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Media Releases
PETER CLOWNEY NAMED EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF WEEKEND AMERICA
Contact: Brad Robideau
American Public Media
651-290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
PETER CLOWNEY NAMED EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF WEEKEND AMERICA
POPULAR PUBLIC RADIO PROGRAM FITS WEEKEND STATE OF MIND
(St. Paul, Minn.) July 5, 2006-American Public Mediaô is pleased to announce that public radio editor, producer, and reporter Peter Clowney has been named executive producer of Weekend AmericaÆ, the live two-hour weekly public radio program designed to provide new perspective on the week's events. Clowney will assume his position on July 20.
"Peter is an experienced and highly capable radio producer who has worked on some of public radio's most distinctive programs," said Sarah Lutman, senior vice president, Content and Media for Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media. "It will be exciting to watch Weekend America continue to grow and develop over the coming years."
Clowney is currently a senior editor at MarketplaceÆ, American Public Media's award-winning daily business and economics news program. In this role, he is responsible for managing the program's New York bureau.
Previously, Clowney was senior editor at PRI's Studio 360. His professional experience also includes working as an arts and culture reporter at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and as a producer at This American Life.
"I'm thrilled to be joining Weekend America," said Clowney. "The program is unique, fun, and its audience will only keep growing. Stations are catching on to the potential of the show, and the hosts deliver. We're ready for great things."
About Weekend America
Launched in October 2004 by American Public Media, Weekend America is currently heard in 22 of the 50 largest markets and on 144 public radio stations across the county. The program reaches 611,000 listeners each week and continues to grow as stations and audiences expect the program to be part of their weekend.
Weekend America, hosted in Los Angeles by public radio veterans Barbara Bogaev and Bill Radke, features segments on news and newsmakers, issues of the week, the diversity of American culture and the arts. Its magazine format makes it a weekend companion where busy listeners can tune in at any point without getting lost. Incorporating the best of public radio from content partner stations, independent producers and national producers, Weekend America reflects the way people use radio on the weekends.
American Public Mediaô is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.2 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.Spring 2005/Fall 2005 average
Power Trips: "The Big Fish"
Contact: Brad Robideau
American Public Media
651-290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
Power Trips: "The Big Fish"
Marketplace® Report: Powerful Members of Congress Mingle with Energy Lobbyists at Exclusive Alaskan Resort
3 Senators Violate Ethics Rules; Who Paid for Others is Unclear
(Washington, DC) June 26, 2006—At least three U.S. Senators violated Congressional ethics rules by accepting lodging or travel expenses to attend an annual Alaska charity fishing trip with energy lobbyists and other executives, according to a new investigative report by Marketplace® and American RadioWorks.®
In addition, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott declined to reveal who paid for their travel to the event, despite numerous inquiries by Marketplace.
For over a decade, business executives have sponsored an annual fishing trip for members of Congress at The Waterfall, one of the countryís most exclusive fishing camps. The event supports a charity founded by Nancy Murkowski, wife of Alaskaís Republican governor and former U.S. senator, Frank Murkowski. The charity raises money for breast cancer prevention and treatment programs. Marketplace identified at least ten Senators who have attended the event at different times in the past decade.
Oil and energy industry executives and lobbyists contributed thousands of dollars to go fishing with the lawmakers, including high-ranking executives from British Petroleum, Amoco, Marathon Oil, and several other firms, as well as the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry's lobbying group in Washington.
"Power Trips: The Big Fish" broadcasts on Marketplace on public radio stations nationwide June 26.
The Web site, www.americanradioworks.org/power, also features a new searchable database open to the public. The database was created for the investigative series, "Power Trips: Congressional Staffers." It was the result of a year-long investigation by American Public Media reporters, Northwestern University Medill School graduate students and Center for Public Integrity staffers who analyzed 25,000 travel documents from January 2000 to June 2005, filed not only by Congress members but also by their staffs.
"The Big Fish" is the latest follow-up to the landmark "Power Trips" reporting from Marketplace and American RadioWorks, which put the spotlight on the little known loophole that allows members of Congress to accept travel from educational organizations and non-profits, even those run by powerful lobbyists in Washington, D.C. Those investigations also uncovered trips that broke congressional rules and spurred intensified scrutiny of Senate and House ethics rules and reporting.
EMC Publishing Ties American Public Media's™ Marketplace® Segments to Its New High School Economics Program
Contacts: Brad Robideau
American Public Media
651-290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
Bob Cassel
EMC Corporation
818-865-8984
bcassel@emcp.com
EMC Publishing Ties American Public Media's™ Marketplace® Segments to Its New High School Economics Program
(St. Paul, Minn.) June 6, 2006 — EMC Publishing and American Public Media announce the release of the Marketplace® Audio CD and Activities Book. The innovative teaching package offers 25 lessons tying 25 segments from Marketplace, American Public Media's award-winning daily business and economics news program, to portions of EMC's new high school economics program. EMC developed the Marketplace materials to support Economics: New Ways of Thinking (copyright 2007), by Roger A. Arnold, professor of economics at California State University San Marcos and author of several best-selling economics textbooks.
The Marketplace® Audio CD and Activities Book contains a high-quality audio CD of Marketplace segments on current events of interest to high school students. The CD is accompanied by a 129-page book of teaching activities written by Joanne Benjamin, an award-winning secondary economics teacher. Each activity provides background information and discussion questions to help teachers relate a Marketplace audio segment to a chapter or section of the textbook program; an extended learning activity that challenges students to expand their understanding of the topic; and one or two student handouts.
"One of the most challenging aspects of this project," says EMC Publisher Bob Cassel, "was trying to pick just 25 segments from the Marketplace archive. The shows are interesting and informative, and provide classroom teachers with intriguing lead-ins to their daily lessons on such economic concepts as supply and demand and international tradeóconcepts that are not inherently of high interest to the typical secondary student."
The materials in the Marketplace® Activities Book support both individual and collaborative learning through a wide range of teaching strategies, including reflective questions, research and writing assignments, crossword puzzles, debates and games. Teachers will find complete teaching support, including optional approaches and answers to questions and exercises.
Although created to be used with EMC Publishing's Economics: New Ways of Thinking, the Marketplace® Audio CD and Activities Book may be adapted for use with any high school economics program. Teachers can present the audio segments and activities to introduce key economic concepts, reinforce students' understanding of economic principles and help students extend and apply their knowledge of economics.
EMC Publishing and American Public Media have forged their association to bring teachers this unique resource for motivating students to learn economics. Equally important, they have done so to connect students with economics in the real world and to open a window to lifelong learning and application of economic concepts.
"We couldnít be more pleased with Marketplace being chosen as a content partner for the New Ways of Thinking economics textbook," said Tim Roesler, senior vice president, Sales, Marketing and Distribution for American Public Media. "The show's mantra has been 'business news for the rest of us,' which meshes perfectly with the goal of educating young people about economics. The use of digital audio, and the latest-breaking economics and business news will help to make the course interactive, engaging and fun.î
For more information on the Marketplace® Audio CD and Activities Book, including samples of the audio segments and activities, see the description of EMCís Economics: New Ways of Thinking at www.emcp.com.
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.
In its 18th year, Los Angelesñbased Marketplace has won numerous awards, including an Alfred I. duPontñColumbia University 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 14.2 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.
Spring 2005/Fall 2005 average
POWER TRIPS: CONGRESSIONAL STAFFERS SHARE THE ROAD
Contact: Brad Robideau
American Public Media
651-290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
POWER TRIPS: CONGRESSIONAL STAFFERS SHARE THE ROAD
REPORT FINDS CONGRESS AND STAFF TOOK NEARLY 23,000 PRIVATELY SPONSORED TRIPS WORTH ALMOST $50 MILLION
(Washington, DC) June 5, 2006-A new study of more than 25,000 public documents reveals that members of Congress are not alone in taking millions of dollars worth of privately funded trips. Lawmakers and their aides took nearly 23,000 privately sponsored trips to places from Kansas to Kazakhstan, at a cost of almost $50 million, according to a new study by American Public Media programs Marketplace and American RadioWorks, Northwestern University's Medill News Service, and the Center for Public Integrity.
"Power Trips: Congressional Staffers Share the Road" is the result of a year-long investigation by American Public Media reporters, Northwestern University Medill School graduate students and Center for Public Integrity staffers who analyzed 25,000 travel documents from January 2000 to June 2005, filed not only by Congress members but also by their staffs. The study is a follow-up to the widely cited "Power Trips: Congress Hits the Road," an investigation of privately sponsored travel by Congress members released two years ago by American Public Media and Northwestern University's Medill School.
In looking at travel by both members of Congress and their staffers, the new "Power Trips" study finds that the lion's share of the nearly $50 million spent on trips by private sponsors was enjoyed by congressional aides, the powerful Beltway gatekeepers to Congress members who special interests want to reach. Like their bosses, the study also found, staffers repeatedly ignored travel disclosure requirements and House and Senate rules.
Among the major findings, American Public Media, the Center for Public Integrity, and Medill News Service report that:
- Many privately funded trips taken by Congress were sponsored by corporations, trade associations and nonprofit groups with business interests on Capitol Hill.
- Often, the travel amounted to pricey jaunts to some of the world's best-known vacation destinations. From January 2000 through June 2005, congressional travelers took at least 200 trips to Paris, 150 to Hawaii, and 140 to Italy.
- Disclosure forms also show that at least 500 trips cost $10,000 or more, 16 cost $25,000 or more, and the cost of one exceeded $30,000. There were $500-a-night hotel rooms, $25,000 corporate jet rides and other extravagant perks.
Both Democrats and Republicans took advantage of privately funded travel. Of the two dozen congressional offices that accepted the most trips, 15 were occupied by Republicans. Of the 25 individual lawmakers who accepted more than $120,000 worth of travel during the study period, 17 were Democrats.
"Power Trips: Congressional Staffers Share the Road" includes a series of radio broadcasts and a Web site produced and distributed by American Public Media's Marketplace daily business and economics news program and its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks, that begin today on Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace; a series of more than 30 Medill News Service newspaper articles and website reports; and a package of investigative stories and interactive features at the Center for Public Integrity's website.
For more information, please visit the following URLs:
www.americanradioworks.org/power
www.publicintegrity.org
www.medillnewsdc.com/power_trips/
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Medill News Service is a print, broadcast and Web news service with offices in Washington, D.C. and Chicago that serve more than 50 newspapers, Web sites and TV and radio stations across the country. Staffed by students from Northwestern University's Medill School, it provides breaking and in-depth news coverage on politics, civil rights, education, energy and other issues.
The Center for Public Integrity produces original, responsible investigative journalism to make institutional power more transparent and accountable. The Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C.
American Public Mediaô is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.2 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.Spring 2005/Fall 2005 average
American Public Media™ Launches Word for Word™ June 2
American Public Media
651-290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media™ Launches Word for Word™ June 2
High-Caliber Public Affairs Programming Offered to Public Radio Stations at No Charge; Includes Exclusive Audio Broadcasts of National Press Club Speeches
(St. Paul, Minn.) June 2, 2006—American Public Media today announced the debut of Word for Word, a new weekly public radio program that carefully selects and distributes the nation's best speeches on topics timely and relevant to current events. Produced and distributed by American Public Media, and hosted by well-known public radio talent Melinda Penkava, Word for Word is a one-hour program that draws its content from speeches at the National Press Club, the Chautauqua Institution, the Aspen Institute and other notable institutions.
"In a world of sound bites, speeches fill an important need in public affairs programming by offering a unique forum to hear influential and insightful thinkers uninterrupted," said Bill Buzenberg, senior vice president, News, American Public Media, and executive producer of Word for Word. "American Public Media believes strongly in Word for Word as a public service, and we are pleased to offer this program to public radio stations across the country at no charge."
"We've had many radio stations tell us that combining the nation's best speeches into a series is of great value to their audiences," said Tim Roesler, senior vice president for Sales, Marketing and Distribution for Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media. "Word for Word is another example of American Public Media responding to public radio listener interests and providing listeners with the highest-quality programs."
Word for Word is hosted by public radio veteran Melinda Penkava. She has worked in public radio since 1991, first at WUNC in Chapel Hill and later at National Public Radio, where she was a newscaster, reporter and hosted programs such as Talk of the Nation. In recent years, she hosted WUNC's daily interview and talk program, The State of Things.
More information on Word for Word is available on the program's Web site at www.wordforword.org.
American Public Media™ is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.2 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.
Spring 2005/Fall 2005 average
Media Advisory: Investigative Report to be Released June 5: Private Sponsors Spend Millions to Send Congress and Staff around World
Contact: Brad Robideau
American Public Media
651-290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
Media Advisory
Investigative Report to be Released June 5: Private Sponsors Spend Millions to Send Congress and Staff around World
Trips Paid for by Organizations with Legislative Interests on Capitol Hill
WHO: Wendell Rawls, executive director, Center for Public Integrity;
Ellen Shearer, assistant dean, Northwestern University's Medill School, and Co-director, Medill News Service;
Chris Farrell, economics correspondent, American Public Media's Marketplace and American RadioWorks
(Others will be available for question and answer session)
WHAT: On Monday, June 5, American Public Media's Marketplace and American RadioWorks, Northwestern University's Medill School and the Center for Public Integrity will launch "Power Trips," an extensive investigation of privately sponsored travel by members of Congress and their aides. The findings — based on an analysis of more than 25,000 travel disclosure documents — will reveal that Congress and staff took thousands of trips, worth millions of dollars, to destinations around globe.
WHEN: Monday, June 5, 2006, 11 a.m. EST
WHERE: Jack Morton Auditorium, George Washington University, 805 21st Street, NW, Washington D.C.
A live streaming video feed of the press conference can be found at www.publicintegrity.org
- Wireless Internet connection will be provided for those who wish to file, blog or post directly from the press conference
- Coffee and other refreshments will be provided
- Camera crews are encouraged to set up one hour prior to the news conference
For special accommodations or further information, contact Sam Stein at (202) 481-1225 or at sstein@publicintegrity.org.
American Public Media™ is the nation's second-biggest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.2 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.
Spring 2005/Fall 2005 average
Gayle Ober Named Director of Classical Music Programming for American Public Media's and Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Services
Contact: Brad Robideau
American Public Media
651-290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
Gayle Ober Named Director of Classical Music Programming for American Public Media's and Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Services
(St. Paul, Minn.) — May 8, 2006 — Gayle Ober has been named director of classical music programming for American Public Media's national and Minnesota Public Radio's regional classical music programming, effective early June.
In this role, Ober will be responsible for directing and managing Minnesota Public Radio's 18-station regional classical music network and Classical 24, the award-winning, nationally syndicated classical music service dedicated to live classical music programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Classical 24 is produced by American Public Media and distributed by Public Radio International, reaching over 2 million listeners per week. Ober will also lead the production of other American Public Media programs, including Saint Paul Sunday and Pipedreams.
"Gayle is an energetic and persuasive champion for classical music. Her background in music performance, music education, and cultural policy will be tremendous assets to Minnesota Public Radio. We are thrilled to have a leader of Gayle's experience and perspective in this newly created role," said Sarah Lutman, senior vice president of content and media at Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media.
Previously, Ober served as St. Paul's director of arts, culture and entertainment under former Mayor Randy Kelly. In this role, she advised Mayor Kelly on general arts and cultural policy, as well as beginning the implementation of the city's Arts, Culture and Entertainment Plan. Prior to joining Mayor Kelly's staff, Ober was the executive director of The Dale Warland Singers, a 40-voice professional chorus directed by founder and music director Dale Warland.
"Minnesota Public Radio is a powerful voice for classical music," said Ober. "The quality of the programming and the sheer knowledge of the announcers make for wonderful daily listening. Classical music is where my heart and soul live, and I can't think of a better way to express that passion than to join the classical music team at Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media."
Ober is vice president of the Mardag Foundation, a private charitable foundation located in St. Paul, and has served on the boards of other nonprofit and music organizations. A freelance vocal soloist, she sang with the Minnesota Chorale for 10 years.
Ober has a degree in music from the University of Minnesota and is completing a master's degree in nonprofit management from Hamline University.
Tim Roelsler Promoted to Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing and Distribution for Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media
CONTACT: Christina Schmitt, American Public Media
651-290-1449
cschmitt@americanpublicmedia.org
Tim Roelsler Promoted to Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing and Distribution for Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media
(St. Paul, Minn.) — April 27, 2006 — Tim Roesler, Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media's senior vice president for Sales and Program Distribution, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of the newly created Sales, Marketing and Distribution division.
In this new position, Roesler will provide leadership for Minnesota Public Radio and its national production and distribution arm, American Public Media, in the areas of Distribution, Underwriting Sales and Marketing, along with related organizations such as Southern California Public Radio.
Roesler has more than 20 years of experience in broadcasting. He spent eight years at CBS Radio in San Francisco, where he served as national sales manager and then general sales manager. He was general sales manager at Chancellor Media (AM FM/Clear Channel) in Minneapolis, and most recently worked as the director of regional sales at Internet Broadcasting Systems, a Minneapolis company that builds and manages Web sites for TV stations. Roesler joined Minnesota Public Radio in August 2001.
Roesler's broadcasting experience also includes his work as vice president/general manager of KDON-KZXR FM-AM in Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz, Calif., and as national/regional sales manager of KFAB/KGOR AM-FM in Omaha, Neb. He was television coordinator and journalism instructor at Creighton University in Omaha, and was the promotion manager of Fetzer Broadcasting Company's KMEG-TV, the CBS TV affiliate in Sioux City, Iowa. Roesler holds an M.A. in Telecommunications (management and policy) from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Nebraska.
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 Media™, reach 14.1 million listeners nationwide each week. Of those, more than 769,000 listen regionally, in Minnesota and surrounding states. With nearly 88,000 members, Minnesota Public Radio has the highest percentage of listener membership of any community-supported public radio network in the United States. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.mpr.org and www.americanpublicmedia.org.
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Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only. Spring 2005
American Public Media™ and Minnesota Public Radio® Create the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media
American Public Media™ and Minnesota Public Radio® Create the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media
Will Share Innovative Public Insight Journalism® Model with Other Newsrooms
(St. Paul, Minn.) April 26, 2006 — Minnesota Public Radio and its national production and distribution arm, American Public Media, today announced the creation of the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media. The Center's purpose will be to continue to develop and share the highly successful Public Insight Journalism model. Public Insight Journalism uses a new approach and process to draw knowledge from an informed audience and assist reporters and editors in strengthening their ability to cover complex, newsworthy subject matter. Public radio stations across the country, along with several commercial news organizations, have already expressed interest in applying the Public Insight Journalism model in their newsrooms.
Over the past three years, Minnesota Public Radio has built the practices and software behind Public Insight Journalism and tested them for its regional coverage in the largest public radio station-based newsroom in the country. The centerpiece of Public Insight Journalism is the Public Insight Network — a group of thousands of informed Minnesotans who have agreed to help Minnesota Public Radio understand issues to assist MPR in covering the news.
"We have found that working with the audience can reinvigorate journalism, open the newsroom to more diversity than we could ever achieve through hiring alone, and break the media's over-reliance on officials and expert spokespeople who try to manage the press," said Michael Skoler, managing director, News, American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio.
Public Insight Journalism is also being incorporated into American Public Media's national programs, including Marketplace Money,® Weekend America,® and documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® These programs are drawing from citizens from all 50 states who have joined the national Public Insight Network.
One of the functions of the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media, along with operating public insight units in the Minnesota Public Radio newsroom and in American Public Media's Frank Stanton Studios in Los Angeles, will be continually advancing journalism innovation, including:
-- Building and testing new ways to engage the public and draw knowledge from citizens into news reporting
-- Serving as a training and support facility for local news organizations interested in adopting Public Insight Journalism, including training other news staff to be public insight analysts and giving them access to the tools and techniques of Public Insight Journalism
-- Providing a hub for convening journalists to discuss innovative approaches to covering major issues and journalism innovation in general
The Center will also maintain a national Public Insight Network to support shows that are regional or national in scope.
"Public Insight Journalism is the best opportunity that we see to reverse the national trend towards diminished depth and understanding in news programming that is sweeping the country due to a combination of media consolidation and declining economics for news media," said Bill Kling, president of Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media. "The knowledgeable audience that gathers around public radio knows more than we will ever know about any given topic and we are pleased that our experimentation has proven that they will share their expertise with us."
The Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media will be led by Michael Skoler, managing director, News, American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio, with senior leadership from Bill Buzenberg, senior vice president, News, American Public Media.
Initial support for the development of Public Insight Journalism has been provided by the Blandin Foundation, David B. Gold Foundation, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, JL Foundation, The John Larsen Foundation, The Kendeda Sustainability Fund of the Tides Foundation, McCormick Tribune Foundation, NASD Investor Education Foundation, and Minnesota Public Radio's Next Standard capital campaign.
"The McCormick Tribune Foundation has been impressed with the development of Public Insight Journalism, and its potential for changing the way newsrooms do their work," said Clark Bell, director of the Journalism Program at the McCormick Tribune Foundation. "We're also excited about the development of the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media, since it takes the changing media landscape into consideration to educate journalists on how to best tap their audience's experience through technology."
Additional information about Public Insight Journalism can be found at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/publicinsightjournalism/.
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 Media,™ reach 14.2 million listeners nationwide each week. Of these, more than 780,000 listen regionally and in surrounding states. With nearly 90,000 members, Minnesota Public Radio has the highest percentage of listener membership of any community-supported public radio network in the United States. American Public Media is the largest station-based producer of public radio programs nationally, 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.® Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, is part of 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 on www.mpr.org and www.americanpublicmedia.org.
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Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.Spring 2005/Fall 2005 average
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.