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Media Releases
Judy McAlpine to Lead National News and Information for American Public Media
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Judy McAlpine to Lead National News and Information for American Public Media
(St. Paul, Minn.) December 17, 2007—American Public Media,™ creator of distinctive, signature programs for public radio and the Internet, today announced that Judy McAlpine, former Director of International/Business Development for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio, has been named American Public Media's Executive Management Consultant.
In this new position, McAlpine will assist in overseeing American Public Media's award-winning national News and Information program production, including Being,® American RadioWorks,® Weekend America,® Word for Word;™ production partnerships for The Story™ and As It Happens; and new national News and Information program development. McAlpine will assume her responsibilities on January 14, 2008.
"Judy's award-winning career at the CBC has spanned local, national, and international broadcast and program production," said Sarah Lutman, senior vice president, Content and Media, for American Public Media. "Her leadership and production experience will help American Public Media advance the strength and scope of its national News and Information service."
"I am thrilled to join such a dynamic organization and look forward to building on the strong programming that American Public Media delivers to public radio listeners in the U.S. and around the world," said McAlpine.
As Director of Sirius Satellite Radio One, McAlpine led the development of a 24/7 satellite channel that has helped drive Sirius' growth in Canada. In her international capacity, she was instrumental in introducing American listeners to many CBC Radio programs. Under her leadership, the number of shows carried by U.S. broadcasters grew from As It Happens to a varied portfolio. She has also strengthened partnerships with other public broadcasters, and negotiated agreements involving BBC World Service, ABC and Radio New Zealand.
In 2001, McAlpine became Area Head of Network Current Affairs and then Associate Director of Programming, where she oversaw the re-design strategy for the CBC's morning radio schedule. In 2006, she led Radio One's podcast plan from the pilot stage to more than 40 podcasts. She also oversaw radio revenue strategy, including sponsorship of podcasts and the launch of CBC Radio programming on mobile. Most recently, McAlpine took on management of CBC's small market strategy, including oversight of Windsor, Thunder Bay and Sudbury.
McAlpine began her career in Toronto at As It Happens, in 1983. She then spent time in locations across the country, including Ottawa, Vancouver and Whitehorse, where she received the Gabriel Award for "True North." She returned to Toronto in 1997, and the next year created Outfront. The program quickly won acclaim with several major international awards. Later, she became executive producer of This Morning and Sunday Edition.
American Public Media's The Splendid Table Announces Turkey Confidential 2007
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media's The Splendid Table AnnouncesTurkey Confidential 2007
Live, two-hour call-in program on Thanksgiving morning from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ET)
Listen on public radio or join us live on the Web
(St. Paul, Minn.) November 8, 2007—Help is on the way for Thanksgiving cooks, kitchen helpers and their guests on the biggest cooking day of the year. On Thanksgiving morning, join Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the award-winning host of public radio's national food show, The Splendid Table,® for real-time turkey triage during the live broadcast of Turkey Confidential 2007. This year, Lynne will be joined by special guests chef Mario Batali, Cook's Illustrated's Christopher Kimball, actress and writer Amy Sedaris, road food warriors Jane and Michael Stern, and wine entrepreneur Joshua Wesson.
Phone lines (800-537-5252) will be open nationwide from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET and the program will be simulcast live on the Web at www.splendidtable.org.
The Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper will be available to answer listener questions during the live, two-hour program. Quickly becoming a Thanksgiving morning tradition, past shows have included everything from a cross-country trucker cooking his Thanksgiving dinner on the manifold to a panicked first-time cook who didn't realize the turkey needed to be thawed. Lynne handles all questions with great wit, expertise and laughter.
About The Splendid Table
Produced and distributed by American Public Media™ in Saint Paul, Minn., The Splendid Table is a culinary, culture and lifestyle one-hour program that celebrates the intersection of food and life. Each week, The Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper leads public radio audiences on a journey of the senses and leads discussions with a variety of writers and personalities who share their passion for the culinary delights.
Is Our Consumer Economy Culture Sustainable?
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Is Our Consumer Economy Culture Sustainable?
New public radio series from American Public Media —"Consumed"—explores whether our consumer economy is sustainable
(St. Paul, Minn. & Los Angeles, Calif.) November 8, 2007—American Public Media™ today announced that "Consumed," American Public Media's cross-program series on the sustainability of the consumer economy, will broadcast on public radio stations nationwide November 9-18. "Consumed" will provide listeners with a unique perspective of the impact our consumption has on our economy, our ethics, our environment and more.
"Consumed" is part of American Public Media's in-depth news coverage and programming on global sustainability and the economy across several American Public Media programs. "Consumed" comprises reports from Marketplace,® Marketplace Morning Report,® Marketplace Money,® Weekend America,® Being,® The Story™ and American RadioWorks.® Each program will examine the consumer economy in its own way, providing a thorough, multi-disciplinary approach to a topic that affects all of us.
Check local public radio stations for broadcast schedules of American Public Media programs. "Consumed" and additional information about American Public Media's sustainability reporting are on the Web at http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumed/.
Funding for American Public Media's sustainability coverage is made possible by the Kendeda Sustainability Fund of the Tides Foundation.
American Public Media Brings Award-Winning Radio Programming to iTunes U
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media Brings Award-WinningRadio Programming to iTunes U
(St. Paul, Minn.) October 18, 2007—American Public Media,™ creator of award-winning programming for public radio stations across the country, today announced that a rich archive of journalism from its signature radio programs is now available for free on iTunes U, a dedicated area of the iTunes Store featuring educational content. Educators, students and lifelong learners now have easy, subject-searchable access to highly produced, audio journalism from a trusted source that brings to life a broad range of topical subjects in business and economics, science and health, culture and literature, and religion and philosophy.
Drawing from hundreds of hours of journalism and rich programming archives, the American Public Media free offerings in the new "Beyond Campus" section of iTunes U feature an extensive catalog of programs produced by Marketplace,® Being,® and American RadioWorks,® as well as selections from The Writer's Almanac® with Garrison Keillor, Word for Word™ and Composer's Datebook.® Adding a valuable dimension to the downloadable audio are printable transcripts and suggested discussion questions to support the use of these programs in a classroom setting.
"iTunes U offers an exciting opportunity to extend the value of the outstanding programming produced by American Public Media's radio series, strengthen our relationship with educators, and connect with a generation of students that are already plugged in to iTunes," said Sarah Lutman, senior vice president, Content and Media, for American Public Media. "iTunes U will also be a powerful gateway to the dynamic supplemental web content that accompanies our signature programs."
American Public Media's content has already become a valuable teaching asset in many classrooms. Faculty at university and colleges, as well as high school and middle school teachers, have turned to the documentaries produced by American RadioWorks, the up-to-date economic analysis of Marketplace, and the probing discussions of issues of religion and ethics from Being for use in their course curriculum or as supplemental course material. Using media as a modern tool for learning, educators are increasingly using audio and Web content to supplement or replace text books, or become the centerpiece for entire courses and seminars.
Bringing American Public Media's topic-specific programs to the new "Beyond Campus" section of iTunes U ensures they are easy to browse and discover, introducing to a wider audience the unique content of American Public Media programs.
To view the complete collection of American Public Mediaís content, visit the iTunes U section of the iTunes Store. Appleís iTunes software, a free download at www.apple.com/itunes, is required.
Lilly Endowment to Support American Public Media's Being In Audience Engagement and Resources for Public Dialogue
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Lilly Endowment to Support American Public Media's Being
In Audience Engagement and Resources for Public Dialogue
(St. Paul, Minn.) October 16, 2007—Being® with Krista Tippett, public radio's premiere conversation about religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas, today announced it has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Produced and distributed by American Public Media™ in St. Paul, Minn., Being is heard on over 200 public radio stations and by podcast. In four years of award-winning weekly production, Being has emerged as a distinctive media platform for bringing an informed and intellectually robust conversation on religion and spiritual ethics to U.S. and global audiences.
The Endowment will support the innovation of multi-media resources to draw new listeners and deepen audience engagement with the conversations hosted on the radio program and its Webby-award winning Web site, www.speakingoffaith.org. It will focus specifically on educational outreach to churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship and community, offering new resources for learning and discussion.
"We are thrilled to have Lilly Endowment as partners as we move into a new stage of growth," said the program creator and host Krista Tippett. "This generous funding will allow us to remain on the cutting edge of change in our industry, while meeting listeners' desires to apply insights from Being in their own lives and communities. It will equip us more creatively and practically to enhance public discourse between religious people, ideas and institutions and critical issues in our world."
In an initial exploratory project with Endowment funding, Being created resources for adult and family discussion on topics ranging from the religious roots of American democracy, to the spirituality of parenting, to "the soul of war"—reflections of a National Guard chaplain on the experiences of soldiers engaged in the war in Iraq.
Lilly Endowment is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family—J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli—through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. The Endowment, however, is a separate entity from the company with a distinct governing board, staff and location. It is devoted to the causes of religion, education and community development.
Is the American Dream Under Threat?
Is the American Dream Under Threat?
New collaborative tool enables public to share ideas for preserving the American Dream at Marketplace.org
(St. Paul, Minn. & Los Angeles, Calif.) October 11, 2007 — Marketplace,® public radio's popular business program, announced today it is inviting listeners to propose and debate ideas for resolving the economic anxiety that pervades this country with a new Web 2.0 tool called the Idea Generator.
The American Dream is in trouble. A March 2007 poll by Lake Research Partners found 75 percent of non-supervisory workers doubt they can achieve it. Issues like social security solvency, rising income inequality, health coverage, globalization, the mortgage meltdown and immigration are putting pressure on the dream that every American can have a home, a comfortable life, and a secure retirement.
American Public Media,™ distributor of public radio programs such as A Prairie Home Companion® and Marketplace, is the creator of Public Insight Journalism,reg; a set of principles and tools for letting the public inform its news and feature coverage. The American Dream Idea Generator is part of that effort on the Web at http://marketplace.publicradio.org/americandream/.
"The Idea Generator software is an online think tank that is open to all comers," says Michael Skoler, who created Public Insight Journalism as executive director of the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media. "Marketplace is using it to gather the wisdom of the country about the most important economic and social issues that candidates should be addressing in the coming election."
The Idea Generator is an engaging space for fact-based discussions where participants can access the latest research on several economic issues, share ideas on preserving the American Dream, collaborate with other users and help inform Marketplace's upcoming coverage of the critical issues around the 2008 presidential election. Participants become part of American Public Media's growing Public Insight Network,® which includes more than 35,000 people who share their knowledge and experience regularly to make American Public Media news and feature coverage stronger and deeper.
American Public Media uses other Web 2.0 tools to gather public insight, like its new "serious" game about sustainability called Consumer Consequences at www.consumerconsequences.org.
What Would the World Look Like if Everyone Consumed Like You Do?
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
What Would the World Look Like if Everyone Consumed Like You Do?
Consumer Consequences—New Online Game from American Public Media
(St. Paul, Minn. & Los Angeles, Calif.) September 17, 2007—American Public Media,™ distributor of public radio programs such as A Prairie Home Companion® and Marketplace,® today unveiled Consumer Consequences, an online game that lets people see the environmental consequences of their lifestyles. Consumer Consequences is on the Web at www.consumerconsequences.org.
American Public Media journalists worked with video game developer Realtime Associates (www.rtassoc.com) to create a "serious" game, which allows Americans to redesign their lifestyles to try to live within the world's resources. As people play, answering questions about whether they drive or ride public transportation, how often they replace things like TVs and computers, and what foods they eat, Consumer Consequences calculates what would happen if all of the planet's 6.6 billion people lived the same way.
Players get their score as the number of "Earths" it would take to support their lifestyles. Anything over one Earth is unsustainable.
Consumer Consequences is based on the ecological footprint methodology developed by research partner Redefining Progress (www.rprogress.org). Unlike other footprint calculators and similar online environmental tools, Consumer Consequences actually shows what the world would look like if everyone on Earth consumed like you. Players see the landscape of their game "neighborhood" shift for better or worse with every answer. Once players weigh their actual lifestyles, they can play again to see what changes would improve their score.
Behind the scenes, the game is learning from players. All the answers are saved in a database, along with voluntarily shared information from the players. American Public Media journalists analyze the results to look for hunches and possible trends that will help inform news coverage by American Public Media's national programs like Marketplace, Marketplace Money,® Weekend America,® Being,® and American RadioWorks® documentaries.
Players are also invited to become part of American Public Media's Public Insight Network® which includes more than 30,000 people who share their knowledge and experience regularly to make American Public Media news and feature coverage stronger and deeper.
Consumer Consequences is part of "Consumed," American Public Media's fall 2007 sustainability series which explores whether the American consumer culture is sustainable. "Consumed" is part of American Public Media's ongoing, in-depth news coverage and programming on global sustainability and the economy across several American Public Media programs. Funding for American Public Media's sustainability coverage is made possible by the Kendeda Sustainability Fund of the Tides Foundation.
Consumer Consequences fact sheet available upon request
About Redefining Progress
The nation's leading policy institute dedicated to smart economics, Redefining Progress develops innovative policies that balance economic well-being, environmental preservation, and social justice. Redefining Progress makes a difference through unbiased research, innovative tools, and smart solutions, and works with a broad array of partners to shift the economy toward sustainable growth.
Marketplace Money Host Tess Vigeland Issues "Trash Challenge;" Invites Listeners to Join Her Pursuit of "Zero Waste to Landfill"
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Marketplace Money Host Tess Vigeland Issues "Trash Challenge;" Invites Listeners to Join Her Pursuit of "Zero Waste to Landfill"
(Los Angeles, Calif.) September 15, 2007—Tess Vigeland, host of Marketplace Money,® the weekend personal finance program produced and distributed by American Public Media,™ today issued a "trash challenge" that calls on listeners to join her pursuit of "zero waste to landfill." For two weeks beginning September 15, Vigeland will carry her trash everywhere as she seeks to reduce her waste production significantly.
Vigeland will also write regular "diary entries" on the Marketplace Web site and post photographs about her "zero waste" efforts. Vigeland's diary will be found by clicking "Sustainability" on the Marketplace Money Web site at www.marketplace.org. Listeners accepting the "trash challenge" can also post their stories and photographs, plus receive and offer tips on reducing household waste. The "trash challenge" will end September 29. The most compelling listener stories will be broadcast on November 17 as part of Marketplace Money's edition of "Consumed," an American Public Media special series on the consumer economy.
Vigeland's "trash challenge" is a lighthearted effort to highlight a serious issue. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans are throwing away garbage at an accelerating pace. Americans generated 245.7 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2005—a 20 percent increase over 1990 and 102 percent increase over 1970. Americans currently toss out 4.5 pounds of trash per day per person. While modern landfills bear scant resemblance to the old city dump, few people want them as neighbors. Consider California: Edgar & Associates, a waste industry consulting firm, finds the number of active landfills in California has dropped from 224 to 158 since 1993. In the next 15 years, six landfills in Los Angeles County are slated to close and garbage will be shipped ever further distances—at greater cost and producing more pollution.
The "trash challenge" is part of American Public Media's fall series, "Consumed," which explores whether our consumer culture is sustainable. "Consumed" is part of American Public Media's ongoing, in-depth news coverage and programming on global sustainability and the economy across several American Public Media programs, including Marketplace,® Marketplace Morning Report,® Marketplace Money, Being,® Weekend America,® The Story,™ and American RadioWorks.® Funding for American Public Media's sustainability coverage is made possible by the Kendeda Sustainability Fund of the Tides Foundation.
About Marketplace Money
Marketplace Money extends the sound of Marketplace to the weekends as the "money show for the rest of us." The weekly, hour-long program reflects the smart, witty sound of Marketplace with a look at the myriad ways money affects us, from the cultural connotations of currency to the cost of college. Marketplace Money is found on the Web at www.marketplace.org.
About Tess Vigeland
Tess Vigeland became host of Marketplace Money in March 2007. She's a longtime public radio veteran, both as a reporter and host. For more than three years, she hosted the Marketplace Morning Report. Vigeland has served as host, reporter, editor and producer for all Marketplace programs. Prior to joining the team at Marketplace, Vigeland reported and anchored for WBUR radio in Boston and Oregon Public Broadcasting radio and television in Portland. She's covered numerous national and international stories, including the Northern Ireland peace talks in Belfast, the New England mob trials and the separate-but-tandem scandals around former U.S. Senator Bob Packwood and figure skater Tonya Harding. She served as Bill Littlefield's backup host on NPR's weekly sports program Only A Game. Vigeland has earned numerous awards in her reporting career, including five Associated Press awards and three from the Society of Professional Journalists. For her coverage of the Packwood scandal, she received a Corporation for Public Broadcasting Silver Award.
Garrison Keillor is set to kick off the thirty-fourth season of A Prairie Home Companion.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: David O'Neill
Prairie Home Productions
Phone: 651-999-1095
E-mail: davido@prairiehome.us
September 11, 2007
(Saint Paul, Minn.) Autumn is in the air. So is the sound of music, not to mention the aroma of meatloaf. Garrison Keillor is set to kick off the thirty-fourth season of A Prairie Home Companion. The opening show and street dance will be held on Saturday, September 15—the live broadcast from the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul, followed by the street dance on Exchange Street, right in front of the Fitz.
Actress Sue Scott, Tim Russell (the man of many voices), and sound-effects wizard Tom Keith will be on hand, along with the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, led by pianist Rich Dworsky. Special guests The Jerry Douglas Band, The Derailers, Robin and Linda Williams, and Prudence Johnson will provide the music, and everyone can catch up on the news from Lake Wobegon during Keillor's signature monologue.
Following the broadcast, Keillor and many of the musicians head outside for the annual Prairie Home Street Dance. There will be food (the famous $5 meatloaf dinner) and fun (contests, prizes and more), with Garrison leading the festivities. This event is open to the public and free — save a small charge for refreshments.
A Prairie Home Companion has made Minnesota's way of life and the fictional small town of Lake Wobegon part of American popular culture. The show is heard on more than 580 public radio stations nationwide, with a weekly audience that tops 4.3 million listeners. The program can also be heard on the Armed Forces Network Europe, the Far East Network, and in dozens of European cities via the Astra satellite network.
A Prairie Home Companion is produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public Media. The show is sponsored nationally by Toyota, the Sleep Number Bed by Select Comfort, and Pillsbury Oven Baked Biscuits and Dinner Rolls. Audio clips, scripts and more information on A Prairie Home Companion can be found online at www.prairiehome.org.
There will be four live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion at the Fitzgerald Theater this fall: September 15, 22, 29 and October 6. In addition, there will be three Friday-night performances: September 14, 21 and October 5. Go to www.prairiehome.org for more details.
WHAT: 2007 Season Opener of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, followed by the annual (and free) Street Dance!
WHO: Garrison Keillor, with Tom Keith, Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band. Plus special guests, The Derailers, The Jerry Douglas Band, Robin and Linda Williams, and Prudence Johnson
WHEN: A Prairie Home Companion Saturday, September 15, 2007, 4:45 p.m., followed by the Prairie Home Street Dance, 7ñ10 p.m., rain or shine
WHERE: The Fitzgerald Theater, 10 East Exchange Street (at Wabasha) in downtown St. Paul (Street Dance on Exchange Street, in front of the theater)
TICKETS: Tickets to A Prairie Home Companion are available online at prairiehome.org or by calling Ticketmaster at 651.989.5151. The general public may purchase tickets in person at the Fitzgerald box office. Minnesota Public Radio members may order tickets by phone at 651.290.1221. Rush tickets are sold at 4:15 p.m. on day of show ($15 each, limit of two, cash only)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: go to www.prairiehome.org or contact David O'Neill at 651.999.1095.
# # #
American Public Media Presents Live Broadcast of "The Last Night of the Proms" from the BBC Proms on September 8
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media Presents Live Broadcast of"The Last Night of the Proms" from the BBC Proms on September 8
(St. Paul, Minn.) August 24, 2007—American Public Media,™ creator of distinctive, signature programs for public radio and one of media's most active champions of classical music, today announced a special live broadcast of "The Last Night of the Proms" from the BBC Proms on Saturday, September 8, 2007. The BBC Proms is the world's largest and best known classical music festival, drawing exceptional orchestras and soloists for performances in London's historic Royal Albert Hall.
"THE LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS" HIGHLIGHTS
BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Singers
Jirí Belohlávek, conductor
Anna Netrebko, soprano
Joshua Bell, violin
ANTONÍN DVORÁK: Overture from Othello
ERNEST CHAUSSON: Poème de l'amour et de la mer
PABLO De SARASATE: Zigeunerweisen
MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE: Ceres
SIR EDWARD ELGAR: Triumphal March from Caractacus
VINCENZO BELLINI: La Sonnambula Act I, Scene 1
JULIUS FUCÍK: Entrance of the Gladiators
LEONARD BERNSTEIN: "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story
SIR EDWARD ELGAR: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D
HENRY WOOD: Fantasia on British Sea Songs
C. HUBERT H. PARRY: Jerusalem
HENRY WOOD: National Anthem (UK)
Brian Newhouse, host of American Public Media's SymphonyCast™ and a renowned classical music producer, will be in London to present "The Last Night of the Proms" and provide context for the performances.
"Since 2003, American Public Media has been proud to bring concerts from the BBC Proms to classical music listeners worldwide," said Newhouse. "The Proms is one of classical music's magnificent international events. We are delighted once again to share these grand performances."
TUNE IN: "The Last Night of the Proms" will broadcast on public radio stations nationwide on Saturday, September 8. Check local listings for availability.
This year, other concerts from the BBC Proms are featured on broadcasts of SymphonyCast, American Public Media's two-hour weekly radio program featuring a full-length concert by a national or international symphony orchestra. To hear these performances, visit www.symphonycast.org. The BBC Proms will also be integrated into broadcasts of Performance Today,® American Public Media's two-hour daily radio program featuring performances recorded in American Public Media studios and at sites across the nation and around the world. Performance Today is on the Web at www.performancetoday.org.
Through global partnerships with leading music organizations, the European Broadcasting Union, the BBC, orchestras, festivals, vocal ensembles, and artists, American Public Media's classical music service delivers performances from around the world to its listeners. With the largest broadcast audience reach of any classical music radio producer in the United States and streaming audiences around the globe, American Public Media sets the standard for connecting audiences with the best in classical music.
American Public Media Names Desiree Cooper New Co-Host of Weekend America
American Public Media Names Desiree CooperNew Co-Host of Weekend America
Fresh Voice to Public Radio Brings New Perspective to Weekends in America
(St. Paul, Minn.) June 20, 2007—American Public Media,™ creator of distinctive, signature programs for public radio, announced today that award-winning journalist Desiree Cooper will join Bill Radke as co-host of Weekend America,® public radio's two-hour weekly program about the issues of the week, the arts and public affairs. Cooper's first broadcast as co-host of Weekend America is scheduled for August 18, 2007. She will work at American Public Media's Saint Paul headquarters, while Radke will continue in Los Angeles.
"We are delighted to name Desiree as co-host," said Peter Clowney, executive producer of Weekend America. "She's a magnetic personality, a terrific journalist. She loves talking to people and overflows with ideas for the program. And, she and Bill have genuine chemistry in the studio."
Cooper is a popular columnist at the Detroit Free Press, where she's been since 1999. The paper twice nominated her for a Pulitzer Prize and she's been named "best columnist" or "favorite writer" in Detroit several times, by both journalism organizations and reader polls. As a broadcaster, Cooper has contributed national commentaries to NPR's All Things Considered for the past seven years. She's also appeared frequently on Detroit area radio and television.
Cooper's interests range beyond print and radio journalism. She's a prize-winning poet whose short fiction will be anthologized this fall.
"It was poet Gwendolyn Brooks who said, 'One wants a teller in a time like this,'" said Cooper. "I'm so grateful to join a team committed to telling those stories that both bind and define us as Americans. I can't wait to co-host with Bill—his smarts, humor and spontaneity are what are best about public radio."
Bill Radke is equally enthusiastic. "When I first met Desiree, I forgot we were supposed to be doing a host audition. I wanted to listen to her stories. I wanted to bat back her opinions. This is what radio conversation should be!"
An attorney, Cooper also served as editor-in-chief at Metro Times, an alternative weekly newspaper in Detroit, for five years. Under her leadership, Metro Times doubled its readership to 600,000.
Cooper was born in Itazuke, Japan, and has lived in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland and Michigan. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland in 1981 with a double major in journalism and economics and received her law degree from the University of Virginia in 1984.
"Living around the world has taught me people everywhere want to feel empowered about their lives and their communities," said Cooper. "Instead, the news media offers a crush of bad news everyday. Weekend America is a place where listeners can find hope, illumination and maybe even a good laugh."
About Weekend America
Making its debut in October 2004 with generous support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Weekend America is a place where each week two curious, lively hosts spark conversations, share unexpected stories and connect listeners with the most compelling ideas and events of America this weekend. Weekend America features material from the producers and stations around the country.
Weekend America is today heard on 139 public radio stations across the county, including in 22 of the top 50 markets, and has built its audience to already reach 685,000 listeners each week (Audience estimates are copyright Arbitron Nationwide DMA P12+, Fall 2006). Weekend America is on the Web at www.weekendamerica.org.
Marketplace Awarded Grant from The Commonwealth Fund to Support Health Coverage
Contacts: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Barry Scholl
(212) 606-3841
bas@cmwf.org
www.commonwealthfund.org
Marketplace Awarded Grant from The Commonwealth Fund to Support Health Coverage
(Los Angeles, Calif.) May 9, 2007—The Commonwealth Fund has awarded American Public Media's™ Marketplace® a $50,000 grant to support expanded coverage of health issues at Marketplace's Health Desk.
American Public Media's award-winning portfolio of programs—Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report® and Marketplace Money®— provides business, economic and personal finance news with a fresh sound that addresses listeners' financial needs from wallet to Wall Street. The Marketplace Health Desk, one of several specialized Marketplace news desks, covers the latest domestic and international health issues. The Health Desk is located at WGBH in Boston, Mass.
The Commonwealth Fund grant will support Marketplace reporting on the current health crisis with a special focus on health care costs and containment, and analyses of other national and global models of delivering health care. This coverage will provide the public and health policymakers practical information to help them make informed health care decisions.
The Marketplace Health Desk will also use American Public Media's innovative Public Insight Journalism® model to inform and deepen its coverage. Marketplace journalists use Public Insight Journalism to tap the knowledge of audiences and bring that knowledge into the reporting process to create coverage that is more relevant. The national network of Public Insight Journalism participants has more than 27,000 people from all 50 states and 22 countries.
"The Marketplace Health Desk has a history of making the complexities of the U.S. health care market comprehensible and meaningful for listeners," said Karen Davis, President of The Commonwealth Fund. "The Commonwealth Fund is pleased to be able to support this critical source of information."
"Marketplace has covered health care as a critical issue for almost 20 years," said JJ Yore, executive producer of Marketplace and vice president of programming at American Public Media. "But now that the recent and upcoming elections have put health care back on the political agenda again, this is an opportune time for us to rethink our coverage and redouble our efforts, focusing on coverage that looks at solutions around the country and the world. We are delighted that The Commonwealth Fund is helping make this possible."
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation working toward a high performance health system. The Commonwealth Fund is on the Web at www.commonwealthfund.org.
American Public MediaTM is the nation's second-largest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home Companion®, Saint Paul Sunday®, Marketplace®, Marketplace Money®, The Splendid Table®, Being™ and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks®. American Public Media is the national production and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio®. Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.Fall 2006
New Host Named for Marketplace Morning Report
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
New Host Named for Marketplace Morning Report
(Los Angeles, Calif.) May 3, 2007—Doug Krizner has been named host of American Public Media's™ Marketplace Morning Report.® Krizner will join Scott Jagow as one of Marketplace Morning Report's two hosts on June 25.
Marketplace Morning Report is part of American Public Media's award-winning Marketplace® portfolio of programs that also includes Marketplace and Marketplace Money. Marketplace Morning Report is the popular business newscast that airs each weekday morning on more than 300 public radio stations nationwide reaching 5.1 million listeners. (Source: Arbitron, Inc., Nationwide data, P12+, Fall 2006). Marketplace Morning Report offers listeners a look at business news from a global perspective seven times each morning with eight-minute segments outlining the top stories in brief.
"Doug's impressive background in business journalism and his affinity for the Marketplace style and pace are a great combination," said Wendy Sykes, senior producer of Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money.®
"I've admired the Marketplace style for years," said Krizner. "It's a wonderful tradition of storytelling and I'm thrilled by the opportunity to host."
Once a Wall Street stockbroker, Krizner entered business journalism in 1992 when Michael Bloomberg hired him to join a team charged with creating an all-news radio station in New York City. For the next seven years, Krizner reported stories of the financial markets for Bloomberg Radio and its affiliates, interviewing many major players in business and finance during the 1990s. He was also the Bloomberg reporter assigned to cover the stock market for NPR News.
In his last assignment for Bloomberg, Krizner led the radio department as news director.
Over the years, Krizner has worked as an actor, appearing in O Pioneers! on American Playhouse/PBS and in the DreamWorks feature Just Like Heaven.
American Public Media and Gather.com Announce Earth Day Writing Competition to "Go Green on Gather"
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media and Gather.com Announce Earth Day Writing Competition to "Go Green on Gather"
Leaders in Global Sustainability News Reporting and Public Discussion Seek to Encourage People to Make Eco-Friendly Changes in Their Everyday Lives
(St. Paul, Minn.) April 9, 2007—American Public Media,™ the nation's second-largest producer of public radio programs, and Gather.com,™ the leader in social media for adults, today announced an Earth Day Writing Competition on Gather.com to foster greater awareness around Earth Day 2007, global warming and the critical issues facing our environment.
The Earth Day Writing Competition gives participants the opportunity to submit "Go Green" resolutions of making eco-friendly changes in their everyday lives. Entrants can post their "Go Green" resolution to American Public Media's Sustainability Gather Group at http://sustainability.gather.com/ from April 9-19. American Public Media's Sustainability Gather Group, called "Living a sustainable life," features content from American Public Media programs Being,® Marketplace® and its documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® American Public Media's global sustainability news reporting includes how lifestyle, technology, trends and the environment affect issues of sustainability.
During Earth Day week, April 23-27, a resolution will be selected by Gather's Editorial Team and featured on the Gather home page and in the Living a Sustainable Life group. If your green resolution becomes a finalist, it will be eligible for the Grand Prize.
Five semi-finalists will receive a "sustainability grove" of trees, which can be planted in your own backyard or at a designated reservation. One Grand Prize Winner will receive a sustainability grove and a $250 gift certificate to Gaiam.com.
About Gather.com
Gather.com (www.gather.com) is the leader in social media for adults. Today, more than 240,000 Gather.com members connect around shared interests ranging from politics to books and from cooking to travel, and theyíre compensated for their activity on the site. Members can engage in conversation with state and local politicians, health and financial experts, personal coaches, bestselling authors, and more. Over one million people visit Gather.com each month to read content created by Gather.com members. Gather.com has a highly educated, highly informed adult audience membership—a demographic elusive to most social networking sites. This demographic has made Gather.com an exceptional partner to media companies, advertising agencies, leading consumer brands, book publishers, and movie studios. Gather.com is a privately held, privately funded company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Investors include Allen & Company, The American Public Media Group, Hearst, The McGraw-Hill Companies, and Southern California Public Radio. For more information, visit www.gather.com or call (617) 720-4000, x1032.
Gather, Gather.com, and Gather Points are trademarks of Gather Inc.
American Public Media is the nation's second-largest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home Companion,® Performance Today,® Weekend America,® Marketplace,® Marketplace Money,® The Splendid Table,® Being® and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® American Public Media is the name under which Minnesota Public Radio® | American Public Media does national program production and distribution. Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
###Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.
Fall 2006 average
American Public Media and Gather.com Announce Earth Day Writing Competition to "Go Green on Gather"
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media and Gather.com AnnounceEarth Day Writing Competition to "Go Green on Gather"
Leaders in Global Sustainability News Reporting and Public Discussion Seek to Encourage People to Make Eco-Friendly Changes in Their Everyday Lives
(St. Paul, Minn.) April 9, 2007—American Public Media,™ the nation's second-largest producer of public radio programs, and Gather.com,™ the leader in social media for adults, today announced an Earth Day Writing Competition on Gather.com to foster greater awareness around Earth Day 2007, global warming and the critical issues facing our environment.
The Earth Day Writing Competition gives participants the opportunity to submit "Go Green" resolutions of making eco-friendly changes in their everyday lives. Entrants can post their "Go Green" resolution to American Public Media's Sustainability Gather Group at http://sustainability.gather.com/ from April 9-19. American Public Media's Sustainability Gather Group, called "Living a sustainable life," features content from American Public Media programs Being,® Marketplace® and its documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® American Public Media's global sustainability news reporting includes how lifestyle, technology, trends and the environment affect issues of sustainability.
During Earth Day week, April 23-27, a resolution will be selected by Gather's Editorial Team and featured on the Gather home page and in the Living a Sustainable Life group. If your green resolution becomes a finalist, it will be eligible for the Grand Prize.
Five semi-finalists will receive a "sustainability grove" of trees, which can be planted in your own backyard or at a designatedreservation. One Grand Prize Winner will receive a sustainability grove and a $250 gift certificate to Gaiam.com.
About Gather.com
Gather.com (www.gather.com) is the leader in social media for adults. Today, more than 240,000 Gather.com members connect around shared interests ranging from politics to books and from cooking to travel, and they're compensated for their activity on the site. Members can engage in conversation with state and local politicians, health and financial experts, personal coaches, bestselling authors, and more. Over one million people visit Gather.com each month to read content created by Gather.com members. Gather.com has a highly educated, highly informed adult audience membership—a demographic elusive to most social networking sites. This demographic has made Gather.com an exceptional partner to media companies, advertising agencies, leading consumer brands, book publishers, and movie studios. Gather.com is a privately held, privately funded company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Investors include Allen & Company, The American Public Media Group, Hearst, The McGraw-Hill Companies, and Southern California Public Radio. For more information, visit www.gather.com or call (617) 720-4000, x1032.
Gather, Gather.com, and Gather Points are trademarks of Gather Inc.American Public Media is the nation's second-largest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.7 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home Companion,® Performance Today,® Weekend America,® Marketplace,® Marketplace Money,® The Splendid Table,® Being® and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® American Public Media is the name under which Minnesota Public Radio® | American Public Media does national program production and distribution. Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
###
Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.
Fall 2006 average
American Public Media Acquires National Distribution of American Routes, Public Radio's Weekly Exploration of American Music
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media Acquires National Distribution of American Routes, Public Radio's Weekly Exploration of American Music
(St. Paul, Minn.) March 2, 2007—American Public Media,™ the nation's second-largest producer and distributor of public radio programs, today announced it will become the national distributor of American Routes,™ the popular weekly program on American musical styles and genres hosted by internationally recognized folklorist, author and storyteller Nick Spitzer. American Public Media will begin distribution and co-production of American Routes on July 1, 2007.
American Routes will join a portfolio of signature music programs that together make American Public Media the nation's single largest producer and distributor of public radio music programs across multiple genres. Spitzer's compelling weekly program will inject new richness and depth to the American Public Media portfolio, while his creative relationship with American Public Media will bring his knowledge and sensibility into the organization.
"It's great to see American Public Media's commitment to music and cultural programming on public radio," said Spitzer. "This comes at a very good time for American Routes and for our New Orleans situation. I muse that the still growing national audience for Routes emerges from a strong relationship between the Minnesota source and the Louisiana mouth of the Mississippi River!"
"Nick is one of America's most celebrated storytellers who each week takes listeners on a memorable journey to meet the people, places and sounds of American music," said Sarah Lutman, senior vice president of content, American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio.® "American Public Media's classical music programming delivers the great performances of past and present from around the world. The new partnership with American Routes extends American Public Media's music offerings from Johann Sebastian Bach to Louis Armstrong and from Frederick Chopin to Johnny Cash to further delight public radio audiences everywhere."
Now in its ninth year on the air, American Routes is a weekly two-hour public radio program produced in New Orleans by Spitzer, with award-winning executive producer Mary Beth Kirchner.
American Routes presents a broad range of American music—blues and jazz, gospel and soul, old-time country and rockabilly, Cajun and zydeco, Tejano and Latin, roots rock and pop, avant-garde and classical. The program also presents documentary features and artist interviews. Through the songs and stories on American Routes, Spitzer describes both the community origins of music, musicians and cultures—the "roots" of music—and the many directions they take over time—the "routes."
American Routes is currently carried on 200 public radio stations and on XM Satellite Radio, and it reaches nearly 400,000 listeners each week. (Source: Arbitron, Inc., Nationwide data, P12+, Spring06/Fall05 average)
American Routes is made possible by the generous support from the National Endowment for Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. American Routes is on the Web at http://www.americanroutes.org/.
American Public Media Awarded Prestigious George Polk Award for Radio Reporting
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
American Public Media Awarded PrestigiousGeorge Polk Award for Radio Reporting
Award Honors American RadioWorks Documentary "Reports from a Warming Planet"
(St. Paul, Minn.) February 23, 2007—American Public Media™ announced today that it has won the George Polk Award for Radio Reporting for its American RadioWorks® documentary, "Reports from a Warming Planet."
"Reports from a Warming Planet" was distributed, produced and edited by American RadioWorks in collaboration with the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley and NPR's Living on Earth. The award will be presented at a ceremony in New York on April 12, 2007.
The George Polk Awards are a series of prestigious American journalism awards issued annually by Long Island University in New York. The awards were established in 1949 to memorialize George Polk, a CBS correspondent killed covering the Greek civil war.
About the documentary project
Producer Sandy Tolan's graduate students at UC Berkeley fanned out across the globe to document early signs of climate change. The student reporters found that signs are showing up around the world in vastly differing landscapes: from melting outposts near the Arctic Circle to disappearing glaciers high in the Andes; from the rising water in the deltas of Bangladesh to the "sinking" atolls of the Pacific.
"Reports from a Warming Planet" takes listeners to parts of the planet where global warming is already making changes to life and landscape. The stories demonstrate how climate change is no longer restricted to scientific modeling about the future—it's happening now.
The transcript and audio of the documentary, along with photos and links are available at http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/earlysigns/.
About American RadioWorks
Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, American RadioWorks is public radio's largest documentary production unit. It creates documentaries, series projects, and investigative reports for the public radio system and the Internet. American RadioWorks has staff journalists in Washington, D.C., Duluth, Minn., Los Angeles and San Francisco. The American RadioWorks team features some of the most accomplished names in public radio journalism, including executive editor/correspondent Stephen Smith, economics correspondent Chris Farrell and host Ray Suarez.
American RadioWorks is the documentary unit of American Public Media. Major funding for American RadioWorks is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
HEY, TALENTED TWENTYSOMETHINGS! A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION IS LOOKING FOR YOU!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: David O'Neill
Prairie Home Productions
Phone: 651-999-1095
E-mail: davido@prairiehome.us
February 19, 2007
HEY, TALENTED TWENTYSOMETHINGS! A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION IS LOOKING FOR YOU!
Performers 20 to 29 years old to join Garrison Keillor for contest on April 21st broadcast
(Saint Paul, Minn.)—Are you in your 20s and talented? A Prairie Home Companion is looking for you! In past seasons, Garrison Keillor's popular public radio show has featured contests including Talent From Towns Under Two Thousand and Talent from Twelve to Twenty. This year, performers in their 20s are invited to showcase their skills on APHC's April 21st live broadcast.
Here are the specifics:
- All entries must be submitted by performers between 20 and 29 years of age as of 4/21/07
- The contest is open to soloists and performing groups alike. Acts must be self-contained, no accompanists will be provided. All members of each act must be between 20ñ29 years of age as of the date of the contest (4/21/07)
- All contestants must be available to be in St Paul, Minnesota, from Thursday, April 19, 2007 through 7 p.m. CST on Saturday, April 21, 2007
- Submissions must be RECEIVED by 5 p.m. CST on March 24, 2007
- Submissions must be in audio format only, in either cassette or compact-disc format. No video submissions will be considered.
- Submissions will not be returned
- Cassette tapes or CDs can be mailed to:
PHC Talent Contest
611 Frontenac Place
St Paul, MN 55104 - Digital entries will be accepted via www.prairiehome.org
- From these submissions, finalists will be chosen to participate in the contest on Saturday, April 21
Currently in its 33rd season, A Prairie Home Companion has made Minnesota's way of life and the fictional small town of Lake Wobegon part of American popular culture. The show 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. Garrison Keillor's signature monologue, 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 Toyota, the Sleep Number Bed by Select Comfort, Watkins and by Pillsbury Oven Baked Biscuits and Dinner Rolls. 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 presents this season's talent contest—for performers in their 20s
WHEN: Saturday, April 21, 2007, 4:45 p.m.
WHERE: The Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101. 651.290.1221
TICKETS: Go to www.prairiehome.org for details, or contact Ticketmaster
FOR MORE INFORMATION: go to www.prairiehome.org, or contact David OíNeill at davido@prairiehome.us
# # #
Krista Tippett, Creator and Host of American Public Media's Being, Publishes Challenging New Book
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Krista Tippett, Creator and Host of American Public Media's Being, Publishes Challenging New Book
Tippett describes "a new imagination for a new century" in which religious ideas, people and passions are front and center in U.S. and global culture
(St. Paul, Minn.) February 14, 2007—On March 7, Viking will publish Krista Tippett's first book, Being, about her formation and her perspective as a thinker, journalist and public radio conversationalist. Tippett is widely lauded for her vibrant, intelligent and non-polarizing mode of conversation about the most challenging issues of our day.
Being chronicles Tippett's path from a childhood in an evangelical culture to the corridors of power as a Cold War diplomat in Berlin, to the deep questions that compelled her to create and launch the nation's premiere public radio program on religion, meaning and ethics. Tippett describes how her understanding of religion and spirituality as a force in the modern world have been shaped by her conversation partners and intellectual heroes from Elie Wiesel and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh and Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai.
In an early review, Publishers Weekly wrote, "As Tippett takes on issues from the science-and-religion debates to the future of progressive Islam, she shows herself to possess the same 'imaginative intellectual approach' that she admires in some of her interview subjects."
"The book is more reflective and personal than I can be on the air," said Tippett. "I wrote Being, in part, to answer questions that listeners have persistently asked me over the years—how I came to care about large questions of meaning, and how I'm changed by my radio conversations with people across the world's traditions. This book is also my answer to battle cries like 'the end of faith' and 'the God delusion.' Terrible damage is being done in the name of religion in our time. But religious traditions themselves contain the strongest critique and corrective we have to religious excesses. And my conversations week after week teach me that sacred traditions are among our richest sources for deep thought, creative engagement, and hope in the 21st Century world."
Tippett begins her Being book tour at Minnesota Public Radio's® Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn. on March 1. For information about when and where to hear her speak, visit http://speakingoffaith.org/events.shtml.
Biography of Krista Tippett
A journalist and former diplomat, Tippett came up with the idea for Being while consulting for the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at Saint John's Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn. She has hosted and produced the program at American Public Media™ since it began as an occasional feature in 2000, before taking on its current form as a national weekly program in 2003. Tippett is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and a former Fulbright Scholar. She has reported and written for The New York Times, Newsweek, the BBC and other international news organizations, and served as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador to the former West Germany.
PHOTO AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
About American Public Media's Being
Produced and distributed by American Public Media in St. Paul, Minn., Being is an hour-long program that explores how perspectives of faith can illuminate the important issues of American and global life—from how we raise our children to how we wage war. Tippett's interviews with theologians and scientists, activists and writers have been called a new paradigm for discussion about religion, ethics and meaning in modern life.
Krista Tippett, Creator and Host of American Public Media’s Being, Publishes Challenging New Book
Contact: Brad Robideau
(651) 290-1113
brobideau@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
Krista Tippett, Creator and Host of American Public Media’s Being, Publishes Challenging New Book
Tippett describes “a new imagination for a new century” in which religious ideas, people and passions are front and center in U.S. and global culture.
(St. Paul, Minn.) February 14, 2007—On March 7, Viking will publish Krista Tippett’s first book, Being, about her formation and her perspective as a thinker, journalist and public radio conversationalist. Tippett is widely lauded for her vibrant, intelligent and non-polarizing mode of conversation about the most challenging issues of our day.
Being chronicles Tippett’s path from a childhood in an evangelical culture to the corridors of power as a Cold War diplomat in Berlin, to the deep questions that compelled her to create and launch the nation’s premiere public radio program on religion, meaning, and ethics. Tippett describes how her understanding of religion and spirituality as a force in the modern world have been shaped by her conversation partners and intellectual heroes from Elie Wiesel and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh and Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai.
In an early review, Publishers Weekly wrote, “As Tippett takes on issues from the science-and-religion debates to the future of progressive Islam, she shows herself to possess the same “imaginative intellectual approach” that she admires in some of her interview subjects.”
“The book is more reflective and personal than I can be on the air,” said Tippett. “I wrote Being, in part, to answer questions that listeners have persistently asked me over the years–how I came to care about large questions of meaning, and how I’m changed by my radio conversations with people across the world’s traditions. This book is also my answer to battle cries like “the end of faith” and “the God delusion.” Terrible damage is being done in the name of religion in our time. But religious traditions themselves contain the strongest critique and corrective we have to religious excesses. And my conversations week after week teach me that sacred traditions are among our richest sources for deep thought, creative engagement, and hope in the 21st Century world.”
Tippett begins her Speaking of Faith book tour at Minnesota Public Radio’s® Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn. on March 1. For information about when and where to hear her speak, visit http://speakingoffaith.org/events.shtml.
Biography of Krista Tippett
A journalist and former diplomat, Tippett came up with the idea for Speaking of Faith while consulting for the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn. She has hosted and produced the program at American Public Media™ since it began as an occasional feature in 2000, before taking on its current form as a national weekly program in 2003. Tippett is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and a former Fulbright Scholar. She has reported and written for The New York Times, Newsweek, the BBC and other international news organizations, and served as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador to the former West Germany.
About American Public Media’s Being
Produced and distributed by American Public Media in St. Paul, Minn., Being is an hour-long program that explores how perspectives of faith can illuminate the important issues of American and global life–from how we raise our children to how we wage war. Tippett‘s interviews with theologians and scientists, activists and writers have been called a new paradigm for discussion about religion, ethics and meaning in modern life.