by recruiting diverse professionals from journalism, media technology, civic engagement and academia.
"We're very grateful to the Knight Foundation. This grant allows us to take this concept to the next level and share it with more news organizations," said Chris Worthington, who directs American Public Media's Public Insight Journalism venture and also oversees news operations and programming for Minnesota Public Radio. "American Public Media and Knight share the same vision: Journalism made vital because it has been informed by people who have first-hand insight and expertise. These days, those are the stories that cut through the noise."
"Public Insight Journalism combines the values of traditional journalism with the technique of crowdsourcing, that is seeking information from the audience," said Gary Kebbel, Knight Foundation's Journalism Program Director. "By leveraging the expertise of the audience, news organizations are able to produce stories that are richer, smarter and more insightful."
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invests in journalism excellence worldwide and in the vitality of U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950, the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance quality journalism and freedom of expression. Knight Foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
American Public Media Awarded Grant to Expand Public Insight Journalism
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Contact: Mark Fest
(305) 908-2677
fest@knightfdn.org
www.knightfoundation.org
American Public Media Awarded Grant to Expand Public Insight Journalism
(St. Paul, Minn.) January 12, 2009—American Public Media,™ the country's second-largest producer of national programs for public radio, announced today it has received a $2.95 million, three-year grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to support American Public Media's Public Insight Journalism.®
American Public Media's Public Insight Journalism is a system that brings together the knowledge and insight of tens of thousands of citizen sources to help make journalists better informed, more connected to the communities they serve and able to produce more powerful and trusted stories.
Public Insight Journalism uses the radio, the Web, and face-to-face meetings to invite people into its growing Public Insight Network® of citizen sources. More than 70,000 people have already joined. Public Insight Journalism uses software to track their expertise and experience and request their help on stories. Then specialized reporters known as Public Insight Analysts distill and fact-check the sources and their knowledge for use in reporting. Public Insight Journalism doesn't just use them as sources, but as partners in journalism, by inviting people to help set the agenda of what stories will be covered.
American Public Media pioneered Public Insight Journalism in its Minnesota Public Radio® newsroom and is now using the model to inform coverage on its national shows, including Marketplace® and Being.® Additional information about Public Insight Journalism is available at http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/cij/.
Specifically, the grant will help American Public Media expand Public Insight Journalism in the following key areas:
- Seek up to 15 additional media partners nationwide;
- Evaluate the composition of the Public Insight Network to enhance the quality of the database;
- Strengthen the technical infrastructure of the Public Insight Network to better serve partners by assuring the reliability and vitality of the network;
- Produce a working version of the Audience Insight Repository (AIR) systemóthe underlying software of the Public Insight Networkóunder an open source license;
- Assess the impact of Public Insight Journalism on both media partners and audiences;
- Connect with journalism schools to promote a new model for newsgathering; and
- Form a national advisory board by recruiting diverse professionals from journalism, media technology, civic engagement and academia.
"We're very grateful to the Knight Foundation. This grant allows us to take this concept to the next level and share it with more news organizations," said Chris Worthington, who directs American Public Media's Public Insight Journalism venture and also oversees news operations and programming for Minnesota Public Radio. "American Public Media and Knight share the same vision: Journalism made vital because it has been informed by people who have first-hand insight and expertise. These days, those are the stories that cut through the noise."
"Public Insight Journalism combines the values of traditional journalism with the technique of crowdsourcing, that is seeking information from the audience," said Gary Kebbel, Knight Foundation's Journalism Program Director. "By leveraging the expertise of the audience, news organizations are able to produce stories that are richer, smarter and more insightful."
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invests in journalism excellence worldwide and in the vitality of U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950, the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance quality journalism and freedom of expression. Knight Foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
89.3 KPCC Opens DC News Bureau
Contact: Betty St. Peter
(213) 621-3471
bstpeter@scpr.org
www.scpr.org
89.3 KPCC Opens DC News Bureau
(Los Angeles, Calif.) January 8, 2009—Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) announced that 89.3 KPCC will send veteran reporter Kitty Felde to Washington, D.C., to establish its bureau in the nation's Capitol. This takes place against a backdrop of commercial media cutbacks in coverage of Washington, and marks the first time a local public radio station has set up a dedicated DC bureau.
"The California delegation, in general—and the Southern California delegation, specifically—is too important and too powerful to settle for pool or wire service coverage," said Bill Davis, President of SCPR. "At a time when Congress will debate and vote on legislation that's critical to the Southland—the financial and automotive industry bail-outs, immigration legislation, re-writing No Child Left Behind, environmental legislation, and union card-check proposals—it's critical for voters in the region to know how powerful legislators in our delegation work to shape and pass (or defeat) specific bills."
Felde will report on California's large and increasingly influential congressional delegation, and cover legislative, regulatory and other stories of interest to Southern Californians.
"The decision by SCPR to open a Washington, D.C., bureau and assign Kitty Felde to cover the California congressional delegation reflects the importance that the station places in bringing timely, accurate information to its listeners in Southern California," said Congressman Xavier Becerra (CA-31). "I congratulate Ms. Felde for this new step in her career and look forward to seeing her in the halls of Congress." Representative Becerra is the House Democratic Vice Chair-elect and the only congressional member from Southern California on the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means.
"I've known Kitty Felde for many years and she's an excellent reporter with a keen interest in our nation's Capitol," said Congressman David Dreier (CA-26). "She also knows her way around the Capitol building and will give Californians a real insider's view." Representative Dreier is the ranking Republican on the Rules Committee since 1999. He also serves as Chairman of the California GOP Congressional Delegation.
Felde's reporting will appear daily on the station's broadcast schedule and Web site, including during KPCC's local broadcasts of National Public Radio's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as SCPR's award-winning public affairs programs AirTalk with Larry Mantle, Patt Morrison and Off-Ramp with John Rabe.
"I am so excited that we are the first public radio station in the country to establish a DC bureau," said KPCC News Director Paul Glickman. "We are constantly striving to raise the bar in terms of our coverage of news that's important to Southern California, and this move is another illustration of our commitment to excellence."
Kitty Felde is a veteran public radio journalist, and has worked at KPCC since 1997. She has won numerous awards for radio reporting, and was named Radio Journalist of the Year in 2003 by the Society of Professional Journalists and the L.A. Press Club. She's a published playwright and self-confessed political junkie. "The job is perfect for me," Felde said. "It gives me a chance to take KPCC listeners into the halls of Congress to witness the decisions being made that will affect Southern California for decades to come; what an exciting time to be in Washington!"
Marketplace Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Marketplace Celebrates 20th Anniversary
(Los Angeles, Calif.) January 6, 2009—Marketplace,® public radio's award-winning daily business and economics news program "for the rest of us," is celebrating 20 years of broadcasting.
Marketplace premiered on the first Monday of 1989 and continues to be the fresh sound of business and economics news that listeners from Main Street to Wall Street count on to understand how business and the economy are shaping their world, country, communities and lives. Marketplace launched in January 1989 with 663,000 listeners on 80 public radio stations. Since then, it has expanded to three programs (Marketplace, Marketplace Money® and Marketplace Morning Report®) that reach more than 8 million listeners each week, more than any other business program in the United States on radio, cable or network television.
Marketplace attracts listeners with a distinctive reporting style that is fast, forthright, and friendly, making money, business and the global economy understandable and even fun.
The programs are more valuable than ever in the current financial crisis. With 20 years of accumulated reporting expertise, Marketplace has covered the crisis with depth, insight and commitment unmatched by any broadcast news organization. Marketplace is telling this story in many ways, but mostly with a human perspective, to help people make sense of the economy they know and the markets they hear about.
"When a few colleagues and I hunkered down in a suburban LA strip mall a little over 20 years ago to create Marketplace, we weren't sure we'd even survive the first year," said Marketplace Executive Producer J.J. Yore. "Now, as we enter our third decade in the midst of the greatest economic crisis in generations, it seems the mission of Marketplace is more important than ever: to help Americans understand the global economy in an accessible way to help them take charge of their lives."
The world-class reporting staff at Marketplace has won every major award in broadcasting, including the Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting and Cable and the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Journalism Silver Baton. Marketplace benefits from the creativity, experience and international perspectives of a dedicated team of journalists, including hosts Kai Ryssdal, (Marketplace); Tess Vigeland (Marketplace Money); and Scott Jagow and Steve Chiotakis (Marketplace Morning Report).
Marketplace is the only national business news program originating from the West Coast. Marketplace began on January 2, 1989, as a scrappy start-up radio program housed in a Los Angeles strip mall. The staff used single-lined phones and a make-shift studio with a door that wouldn't close. Today, Marketplace broadcasts from American Public Media's™ Frank Stanton Studios in downtown Los Angeles and has bureaus in New York; Washington, DC; London; and Shanghai. Marketplace also has desks that specialize in covering subject areas. These include an Innovation Desk at North Carolina Public Radio, in Chapel Hill, NC; an Entrepreneurship Desk based at Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland; and the America's Desk, based at WLRN in Miami. As part of its mission to help Americans understand the global economy and the impact of globalization on their lives, Marketplace has taken the program on the road to numerous domestic and international destinations, including Shanghai and Chonqing, China; Cairo; Dubai, Cuba, Missouri and other locations.
For 20 years, Marketplace has been the place to go for smart entertaining news about money, business and economics. Now, the economic challenges here and around the world make Marketplace more relevant than ever.
American Routes turns 10!
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.orgAmerican Routes turns 10!
Public radio program from New Orleans celebrates a decade on the air with an anniversary concert and broadcast, new Web site and retrospective CD
(New Orleans, La.) January 6, 2009—American Routes,® the weekly nationally syndicated public radio program devoted to music and musicians, stories and cultures from New Orleans, the Gulf South and America beyond, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a series of special events, culminating in a blockbuster concert at the House of Blues in New Orleans on Friday, Jan. 16, 2009, at 8 p.m. The show, to be recorded for network broadcast during the week before Mardi Gras, will feature the spirited R & B of Deacon John's big band, neo-traditional Cajun music from Feufollet and Dr. Michael White's Original Liberty Jazz Band. Additional guests include vocalist Topsy Chapman, Trombone Shorty and Al "Carnival Time" Johnson. A national travel contest will bring winning out-of-town listeners in from public radio markets across the country. Additional information about the concert can be found at www.americanroutes.org.
Produced and hosted by folklorist and Tulane University professor Nick Spitzer, American Routes reaches nearly half a million people on almost 200 stations nationwide. American Routes is co-produced and distributed by American Public Media,™ the nation's second-largest producer of public radio programming.
Launched in 1998 from its studios in New Orleans' French Quarter, the program started modestly, with national carriage on only seven stations. "A lot of people said the program"—which presents blues and jazz, roots rock and soul, country and gospel, zydeco and Tejano among other styles of American vernacular music—"was too eclectic and roots-oriented to succeed at a network level," noted Spitzer; however, "within two months we had thirty stations; sixty stations by year's end; and within two years we'd reached a hundred."
American Routes, which prides itself on creative segues—or sonic and topical sequencing of music to tell a story, suggest a cultural meaning, or take listeners on an aural journey—is celebrating 10 years and hundreds of programs worth of its unassuming but informed interviews with a collection of some of the best in a new retrospective double CD: American Routes: Songs and Stories from the Road (Highbridge Records). The album gathers some of Nick Spitzer's most memorable meetings with artists like Dave Brubeck, Nina Simone, Tom Waits, Tito Puente, Dolly Parton, Jerry Garcia and Rufus Thomas. There is also a walk in a Tremé second line with the Rebirth Brass Band and a visit in the studio with then-teen Cajun band, Feufollet. Along the way are explorations of the origins of "Beach Music" in North Carolina, a humorous romp through an antique radio museum in St. Louis, and Jewish songwriters Leiber and Stoller describing how Yiddish theater met four-part gospel harmonies in their early R & B classics like "Smokey Joe's CafÈ."
In addition, anyone who wants to find an American Routes classic program—be it in-depth biographies of Ray Charles, Johnny Cash or Louis Armstrong; part of the highly acclaimed "After the Storm" series; or topical themes like "The Color of Music," "The History of New Orleans Music," and the recent "Singing and Swinging the Election"—can now stream every show, interview and feature since 1998 in its entirety on demand at www.americanroutes.org. The Web site is an encyclopedic resource of American music and culture for students, fans, scholars and communities, and contains more than 300 conversations that run the gamut of the American experience, from musicians and oral historians to chefs, street dancers, fortunetellers and fishermen.
American Routes' success has occurred even as public radio stations—long presenters of classical and jazz—were abandoning music formats in favor of news. "The audience for Routes is very loyal," said Spitzer. "They write us a lot of letters from New York, Seattle, Chicago, Phoenix, Nashville and Austin, and even a lot of smaller places like Indian reservations, rural Alabama and Midwest college towns.
"A lot of people don't think you can find this kind of music on public radio," added Spitzer. "Recently we added stations in Fort Myers, Florida, all of Oklahoma and eastern Washington State. Also, XM satellite radio has carried us for several years."
All of these milestones will come together in a live celebration in front of a home audience at the New Orleans House of Blues, 225 Decatur St, on Friday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m.
"We have been hoping to do more live events," said an enthusiastic Spitzer. "Last year, we did a live show at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota and this year several shows here and around the country are planned. Personally, I prefer the spontaneity of a live stage with interviews, humor, and whatever else happens with great players and audiences like ours. It makes for very listenable radio the old school way."
Information about the concert at House of Blues and the retrospective double-CD collection can be found at www.americanroutes.org.
Tulane University collaborates on the production of American Routes, underwritten by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Louisiana Office of Tourism. Additional support is provided by the University of New Orleans and Offbeat magazine. The anniversary concert and broadcast are underwritten by Louisiana Entertainment in the state Department of Economic Development; Lafayette: Louisiana's Crossroads; and the W Hotel of New Orleans.
American Public Media to Cancel Weekend America
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media to Cancel Weekend America
(St. Paul, Minn.) December 19, 2008—American Public Media™ is cancelling weekly production and distribution of Weekend America® as a result of the current economy's impact on station carriage and sponsorships. The final broadcast will be January 31, 2009. Thirteen full- and part-time positions will be affected. Weekend America is carried on 134 stations with a weekly audience of about 657,000 listeners.
American Public Media is proud of the many accomplishments of Weekend America's talented staff. They have produced personal, thoughtful, funny and challenging journalism that you couldn't hear anywhere else. The program topics ranged from in-depth reporting on the fallout from the Iraqi war, multi-part series on foreclosure and immigration, and the lessons of racism. The hosts and reporters also engaged people all across America on their weekends, skydiving or dancing or giving concerts or celebrating the diverse cultures and festivals of our country.
89.3 KPCC Audience, Fundraising Hit All-Time Highs!
Contact: Betty St. Peter
bstpeter@scpr.org
www.scpr.org
89.3 KPCC Audience, Fundraising Hit All-Time Highs!
Monday, December 15, 2008 (Los Angeles)—89.3 KPCC announced that it has posted impressive audience growth fueled by election coverage in the latest Arbitron report. The November 2008 Arbitron data show that 89.3 KPCC is the number one public radio station in the Los Angeles metro area. In the standard full-week ranker (M-Su 6a-12m), KPCC earned a 1.8 share—good for 24th in the Southland among all radio stations. Following behind KPCC was KUSC, which also had a 1.8 share (but with a lower average quarter audience), KKJZ with a .6 share, and KCRW with a .5 market share.
KPCC is managed by Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) and was ranked 17th in both the critical morning and afternoon drive-time slots with a 2.5 share during the mornings (6 ñ 10 AM) and a 2.4 share during the evenings (3 ñ 7 PM).
"In Southern California's competitive radio marketplace, where consumers have a vast array of choices, it's incredible that so many people want to stay informed. It's a great tribute to the station that they choose 89.3 KPCC," said Jarl Mohn, board member of Southern California Public Radio. "I am proud of my association and count myself as a loyal listener."
The November ratings are the third public release of data that use Arbitron's new Portable People Meter™ (PPMTM) methodology. The Portable People Meter service introduces a new era in radio station ratings and eliminates diary data from select markets.
Also in November, KPCC had the most successful membership drive in the station's history. The fundraising drive surpassed all previous records, generating nearly 1.5 million dollars in support from more than 11,000 new and renewing members. A critical factor in the success of this effort was SCPR's partnerships with other regional non-profit organizations. Instead of using t-shirts, coffee mugs and CDs as thank you gifts to donors, KPCC used the funds that normally would have purchased those items to support the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank and First Book LA. Through these partnerships, SCPR donors helped to provide more than 200,000 meals to families in need, and give more than 5,000 books to children in low income homes.
"The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank greatly appreciates our partnership with KPCC," stated president and CEO Michael Flood. "And thanks to the tremendous response by listeners, more than 200,000 meals are being distributed to families and individuals throughout the Southland this holiday season."
"For many children living in low-income families in Southern California and across the country, growing up with books at home is a luxury, but thanks to the tremendous support of Southern California Public Radio and their listeners, First Book can ensure that these children experience the power of books in their lives throughout the year," said First Book President Kyle Zimmer.
"At a time when other public radio organizations—both local stations and NPR—are cutting back, SCPR and 89.3 KPCC are able to extend and expand its coverage," said SCPR President Bill Davis. "These generous contributions from our listeners will be put straight back into the programming—and our audience will hear the difference."
About Southern California Public Radio
Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) is a member-supported public radio network that operates 89.3 KPCC-FM in Los Angeles and Orange County, 89.1 KUOR-FM in the Inland Empire and 90.3 KPCV in the Coachella Valley. Reaching more than a 600,000 listeners every week, SCPR is the most listened to public radio news service of any kind in Southern California and serves the diverse communities of Southern California with award-winning local news coverage as well as the most NPR (National Public Radio) content available anywhere in the region. SCPR's flagship station, KPCC, has garnered more than 200 journalistic honors, including three Distinguished Radio Journalist awards (from the Greater LA Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists) and the 2008 top honor for Breaking News from the LA Press Club. SCPR also features signature public radio programs from American Public Media, the BBC and Public Radio International. Listeners around the globe can access news, join blogs, download podcasts, as well as hear a live web stream at www.scpr.org.
About Arbitron
Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is an international media and marketing research firm serving radio broadcasters, cable companies, advertisers, advertising agencies and outdoor advertising companies in the United States, Mexico and Europe. Arbitron's core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. Arbitron Inc. has developed the Portable People Meter, a new technology for radio, TV and cable ratings.
About Los Angeles Regional Foodbank
The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization established in 1973 and is one of the largest food banks in the United States. Through a network of 875 charitable agency sites, the Foodbank supplies enough food for over 500,000 meals each week in Los Angeles County. The Foodbank is affiliated with Feeding America (formerly Americaís Second Harvest). For more information, visit http://www.lafoodbank.org.
About First Book
First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy—access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book now has offices in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about the nonprofit First Book please visit www.firstbook.org or call 866-393-1222.
Classical South Florida to Build Support for Classical Music with Knight Foundation grant
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Classical South Florida to Build Support for Classical Music with Knight Foundation grant
Miami, Fla.—(December 4, 2008)—Classical South Florida announced today it will use a $250,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to build listener support for its all-classical public radio station in Miami and West Palm Beach.
For six years, South Florida was the largest U.S. urban area without an all-classical public radio station. Classical South Florida was created by American Public Media to bring classical music back to South Florida's air waves. The all-classical station, heard on 89.7 in the Miami area and 101.9 in the West Palm Beach area, was launched in October of 2007. Building a strong base of support is central to ensuring the viability of this essential community institution. The Knight Foundation grant will challenge audiences by matching listeners' donations up to $250,000 over the next two years.
Classical South Florida, like all public radio stations, is listener-supported. It partners with organizations in the thriving cultural community of South Florida to engage with its audiences in innovative ways, providing insight and making classical music relevant in today's world.
About Classical South Florida
Classical South Florida is a nonprofit 501c3 public radio organization dedicated to broadcasting classical music. Its program schedule includes broadcasts of nationally renowned classical programs such as Performance Today,® SymphonyCast,® Pipedreams® and Saint Paul Sunday.® Classical South Florida began broadcasting in South Florida in October 2007. Its program service is broadcast on WKCP 89.7 FM Miami and on a lower-powered repeater station at 101.9 FM West Palm Beach. It is owned and operated by American Public Media. On line at www.classicalsouthflorida.org.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of communities in the United States where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation invests in ideas and projects that lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
Contacts
Classical South Florida: Jason Hughes, jhughes@classicalsouthflorida.org, 954-226-9771
Knight Foundation: Marc Fest, fest@knightfoundation.org, 305-908-2677.
American Public Media launches Public Radio Tuner™
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media launches Public Radio Tuner™
New iPhone application plays public radio streams from all over the nation
(St. Paul, Minn.) December 4, 2008—American Public Media,™ the nation's second-largest producer and distributor of public radio programs, today announced the launch of its Public Radio Tuner,™ a new, free iPhone™ application that allows iPhone users to find and play the public radio stream from their favorite station or try out other stations.
American Public Media invited all public radio stations to have their Internet streams listed in the Public Radio Tuner. Currently, more than 150 public radio stations are participating. The Public Radio Tuner is available in the iTunes App Store. American Public Media is continuing to add new streams and will update the Public Radio Tuner stream list weekly.
"The free Public Radio Tuner is a great way for public radio to reach existing and new audiences on one of the most popular devices in the country," says American Public Media New Media Interim Director Melinda Driscoll.
To access the Public Radio Tuner in the iTunes App Store, visit http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=296549398&mt=8;.
Judy McAlpine to head national programming, distribution for American Public Media
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Judy McAlpine to head national programming, distribution for American Public Media
(St. Paul, Minn.)—December 1, 2008—American Public Media today announced the promotion of Judy McAlpine to head its national programming and distribution, reporting to Jon McTaggart, APM and MPR's senior vice president and chief operating officer. In her capacity, McAlpine has responsibility for the creative development of content for the portfolio of shows including news and information as well as classical music. Prominent within the portfolio she manages are Marketplace, Marketplace Money and Marketplace Morning Report, A Splendid Table, Being, Weekend America, American RadioWorks, Performance Today and SymphonyCast. In addition, she will oversee the division's underwriting, development and program distribution.
Describing McAlpine, Bill Kling, CEO of American Public Media and MPR said "During the past year Judy has demonstrated her ability to lead award-winning programming delivered on air and on line. Her leadership and program production experience at the Canadian Broadcasting Company (one of the world's most respected public broadcasters) give her the skills to deliver strong, compelling programs for our audiences. She is one of the world's truly professional broadcast and digital content managers with a track record to match. We are excited about what she will be able to do in this expanded role."
McAlpine said, "I'm looking forward to building on the strengths that American Public Media is known for across the US. In a changing media landscape, our audience depends more than ever on the public service values that distinguish our programming on air and online."
McAlpine joined American Public Media a year ago from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio where she was director of International/Business Development. Her award-winning career at the CBC spanned local, national and international program production and management. McAlpine was executive producer of CBC's flagship national daily current affairs show "This Morning" and also created the celebrated documentary program "Outfront." She later managed all CBC Radio national current affairs programs and led redevelopment of the morning radio schedule. As well, she developed new strategies for CBC Radio expansion on emerging platforms, resulting in podcast, satellite and mobile launches.
McAlpine holds a master of arts in Journalism and a bachelor of arts, with honors, in English Literature, both from University of Western Ontario, Canada.
What is American Public Media?
Nearly 16 million listeners nationwide, including nearly 800,000 listeners in the region, tune in to programs produced by American Public Media. American Public Media is the country's second-largest 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.® A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be found at www.mpr.org and www.americanpublicmedia.org.
Minnesota Public Radio names Tim Roesler general manager
Contact: Jennifer Haugh
(651) 290-1369
jhaugh@mpr.org
www.minnesotapublicradio.org
Minnesota Public Radio names Tim Roesler general manager
Roesler to manage 38-station regional network
(St. Paul, Minn.) December 1, 2008—Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) announced today that Tim Roesler will become senior vice president and general manager of its 38-station regional network that stretches across Minnesota, extended with 29 booster stations. Roesler has most recently served MPR and American Public Media as senior vice president of sales, marketing and program distribution. In his new role, Roesler has responsibility for all three MPR services—News, Classical and The Current. This includes responsibility for the regional radio network, Web sites and digital distribution.
American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio President and CEO Bill Kling says, "Tim's extensive media background and radio experience make him a perfect choice to take on the management of MPR. Tim has all the qualities required to advance our tradition of producing quality news and music programming and digital content and delivering relevant, innovative and insightful media—whether on air, online or on wireless devices."
According to Roesler, "Serving as general manager of MPR lets me combine my experiences in radio, TV and digital media and link them to the smartest workforce I've ever seen. Between our news service, the country's best classical music service and the most innovative rock station, The Current, we are building and providing something unique to Minnesota.
"We're dedicated to bringing quality media to every part of our state and our multi-state region. What other radio company can say that 100,000 of its listeners actually write checks to support the quality programming of the station?" asks Roesler.
Roesler is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, with a broadcast journalism degree where he earned membership in the honorary academic societies for broadcast journalism and economics. He has a master's degree in telecommunications from Michigan State University in East Lansing and taught news film/video classes at Creighton University in Omaha.
He began his career in the newsroom and on air at the CBS TV affiliate in Sioux City, Iowa, then went to news and information station KFAB in Omaha, and managed commercial station KDON FM-AM in Salinas-Monterey-Santa Cruz, Calif. He spent eight years with CBS owned and operated stations in San Francisco in sales management and was in sales management with Clear Channel locally. Roesler worked with Internet Broadcasting, which was an early leader in the convergence of online and broadcast content. He joined American Public Media in 2001.
Minnesota Public Radio® operates a 38-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's parent company, American Public Media,™ reach 15.9 million listeners nationwide each week. Of those, nearly 800,000 listen regionally, in Minnesota and surrounding states. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be found at www.mpr.org.