Resident Public Radio Nerd

Now You Can Be as Smug as a Linguistics Student!

2010-08-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

This may be a little more Nerd than Public Radio, but if you're anything like me, dear reader, you'll be interested just the same!

If you are a frequent visitor to Miriam Webster's Ask the Editor video series, you will recognize the dulcet tones of Associate Editor Kory Stamper. She has done quite a few of these short little videos, and this time she explains: What really is the plural of octopus?

I actually had a linguistics professor who told us a similar story on the first day of classes, only without all the background history and context behind the changes. I think he may have missed out the best part!

So while this might not have anything to do with public radio, it is something all public radio folks should learn from. Not only is this a top notch little english/history lesson, it's also exactly the type of story people love to retell. So enjoy, and try not to be too smug when you correct the next person who tells you about the "Octopi" they saw at the aquarium.

Radiolab Strikes Again!

2010-08-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

To welcome the newest batch of hour long Radiolab episodes (care of NPR and WNYC) to grace our airwaves and podcatchers, the gang over there have released a short video-poem of sorts, called words.

In this Filmmakers Will Hoffman and Daniel Mercadante (also known as Everynone) string together a series of scenes exploring what meanings and emotions we apply to some of our most common words.

Well, that's what I got out of it, anyway!

The video accompanies the first new hour-long podcast, also called Words.

And don't forget to add the Radiolab RSS feed to your favorite reader, to makes sure you don't miss a single episode. Happy Listening, and tell me what you think about the film, in the comments!

Great Tweets from Behind the Curtain

2010-07-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Recently the folks over at PRI's Here & Now have stepped up their Twitter game, in a way that I wish all pubcasters would follow. They've started tweeting their morning meetings! Having sat in on quite a few of those myself when I was an intern there, I can tell you, the morning meeting is where the action is.

I don't know if any of you loyal readers have been following my Twitter feed (find me at RPRNerd, but you knew that already, didn't you?) and if you have, you've seen some of these notes featured in my re-tweets. What is so appealing about these early morning e-missives, is you see both the germs of a story idea come to fruition and also when stories fall through (Like these tweets about the Barefoot Bandit case) or are superseded when more pressing news breaks. I don't think too many people realize how much of a show is set in stone weeks before it airs, and how quickly things need to be able to change.

But that flexibility is exactly what makes radio so brilliant in the first place! If something big happens, you don't need to send a whole van out to the scene with reporters, cameras, crew and lighting equipment, you just need someone who can answer some of your questions.

I think this is very brave of Here & Now to expose their inner workings to their listeners. I know Here & Now isn't the first pubcaster to do this, but they certainly are the first from my list of local shows to do so! So add them to your following list, and let them know how you feel!

But what do you think? Do you like this peak behind the curtain, or do you wish they had left that door closed? Does exposing the things that don't work out seem unprofessional? Let me know, in the comments...

My Trip to D.C. Part II

2010-05-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Another "must see" stop for all news junkies, Washington's Newseum ate up 2 of my afternoons, when I barely made it off the top floors during my first visit. To the casual observer, there might not seem to be much there for those who like their news to be Public Radio flavored, if you do a little bit of research and look closely, there are some pretty cool nods to our favorite purveyor of news, arts, and culture.

Firstly, if you are visiting the Newseum from Boston, than you might feel right at home inside those highly topical walls, as they were designed by James Polshek and Partners. Who are they, might you ask? Why, they built WGBH's studios in Brighton! That alone might put a smug look on the face of any Boston centered visitor to DC, but there are a few more things to keep an eye out for if you're headed that way. (Special thanks to WGBH's Tom Devlin, for pointing this out to me before my trip!)

On the third floor of the Newseum, there is a section dedicated to electronic transmission of the news, covering milestones from the rise of the Internet, Television and Radio. While Radio certainly looses it's prominence to the other two media there, there are some great public radio tidbits to find on those walls.

If you look carefully at the timeline on the wall, around the 70's, you start to see Public Radio make it's mark. You can even listen to a snippet of the very first All Things Considered broadcast on the interactive kiosks! NPR is only mentioned a few more times in the exhibit, but one of those stood out as particularly surprising. Maybe it's just my age showing, but I had no idea Talk of the Nation's Neal Conan was arrested by the Iraqi Republican Guard during the 1991 Gulf war! Whoa!

The Newseum had only one display of actual Public Radio memorabilia, and that was a microphone and recorder belonging to Susan Stamberg. While the modern Public Radio listener might recognize her voice from her frequent pieces across the big NPR programs, you might not know that she became the first woman to anchor a national nightly news program when she took the helm of All Things Considered in 1972.

So while there is no Public Radio wing yet in the Newseum, it is certainly a great place to visit and learn more about the news in America. While I was there they had a great exhibit on the Berlin wall, and the role that RIAS (or Radio In the American Sector) played in getting reliable news to the people of East Berlin. It's amazing to think about how important news is in our lives, and it's pretty scary to think of living in a world without it. So if you're planing a trip to DC in the near future, make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to visit the Newseum. There is an awful of interesting stories on display there. And there is a great view of the Capital building from the top floor! So what are you waiting for?

Image of the Newseum building courtesy of James P. Blair and the Newseum. You can find other pictures of the Newseum and it's exhibits here. All other photos were taken by me.

Mr. Nerd Goes to Washington

2010-05-27T12:02:00.001-07:00

Sorry! I couldn't resist the easy title! Please forgive me, and read on.

Anyway, I went to Washington D.C. last week, and surprising no one, visited NPR headquarters! The tour was pretty simple, but very cool nonetheless. Here are the things I learned, to whet the appetite of any of my fellow nerds who might be considering making a similar pilgrimage:

NPR is planning to move house, to a new (as of yet un-built) building in 2013. Right now they're in the planning phase, and trying to figure out how to create a building that will satisfy their needs for the next 20 years. This includes deciding whether or not to continue the use of satellite broadcasting facilities, considering making the whole building "wireless" (and not just for internet access, but also microphones, and computer placement) and planning for adaptive, modular spaces. The real trick is trying to figure out what could they possibly need, and how might technology develop that will allow them to tell better stories?

NPR has a fully automated (meaning engineer-less) studio! Which sounds pretty cool, but could just be the first step in the eventual reign of robot-kind. While I'm always interested to see new technologies at work, I feel a little uncomfortable with this one. Reporters and Producers already have to wear a slew of different hats when it comes to the modern radio story, from photographer and videographer, to web designer and editor, so adding in an engineering cap may be a bit much to handle. But many freelance and amateur already do some engineering too, so perhaps this sort of thing is inevitable.

NPR music, purveyors of the mighty fine "All Songs Considered" podcast, also produce a really cool web video series, called "Tiny Desk Concerts." Artists come in, and in front of a single stereo microphone and 3 HD video cameras, set up shop on Host Bob Boilen's desk, and perform a few songs for the NPR staff. Guests have included pretty big-deal names like Tom Jones and Moby, and cover a pretty wide range of genres. So if you're a fan of the podcast, check out the videos!

And speaking of Bob Boilen, we got to briefly meet Bob during the tour, and we got fleeting glimpses of Tell Me More host Michel Martin, and weekend host of All Things Considered, Guy Raz. Unfortunately, dear readers, NPR only allows visitors to take pictures in one place during the tour, in a large open recording space. So here is a picture of me with a clock!

NPR has a station in Berlin, Germany! On the air from 2006, NPRBerlin (fm104.1 if you're in range) the station features many of the NPR staples you know from your local NPR affiliate, alongside local Berlin-centric stories. I assume the station broadcasts in English, as that's what their Web site is written in, but since there isn't an online audio stream available, I don't know for sure. I do know however, that Car Talk does not offer a German language version of the show. I also know I now have another reason to visit Berlin now!

So have any of you Public Radio Nerds had a chance to visit D.C.? Did you make it to NPR's headquarters? Are there any other landmarks of Public Radio that you would suggest to a public radio nerd with a valid passport? Let me know, in the comments.

Friday Podcast Roundup!

2010-04-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

In this week's Friday roundup we welcome a new podcast, WBUR's great local show Radio Boston. Now, I know that Radio Boston isn't new to anyone who regularly listens to our local public radio airwaves, but it's certainly new to our roundup! And since they're going daily pretty soon anyways, you might want to get caught up!

So, head on over to Radio Boston's Web site, and plug into their RSS feed to keep up on all their missives. On this week's show, Host Meghna Chakrabarti takes a look at the state of home ownership in MA. This wraps up the recent reporting done by WBUR's Curt Nickisch, who has been producing a series called "The Depreciating American Dream." In the second half of the show, Meghna talks about what has happened in the 8 years since the Clergy sex abuse scandal erupted here in Massachusetts.

And from PRI, the BBC World Service, and WGBH's The World, this week's World in Words podcast has Patrick Cox telling us about what goes into naming a street around the world, a company that plans to at least have started a translation of the Bible into all of the world's languages by 2025 (not to worry, they're the world's largest Bible translators!) and "locavore language."

In The World's Technology Podcast, Clark Boyd lets us know what is going on with the (now up and running) large Hadron Collider, as well as Google's Chinese servers moving to Hong Kong, internet censorship in Afghanistan, and a piece on the world's largest Halal search engine.

The latest Talking Travel podcast is all about that greatest of travel cuisine, food on a stick. Clark Boyd joins Lonely Planet's Robert Reed and Tom Hall to talk about en-stick-ed duck embryos, guinea pigs and more!

In this week's dose of Radio Lab, Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich woke up early to tell Morning Edition's Renee Montagne about a disorder that makes you think your loved ones have been replaced by impostors. You can listen to the Morning Edition version of the story here, or check out the slightly longer "Radio Lab Shorts" version here.

And if this week's Radio Lab bummed you out a little, not to worry! Here comes the BBC's Friday Night Comedy Podcast from Radio 4 to lighten your spirits! This week Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the rest of The Now Show crew poke fun at old age, as well as the latest news stories!

So load up that .mp3 player of yours with quality public radio podcasts and get out there and enjoy the sun! And Happy Good Friday and Easter, if you're into that sort of thing.

NPR Listens Sends Out the Results!

2010-03-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

This morning I was surprised to see a message from NPR Listens in my inbox. It was a newsletter of sorts, called the Exchange.

The Exchange is a quarterly newsletter sent out to everyone who signed up for the NPR Listener Advisory Panel, set up last year. The Exchange seems to give a brief overview of what the eager folks over at NPR learned from all those surveys they had us fill out.

The topics of this quarter's Exchange? How social media has changed Weekend Edition and what was the general opinion of NPR's national newscasts. The Exchange doesn't give too much in way of details, but it does offer an insight into what lessons NPR is taking from our responses. (check it out here, in .PDF form.)

And of particular note for any fellow Radio Lab fans out there, at the end of the Exchange there is a hint at a future survey to come, all about our favorite brain-teasers! There is also a link to sign up for the survey in advance, so if you'd like the chance to directly tell NPR about how you feel, head on over to NPRlistens.org and sign up!

Littlefield Says "Why Can't We All Play Together?"

2010-03-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

In this week's Only A Game preview: Host Bill Littlefield asks why can't male and female athletes compete directly against each other? Bill cites bowling (Well done Kelly Kulic! pictured) race-car driving, Horse racing, and plenty of other sports that really don't have an excuse for keeping women in separate leagues! Here's how Bill puts it:

Cooties are a well-known pathogen among toddlers, sometimes used to justify boys and girls playing separately at a young age. While most children eventually grow out of this phase, Bill realizes that most professional sports have continued to separate the genders. He reports on the lack of "battle of the sexes" in today's sports.

Give it a listen, and be sure to check out the full Only A Game show tomorrow on 90.9fm, WBUR at 7am and again at 6pm. Or snag the podcast whenever you like!

Image courtesy of Sports Illustrated.com and the Associated Press.

Don't Resist, Give In to the Nerd-i-ness!

2010-03-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, you just come across something that blows your mind. This might not be the most "late breaking news" story on the interwebs, but I think you might enjoy this anyway. Today, while searching through the "Behind the Curtain" posts of WNYC's Radio Lab blog, I came across this: The Radio Lab guys, Jab Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, fighting over whether TV or Radio is better for telling stories.

With Ira Glass as referee.

Yeah, that Ira Glass.

But the actual fight doesn't go on for too long, and pretty soon everybody sits down to discuss which is the more powerful medium. During which I think all of you faithful RPRN readers will join me in a shocked gasp(!) when Ira drops a bombshell about which medium he finds more powerful.

But he also mentions his appearance on The Colbert Report, which thanks to the wonder of the internet, can be watched right now!

But back to the debate: Where do you fall? I don't think you need to guess which side of the debate I came down on, do you? Do you see radio as just a fun distraction when you have other things to do, or do you see it as the main event?

Let me know, in the comments.

Images courtesy of the Radio Lab blog.

More Radio Boston?! Alright!

2010-03-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

If many of you public radio aficionados out there were switching over from WBUR to WGBH in the afternoons, eschewing Terry Gross and Fresh Air for the local topic loving Callie Crossley Show, you might just want to stay your hand. WBUR announced Monday that their local offering is casting aside its Fridays only slot, and bringing us an in-depth look at Boston-centric topics and trends 5 days a week.

A time slot for this change over has not yet been announced, but Radio Boston will move into whatever slot they get starting May 3rd.

In addition to the new time slot, Radio Boston also gains a new host: Meghna Chakrabarti. Frequent listeners to WBUR will recognize her name, as you will have heard her sitting in for Robin Young on Here & Now, filing stories for the WBUR newsroom, and as occasional fill-in host and reporter for Radio Boston. Needless to say, she knows what she's doing.

So what do you, dear reader, think about this? Will this help WBUR recover all the listeners who have gone over to WGBH? When would you like to listen to the new Radio Boston? And who should give up their spot on the WBUR schedule? Let me know what you think, in the comments!

Listen to WBUR Much?

2010-03-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

If you're reading this blog, chances are you do, and Frequently. Well, NPR wants to talk to you! And don't worry, you're not in trouble or anything, I promise.

I just took the WBUR listener survey a few moments ago, and the meat and potatoes of the multiple choice fair is generally how you listen, and when. As one of those computer savvy "millennials" I tend to listen online and through podcasts, more than via trusty FM, but how about you? Do you listen at work? Do you stream it to your iphone? Or to your very un-hip blackberry? Are there any shows you love (do I have to pick just one?) or can't stand? If you want a say in your public radio, then now is the time to let them know!

And at the end of the survey, don't forget to sign up for the larger-scale NPR Listener panel linked at the bottom of the last page. Be sure to let them know where and when you get your NPR fix!

So have you joined up? Have you filled out multiple surveys for multiple stations you listen to? Let me know, in the comments!

The Public Radio App loves Our Local Stations!

2010-02-25T11:53:00.000-08:00

I'm sure some of you out there are at this very moment sneaking loving looks at your iPhone and all the wonders caged within. And if you're reading this blog, than I'm also sure you have a fantastic application called the Public Radio Player up and running, and practically in constant use. If you are like me, a public radio nerd with only a lowly blackberry, then you have to make due with other means (that didn't come across as bitter, did it?) but you still might be interested in a a recent post from the app's developer.

On Monday, poster Josh wrote about the preliminary findings about what stations people were listening to on the iPhone app. Josh was careful to note, that this list comparison list was not exactly the most accurate of comparisons, due to differences in data collection, and time period. But take a look at the chart below, and you can see why I am so excited about these results:Now who might we find in the top ten slots for public radio broadcasters? Both of out local pubcasters, and WBUR landed the number 1 spot! Wahoo! And WGBH managed to pull a very reputable 7th place! If you take a look at the "Top Terrestrial" side of the equation, you can see that WBUR is placed at number 10, while WGBH doesn't place at all.Now don't do popping that champagne quite yet though, as there is a little more to this than at first meets the eye. Yesterday, Josh returned to shed a little more light on the findings.

Josh says that he neglected to mention a key piece of information:

I opened the Public Radio Player yesterday and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The opening page of the app lists a group of featured live streams. That list is almost identical to the Top 20 rankings published on Monday. There is such a large overlap that one must conclude that the presence of a station on the featured list is a major influence on the usage of their stream. That is, the Public Radio Player app is both cause and effect of the top station rankings.
- Josh from Public Radio Player

Aww shucks. So the news isn't quite as good as it could have been, but it's still cause to celebrate! If the Public Radio App has been downloaded 2.5 million times, and our local stations are being played more than any others (at least in WBUR's case) than that has to be a good thing right?

Now if only there were a way to convince all those listeners to donate to our pledge drives...

Littlefield's lyrics on ... the 'lympics?

2010-02-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

Alright, so that was a bit of a stretch, but Bill Littlefield (of WBUR's Only a Game) is much better at this than me. Enjoy Bill's latest poetic tale about all the Olympic highlights we've been subject too this season.

And if you crave more Only A Game, but can't wait until 7 tomorrow morning (or 6 tomorrow evening, if you prefer!) then check out Bill's interview with Mark Yost, author of the new book Var$ity Green. The book focuses on how the business behind college and university level sports is not as wholesome as it might seem.

If this story got your deja-vu senses a' prickling, then chances are you heard the interview Yost did with APM's Market Place yesterday.

Radio Boston Looks at Vancouverism and Boston's Combat Zone

2010-02-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

This week's Radio Boston (from WBUR) focuses on how Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada was able to become one of the topped ranked cities in the world, and what Boston could learn from Vancouver's example.

Radio Boston is WBUR's in-depth local show, covering everything from local gang violence to the rise in popularity of Farmer's Markets. A frequent highlight for me, is how they regularly integrate additional online features to go along with the conversation on the air.

For this show, the Radio Boston team (with help from WBUR staff) put together some great pieces on the web, like a video of developer Don Chiofaro explaining his plans for the waterfront district, and a great visual timeline of a certain area of town your mother probably told you to stay away from...

And on that note, don't forget to stay tuned for for the second half of the show, all about 1970's Boston red light district, "The Combat Zone."

If you missed today's Radio Boston, head on over to www.radioboston.org, or tune in to 90.9fm tomorrow at 3pm.

Images courtesy of Radio Boston and Roswell Angier.

On Point Hour 2: Life in North Korea

2010-02-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

Today's On Point (care of WBUR and carried by NPR) is dedicated to what life is like for the average person living in Communist North Korea today. Hosted by Radio Boston's Jane Clayson, the talk revolves around a new book about the accounts of those who have successfully fled the country.

The book's author, Barbara Demick, is the LA Times Beijing bureau chief, and lived in Seoul, South Korea From 2001. Her book, Nothing to Envy is out now.

In the interview, Ms. Demick does a great job of explaining not only what the lives of the North Korean people is like, but also the history that lead to their current state. The summary of the book (from the book's Web site) certainly makes for some chilling reading:

What if the nightmare imagined by George Orwell in 1984 were real?
What if you had to live in a country where radio dials were fixed to a single government station? Where the surroundings were entirely black-and-white except for the red lettering of the propaganda signs? Where you were required to keep a large portrait of the president on your living room wall and bow to it on national holidays? Where sexuality was repressed except for purposes of reproduction? Where spies like Orwell’s Thought Police studied your facial expressions during political rallies to make sure you were sincere not only in your speech but your thoughts?
This is a real place – the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea or North Korea. The Communist regime that has controlled the northern half of the Korean peninsula since 1945 might be the most totalitarian of modern world history.

Did you manage to catch the second hour of On Point today? Well if you didn't, there's no need to worry! The whole show is currently available online and you can catch the re-broadcast tonight at 8pm (the first hour is on at 7pm) at 90.9fm or via their online live audio stream.

So What did you think? Do you agree with the commenter who says this is too biased, based on the accounts of those who fled the country? Or do you see through all the propaganda offered by the North Korean government, and wonder what really is going on? Let me know, in the comments!

Friday Podcast Roundup!

2010-02-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday Public Radio Nerds! Now that the work week for most of you is almost done, You can load up your podcatcher of choice and enjoy some of this week's top podcasts.

From The World and WGBH, this week's World in Words podcast, Patrick Cox is looking at Chinese language programs in inner city schools, the language of love, and Romance Novels. Here's the rundown, courtesy of Google reader (subscribe to the RSS feed and you too can get the pod early!)

Hundreds of language programs at public schools have become victims of shrinking budgets. Not Chinese. We visit an inner city high school where 400 students are learning Chinese. Also, don't be fooled: the language of love is not universal, not unless you keep you mouth shut. That's the view of an American woman who endlessly misunderstands the amorous words of her German-speaking lover. Plus, bodice-ripping our way out of the recession: romance novels are more popular than ever.

And on the World's Technology Podcast, Clark Boyd tells us about a high tech treadmill for swiss skiers, a football that can generate electricity (and a proper football too!) and crowdsourcing ideas for building a new Haiti. Here's the rundown:

This is no ordinary soccer ball. It’s called sOccket, and it’s got some tech inside that allows it to store up energy while it’s being kicked around. After 15 minutes, the ball’s stored up enough juice to power an LED light, or even charge up something else. Too cool. In this week’s podcast, we’ll talk to one of the people behind the sOccket. We’ll also hear about a high-tech treadmill for training Swedish skiers, and we’ll “embed” with some folks looking to keep information flowing into and out of Iran. We end with a segment on listeners Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein in Tokyo. They are architects who are trying to crowdsource new design and building ideas for post-earthquake Haiti. Wow.

No How We Got Here this week, but putting on his Talking Travel hat, Clark Boyd talks with Lonely Planet's Robert Reid and Tom Hall about how recent flooding in Machu Picchu is affecting the livelihood of Peruvians. Here's the rundown:

In this episode of Talking Travel, we talk about the heavy rains and flooding that have threatened the lives and livelihoods of those living in the shadow of Machu Picchu in Peru. Lonely Planet’s Robert Reid and Tom Hall assess the short-term and long-term damage to Peru’s tourism industry, and offer listeners some alternate spots to take in South America’s ancient ruins.

And a new addition to the rundown, just outside of my usual scope, is WNYC's fantastic thinking show Radio Lab. Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich talk about nearly everything under the sun, and do their best to BLOW YOUR MIND. Or at least give you something interesting to talk about. Here's their rundown:

We’ve been talking about animals the last few podcasts, particularly how difficult it is to find a shared space across species lines. In this podcast, we talk to Barbara Smuts, a professor at the University of Michigan. And Barbara tells us a story about her experiences trying to find that elusive space. This tale takes us back to the 1970s, when Barbara was trying to gain the trust of a troop of baboons in a remote area of Kenya.

And across the pond, in The BBC Friday Night Comedy Podcast Host Sandy Toksvig and the gang poke fun at M15, new taxes and more! Here's the rundown:

Courts, Care and Cooks. Sandi Toksvig hosts in the week that the MI5 were less secret than usual, the elderly proved taxing and a Michelin chef felt less starry. Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Milton Jones and Will Smith made up the illustrious panel.

As always, let me know if I'm leaving out your favorite podcast! Have a nice weekend and see you in the comments.

Crossley Delivers Twice This Week!

2010-02-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

As anyone who is a follower of my twitter feed knows, I am a fan of WGBH Radio's new-ish local talk show The Callie Crossley Show. And if you've been listening to the show this week, you can see why!

On Tuesday's show Callie lead a conversation about the relevance of Black History month. She had guests covering all aspects of the discussion, but there was a moment during the show that snatched my attention away from whatever I was doing at the time, and commanded my focus for the rest of the show. Callie played a clip of actor Morgan Freeman discussing his views on Black History Month from an interview he did on 60 minutes in 2005. I don't want to ruin it for those of you who haven't heard the interview, so either set the player below a spinning, or if you are too impatient to listen to the whole thing then just skip to 17 minutes in.

I don't know where you might fall when it comes to the discussion of Black History Month, but you have to admit, it's an intriguing and important conversation to have.

And if one great show wasn't enough this week, on Thursday, Callie tackled a wide berth of stories, from the anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison, and a look back at apartheid to a much lighter look at why Romance novels have been so successful during the recession and tips for making a fun Valentine's Day dinner at home.

I don't know about you, but there were at least two moments during this show where I wished I'd called in. First, during the discussion of Romance novels (never "Bodice Rippers" apparently!) I wanted to know why my homeland is such a frequent setting for these stories! A stroll down one of those aisles in your local book stores is almost like getting a brochure from the Scottish board of tourism! A broad, bare chested and long haired brochure perhaps, but a brochure all the same! The other question I wished I'd asked was about Callie's personal view on what wines she was looking at for Valentine's day. For those who don't know, in addition to hosting this great public radio show, and being a frequent guest on WGBH TV's Beat the Press, she also writes a periodically updated wine blog called The Crushed Grape Report. Do any other inquiring minds wish to know, what will she be drinking this weekend?

So have you been listening? Have there been any moments that surprised you? Have you had a bad case of the "wished-I'd-asked-that-question" while tuning in? Let me know, in the comments!

Littlefield's Take on Olympic Gold

2010-02-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

In this week's Only A Game preview (care of WBUR) host Bill Littlefield gives us a look at a major driving force behind Olympics, corporate sponsorship.

You can catch the whole Only A Game show on 90.9 fm WBUR in Boston on Saturdays at 7am or 6pm. Or you can always listen online at onlyagame.com

Saturday Podcast Roundup!

2010-02-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday Public Radio Nerds! I hope you enjoy the return of that 'oft over-looked post in this neck of the woods, the Saturday Podcast Roundup!

On this week's Car Talk podcast, Tom and Ray tackle:

A used car salesman chooses an opportune moment to become a consumer advocate. Also, a pregnancy induced impulse buy turns into a very large and unreliable gas guzzler the one family member can't even fit in. Plus, how not to fix a vacuum leak if you value your eyebrows, and Tommy gets hit with a flash of brilliance—or idiocy. You decide.

and on that other NPR mainstay, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me this week features:

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu is kind of an overachiever, so we're asking him to play a game called "You are the losing-est bunch of losers in the history of losing."
We'll ask the Secretary of Energy three questions about one of the biggest losers in all of sports: The Washington Generals — the team the Harlem Globetrotters beat in nearly every one of their hundreds of exhibition games each year.

This week's Wait, Wait panelists are Mo Rocca, Juliet Sweeney and Adam Felber.

If you liked the tasty tidbit of Only a Game we gave you yesterday, then you'll love the full 'cast! This week:

The buildup, the dip
And the chips are nothing to…
Super Bowl Haiku
This week on Only A Game, our 16th Annual installment of gridiron, er, poetry. Also, a big game preview, and bringing together bikes and beer in Boston.

From outside the WBUR (and WBEZ) studios, Living on Earth this week covers:

The decade-old plan to build the nation’s first offshore wind farm faces new opposition from Cape Cod’s longest established residents- the Wanpanoag Nation.

Plus:
Blasting NASA – President Obama's budget proposal axing a major rocket program sets NASA's plan to return people to the moon back a step but takes a giant leap to commercializing human space exploration.
A New Fission Provision – The Obama administration has proposed tripling loan guarantees to the nuclear industry, a move some see as shortsighted.

And more!

As always, let me know if I've missed your favorite Public Radio Podcasts!

Friday Podcast Roundup!

2010-02-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Once again, it's time for our favorite podcasts for your weekend listening pleasure!

In this week's World in Words podcast:

As Obama enters the second year of his presidency, he’s dropped some expressions — “war on terror”, “Af-Pak”, even “Middle East”. His administration has invented a few too: “remotedly piloted aircraft” (drones) and “overseas contingency operations” (wars). Also, a special screening of Avatar in Ecuador for indigenous groups. What did these Shuar and Achuar speakers think of Avatar’s invented language, Na’vi? Finally, a new online satirical movie is all the rage in China. It features a Chinese double-entendre phrase aimed at avoiding government censorship. The movie also includes a fantastic “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” rant.

and in The World's Technology podcast:

We’ve got a great mix of stories on this week’s podcast. We take you inside a Crisis Camp for Haiti meeting in Montreal, to hear how concerned people thousands of miles away are helping the relief effort. Also, two great stories about design and technology: one concerns an ancient footbridge across the Nile, and the other the humble, but dangerous, British pint glass. And we end with some research into potential links between Internet addiction and depression.

In this week's How We Got Here:

We continue our exploration of Haiti’s history into the 19th and 20th centuries. Kate Ramsey of the University of Miami tells us about the diplomatic isolation Haiti faced after independence. She also describes the U.S. occupation of Haiti between 1915 and 1934.Chantalle Verna of Florida International University tells us about the period after the U.S. occupation, sometimes called “Haiti’s Second Independence.” And finally, sociologist Alex Dupuy of Wesleyan University tells us about Haiti under the Duvaliers.

*point your browser over here if you want to check out Jeb's previous look into Haiti's history.*

In the Talking Travel podcast:

we talk about Haiti’s past, present and future as a tourist destination. Lonely Planet Haiti guide author Paul Clammer talks about just how much the earthquake has affected the country’s status as an up-and-coming tourist destination, and what role tourism might play in the recovery.

On the sillier side of things, this week's BBC Friday Night Comedy Podcast features:

Cheats, Criminals, and Charles: Sandi Toksvig hosts in the week that exam results became more suspect, criminal numbers looked suspicious, and Prince Charles raised suspicions against 200 years of rationalism. Jack Dee, Jeremy Hardy, Francis Wheen and Micky Flanagan make up the illustrious panel.

And on this week's Bugle:

John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman delve into the very angry and slightly crazy world of climate change deniers and unearth some more conspiracies. Plus a special feature section on the Iranian space program to get small animals into space, irate Pope news about gay equality and big news for England football fans.

As always, enjoy the podcasts and have a nice weekend! If you think I've left out your favorite weekly podcast, let me know in the comments!

Littlefield's Take on SuperBowl Sunday

2010-02-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

Bill Littlefield (of WBUR's Only a Game) gives us his take on the controversy surrounding this weekend's bone crunching extravaganza, Super Bowl XLIV. Essentially Bill is not impressed.

Check out the following Audio Clip for more:

And to be honest, I have to agree with Bill on this one. The commercialism surrounding the Super Bowl is incomparable, and it was really only a matter of time before an overt political stance was sold a space to state their cause. And I was ready to give this year's Super Bowl a miss, due in part to CBS's decision to air this ad while rejecting others, but seeing as I'm not a fan of American football anyway so this wasn't any great sacrifice on my part. Anyway, given the lack of a local team in the mix, my interest was far from piqued when it came to this American pastime.

Then I realized Who was doing the halftime show...

So I'll see ya out there fellow Nerds! Happy Super Bowl weekend!

The Hub Mourns the Loss of Two Great Men

2010-01-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

In the past two weeks, the Boston area lost two people who had very different effects on this area and the world. On Monday January 18th prolific writer Robert B. Parker died at his home in Cambridge. On Wednesday January 27th we lost "the People's Historian" Howard Zinn.

Parker was a MA native, growing up in Springfield, earning his PhD from Boston University, and teaching at Northeastern. He is credited with "bringing the hard-boiled detective into the 20th century" and chose to do so using Boston as a background. In a recent WBUR interview remembering Parker, crime novelist Dennis Lehane said "He was the king of Boston. We were all kind of princes at best." Parker wrote nearly 50 novels starring his Hard-Boiled detective, the private eye known as Spencer.

And In 2006, Parker was a guest on On-Point to talk about his book "Hundred Dollar Baby."

Howard Zinn was born in Brooklyn NY, but he rose to prominence as a teacher at BU, so I think we can safely claim him as one of our own. Zinn wrote many books, the most famous of which, "A People's History of the United States" which was a finalist for the National Book award in 1981, and was famously mentioned in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. (Warning! This clip contains some strong language!)

Zinn spoke with WGBH's Callie Crossley on the 14th of January, just 13 days before his death while traveling in California.

Both Parker and Zinn were important mainstays of Boston culture, and our little hub just won't be the same without them.

Friday Podcast Roundup!

2010-01-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday Everybody!

This week we welcome back Jeb Sharp's How We Got Here podcast, but we are missing The World's new (-ish) travel podcast, Talking Travel (care of WGBH and Lonely Planet.) Not to worry! You've still got a healthy dose of podcasts for your Friday enjoyment.

This week on The World's Technology podcast, Clark talk is talking about how Tech is making a difference for Haiti. Here's the rundown:

This week, we look at two major stories. The first is the relief effort in Haiti, which was hit by a devastating earthquake earlier this week. We examine the importance of getting telecommunications back up and running, both for aid groups and for locals. Also, we talk about how US aid groups are turning to text messaging to raise funds. Our other big story is Google’s announcement that it may pull out of China completely.

In this week's World in Words 'cast, Patrick talks about bizarre english words from across the world and across history, and about the definition of the word peace. Here's the rundown:

A conversation with Adam Jacot de Boinod, a seeker of obscure but colorful English expressions. If you read his new book, “The Wonder of Whiffling”, you’ll know whether you prefer to muppet shuffle or dwile flunk. You’ll know if you are a pozzy-wallah. Some of expressions are brand new, others long gone. Also, the meaning of the word peace. Barack Obama was the latest figure to tweak its definition when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and made the argument for “just war”.

This week's How We Got Here is all about Yemen! Jeb talks about Yemen's archeology, recent history, and life under the Ottoman empire. Here's the rundown:

On this week’s history podcast a look at the archaeology and history of Yemen. First we hear from University of Chicago archaeologist McGuire Gibson. He’s worked in Yemen since the 1970’s. ThenBernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, fills us in on Yemen’s recent history. Thomas Kuehn of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver tells us about Yemen under the Ottomans and how it might be relevant today. Among other things these folks emphasize Yemen’s strategic location and geography, its stunning beauty and its continuous and unbroken history going way back.

And I don't know how we should feel about this, but in this week's BBC Comedy Podcast, Sandy Topsvig and the gang mention our fair commonwealth in this week's comedy news quiz. Fans of our new Senator Scott Brown might want to wait until next week before tuning into this particular podcast! Or maybe just skip the first few minutes or so, just don't say I didn't warn ya!

This week's Bugle also pokes fun at our recent election, so tread carefully there too Brown fans.

Happy Weekend everybody!

A Pub-Radio look at MLK Day

2010-01-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Martin Luther King (Jr) Day everyone!

Our local Pubcasters have been taking a look at the legacy of MLK, and what his words mean today.

On Point (care of WBUR) starts us off with a discussion around how African-Americans are feeling after President Barack Obama completes his first year as the commander-in-chief. Here's the rundown:

There were rapturous scenes a year ago as Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States.
Millions of Americans celebrated a milestone in America’s hard racial history, African-Americans in tears of pride and joy at a day many thought they would never see.
A year later, on this Martin Luther King Day, were talking with African-Americans about what Obama’s first year in office has meant to them and the country in racial terms. From schoolrooms to workplaces to private conversations and the halls of power.
This hour, On Point: African-Americans speak about one year of Obama.

Following Tom, another WBUR mainstay Here & Now talks about a new study saying that Black Americans are more upbeat about their lives than they have been in more than 25 years.

On the WGBH side of things, Callie Crossley takes a look at how Dr. King is being remembered, and how his image has been sanitized over the years. Here's how she puts it:

We’re doing a show dedicated to a conversation exploring the legacy or MLK as well as the sanitizing of MLK’s image.

First two segments our guests are Rep Byron Rushing, Democrat from the 90th District. Rushing, a graduate of Harvard College and MIT, is a history buff and leads historical tours of Roxbury.
Also, Rev. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Professor of Sociology and African-American Studies at Colby College in Maine. She is also assistant pastor of Union Baptist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is also host of a gospel radio show The Uncloudy Day on WMHB in Waterville Colby College’s station.
Also, Diane McWhorter , author of the Pulitizer Prize winning book, “Carry Me Home: Birmingham and the Climatic Battle for Civil Rights” and the children’s book “A Dream of Freedom” about the civil rights movement from 1954-1965.
Later in the hour, we’ll have 3 school children who have won their school “s MLK essay contests.
Finally, we’ll have some music from the recent MLK Tribute concert with the Boston Children’s Chorus.

What do you think? How are you celebrating the life of Dr. King? Or are you mourning his loss? Let us know, in the comments.

The New Kids on the Pub-Radio Block

2010-01-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

Today marks the second day of WGBH new local programing, and I think it is a welcome addition to the Hub pubcasting scene!

First up is the Emily Rooney Show airing all week (sans the weekend, of course) at noon on 89.7fm. You probably recognize Ms. Rooney from the TV side of WGBH, where she is the Host and Executive editor of Greater Boston.

Here's the overview for the new show:

Hosted by award-winning journalist Emily Rooney, The Emily Rooney Show examines local news and public affairs in a spirited daily forum. Each edition engages people on the issues of the day, ranging anywhere from politics and the law to science and technology. A signature segment of the hour, called “What are YOU Hearing?,” features experts with insight into a specific issue.

Today, Ms. Rooney talked with former Lt. governor for MA Kerri Healey, and communications consultant Terrence Burke recapping and dissecting last night's depate for MA Senate seat race. And yesterday, Emily spoke with MA Governor Deval Patrick and RI Governor Donald Carcieri! What a debut!

And hot on her heels is the Callie Crossley Show (everyday from 1-2pm.) You may recognize Ms. Crossley from another 'GBH staple, Greater Boston's Friday news roundtable, Beat the Press.

Here's the overview:

Hosted by award-winning journalist Callie Crossley, The Callie Crossley Show offers a daily discussion of current events, local happenings, arts and culture, and water cooler buzz. From the boardroom to the bus stop, Crossley examines stories of interests from Boston and New England. In turn, she invites the community to weigh in, providing a forum for listeners to tap into the talk of your town.

All this week Ms. Crossley is talking about what changed our lives over the past 10 years. On yesterday's premiere, Callie talked about the differences between previous generations and those who came of age over the last 10 years. Today she was talking about the Economy and what it might mean for the "American Dream." Don't forget to call in tomorrow! The number is 1-877-301-8970.

If you missed any of the episodes for either show, you can find them at their show pages, and all episodes for both show are available now, to listen to at your leisure. And don't forget Twitter and Facebook! Both Ms. Rooney and Ms. Crossley have their own twitter feeds, but they share a facebook page. So sign on and sign up, they both would love to hear what you think about the shows. And so would I!

See you all in the comments!

All images courtesy of the facebook pages of WGBH Radio Boston, the Emily Rooney Show and the Callie Crossley Show.

Friday Podcast Roundup!

2010-01-08T11:56:00.001-08:00

It seems many of our favorite podcasts are still on winter vacation, so we have a bit of a lighter rundown than usual. But that's alright, because it just gives you more time to catch up before the next edition of a new podcast from PRI's The World (of course, care of our very own WGBH and the BBC.)

Point your browser to www.theworld.org/travel for the first 3 episodes of Talking Travel. Talking Travel is a collaboration of one of RPRN's favorite pod sources, The World, and travel guide provider Lonely Planet.

Hosted another RPRN favorite, The World's Tech correspondent, and podcaster extraordinaire Clark Boyd! With each 'cast, Clark talks with Lonely Planet's Robert Reid and Tom Hall, about
the foreign places where news is talking place, and what is going on there! So far they've tackled The American hikers that crossed the northern border on Iraq and into Iran, The New Cuba under Raul Castro, Copenhagen and more! So check out all three 'casts, because if tweets from @worldstechpod and @pritheworld are to be believed, then a new Talking Travel could be here soon!

Now for our usual Friday Roundup!

On Clark's Tech podcast:

We start the year with bagpipes, naturally. Then, we talk about Germany's little Y2K10 bug, and hear a couple of stories about tech in Iran. We'll have an in-depth look at the economic effect the mobile money transform platform MPESA is having in Kenya. Also, it seems that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is riling some Russians. Oh, and listen to the end. We've got an audio paean to grit. Give to the podcast at www.pri.org/give.

and on the World in Words podcast:

Hebrew is most successful attempt ever at language revival. We find out why. Also, Malaysians are rioting after a court rules that a Catholic newspaper can use the word Allah. Then, two reports on alphabet letters: in Sweden, parents win the right to name their newborn Q; and in Turkey, using the Kurdish-associated letters Q, W or X can land you in jail. And, a two-nations-divided-by-one-language examination of the word grit.

and on the brighter side of the 'casts, This week's Bugle is another "best of" in their lead-up to their 100th Bugle! This week's show is a collection of music remixed that have been sent into the guys by fans!

And finally, BBC's Comedy podcast from Radio4 is back to the News Quiz! Hooray! This Week:

Campaigning, Coups and the Cold: Sandi Toksvig leads the teams in the week that a Labour revolution got left in the cold, Iceland gave the UK the cold shoulder and marriage gave Cameron cold feet. Jeremy Hardy, Fred Macaulay, Will Smith and Danielle Ward make up the illustrious panel.

As always, if you think I'm missing something in my round-up, lemmie know in the comments. Happy listening, and happy weekend!

Here & Now Takes a Look Back at the 00's and More!

2009-12-31T13:04:00.001-08:00

If you have an hour to spare in your preparations to say a hearty good-bye to 2009, then I have just the thing for your podcatcher of choice. Today's New Years Eve themed Here & Now.

Just head on over to www.hereandnow.org and check out today's show! And don't forget to click the "Listen to the Show" button at the top of the page if you want to listen to the show all at once, as opposed to the "a la carte" option of clicking on each segment. Here's the rundown:

Intelligence Failures
American diplomats and the CIA in Nigeria knew that the suspect in the attempted Christmas Day plane bombing had texted his father from Yemen, telling his father that he had found the “real Islam” and was never coming back. Also the National Security Administration knew Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen were talking about using a Nigerian man for an attack. So did the National Counterterrorism Center, which is supposed to coordinate intelligence, have those two pieces of information and did it fail to link them? Mark Mazzetti, who covers the CIA for the New York Times, is our guest.
The End of The Decade
Cultural commentator Michael Hirschorn reflects on the past decade that started with the Y2K scare and ended with a financial implosion.He wrote about the Aughts for New York magazine. Did you emerge from this decade a winner or a loser? Hirshorn says that answer has something to do with how you view the internet.
Champagne under the Microscope
Scientists say
there are 20 million bubbles in a champagne bottle. The bubbles come from the carbon dioxide (CO2) in alcohol, but it takes microscopic lint in your glass for them start working. And each bubble is working to effect the taste, aroma, and experience of that sip. We’ll speak with Robert Lee Hotz, science columnist for the Wall Street Journal, who calls CO2 the drinkable greenhouse gas.
Films on Ty Burr’s Best Of List
When Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr was asked to give his picks for the best films of the past decade, he came up with 33 …. and then was told to winnow it down to 10. Ty joins us to review the long and short lists.

Happy Listening, and all the best for 2010!

On Point takes a look at Pandora

2009-11-20T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today's On Point (produced by our own WBUR, carried by NPR) takes a long and loving look at that fantastical music compendium; The internet service called Pandora.

In a nutshell, Pandora is a freemium music service, that starts by having you suggest an artist, song or genre you like to listen to, then Pandora creates a "radio station" that plays simmilar songs. If you are looking for a more detailed explanation of how Pandora does this, you'll have to listen to the show!

While I don't listen to Pandora as much as most of the callers seem to (if I did, when would I listen to my beloved public radio programs?) I still consider myself to be an avid user. If you've ever wondered who was behind this modern marvel, then head on over to the show page for the second hour of On Point, where host Tom Ashbrook talks to Pandora founder Tim Westergren.

Later in the show, Tom brings in Daniel Levitin , author of 2 books on music and the brain, who talks about the one thing Pandora can't do: Anticipate how the songs they suggest will affect the mood of the listener. I've been trying to train a fast paced and upbeat Rock and Roll station for about a month now, and within half an hour I always run out of "Skips" to use. Curse those mopey Beatles songs, and depressing Nirvana Tracks! But I suppose that's what I get for being picky.

So what about you, Public Radio Nerds? Are you an avid Pandora user? Do you have a legion of perfectly trained "stations" that give you only what you want? Or are you constantly wishing they would bring back the "Ban Artist" option?

Image of Mr. Westergren courtesy of Rafael Fuchs from Pandora, and image of Mr. Levitin courtesy of Daniel Levitin's Media Photos page, Photo by Owen Egan/Mcgill University

A Language Countdown from the World in Words

2009-11-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

This week's offering from Patrick Cox and the World In Worlds podcast is a countdown of language stories from this week, covering:

Top five language-related stories from the past month. Among them: Some birds develop distinct dialects based on the decibel levels of their habitats; Companies doing business in Glasgow are offered interpreters to translate the local dialect; The French government reforms foreign language teaching; And Chinese expats do battle over which script U.S. schools should use to teach Chinese - traditional characters, favored in Taiwan and Hong Kong, or simplified characters, used in mainland China.

This might come as no surprise to those of you who know me, but as a Scottish expat I took a special interest in the story about Glaswegian interpreters. I know the Glasgie banter can seem a little daunting to some, but with a bit of practice and some careful listening there is nothing to be afraid of! And Patrick and his friends from the World come dangerously close to being downright mean about my native brethren. If any of you faithful RPRNerd readers can remember my post from Robbie Burns day, you might have noticed me chiding The World's Clark Boyd for being disparaging towards the Haggis. Well, it looks like Clark is up to his old tricks again, teasing and poking fun alongside Patrick and guest Carol Hills! Come'on now youse! Be nice!

And okay, so I couldn't understand every little bit of the example played, but I got most of it!

... at least half...

ANYWAYS, Patrick says this is not a full fledged podcast, so he should have more wordy goodness for us in time for the Podcast Roundup. In the meantime, go'on and bile yer heid!

Image courtesy of Patrick Cox's blog, found at http://patrickcox.wordpress.com/ The World, and the World in Words podcast are productions of WGBH.

Public Radio Halloween Spooktacular!

2009-10-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

For your Halloween listening pleasure, your local public radio stations are practically bursting with stories of spooky and frightful things. So listen in, and enjoy!

From the WBUR, Arts & Culture reporter Andrea Shea brings us the story of a famous poltergeist roaming the halls of a Boston University dormitory. Andrea takes us down the haunted hallway and explains how playwright Eugene O'Neill came to be on the fourth floor of Shelton hall. And there's a Video too!

Then another WBUR production, NPR's On Point covers monsters and fears in their second hour. Host Tom Ashbrook talks things-that-go-bump-in-the-night with Columbia College philosophy professor Stephen Asma, who's new book "On Monsters: an Unnatural History of Out Worst Fears" is in your local bookstore now.

And to top it off (for this afternoon anyway) PRI's Here & Now ends their show with a nod to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allen Poe, with one version of of the Master of the Macabre's final days by Nate Dimeo.

Happy Halloween Everybody!Video courtesy of wbur.org, image of professor Asma courtesy of his website: stephenasma.com and the image of the Jack-o-Lantern is courtesy of me!

Massive Weekend Podcast Roundup!

2009-10-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

Seeing as the Bugle has taken this week off, I thought I might make up for our missing podcast by turning the Friday Podcast Roundup into a Fri+Saturday super podcast roundup!

As always, if your favorite Pubcast is missing from the Roundup, leave me any suggestions you might have in the comments! And Happy listening!

FRIDAY:

On this week's World in Words podcast, host Patrick Cox brings us:

Nobel literature prize winner Herta Mueller dreamed up metaphors in a mix of her native German and the Romanian she learned at school. Try translating that into English. Also, a conversation with the author of “Whatever Happened to Tanganika? The Place Names that History Left Behind.” And a profile of the man the Los Angeles Dodgers hired to interpret for the team’s Japanese players.

And on this week's How we Got Here is a compilation of recent stories from PRI's The World:

Gerry Hadden tells us the story of a Nazi traitor who finally had his conviction overturned. Alex Gallafent tells us about changing U.S. views of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. And Marco Werman interviews Loyola University historian Elizabeth Schmidt about the significance of the September 28th stadium in Guinea.

Clark Boyd and the World's Technology Podcast brings us:

In this week’s technology podcast, you can hear how some scientists in Britain are working to develop an open source application for smartphones that will allow field researchers to do some pretty sophisticated data collection and mapping. It’s all in an effort to fight the spread of infectious diseases across the globe. Also, we have a story on the future of electric vehicles, and a US researcher takes a look at how politicians Tweet in the US and UK.

BBC Friday Night Comedy podcast is currently running my favorite of the rotating comedy podcasts, the News Quiz, with Sandi Toksvig. This week:

Questions, Questions, Questions. Sandi Toksvig and team take a wry look at the News in the week that Nick Griffin appeared on Question Time, The Pope opened the doors for 400,000 Anglicans to join the Catholic Church, and Peter Mandelson came under fire for his role in mediating the dispute between management and unions at Royal Mail. Joining the panel this week are Steve Punt, Robin Ince, Francis Wheen and Jeremy Hardy. The producer was Victoria Lloyd.

Are your ears tired yet? Well I hope not, 'cause you've got a whole bunch of great Saturday podcasts coming your way!

SATURDAY:

On this week's Car Talk:

Tommy invokes his marital mantra to helps settle a dispute over burning bugs and a smoking defroster vent. Also, a hairdryer proves to be the crucial piece of evidence in a soggy starting mystery, how to handle an annoying passenger who's also telling everyone you're a lousy driver, and a Hall of Fame worthy display of answer avoidance from Tom and Ray. Plus, a new Puzzler and lots more.

And on NPR's weekly news quiz Wait Wait Don't Tell Me:

Stories: 1) Who's Carl This Time? 2) Opening Panel Round 3) NBC News Anchor Brian Williams Plays 'Not My Job' 4) Panel Round Two 5) Limericks 6) Lightning Fill In The Blank 7) Prediction: What's Next For Cable News?

And don't forget NPR's great and irreverent sports show Only a Game:

Recognize that tune? This week on Only A Game, a celebration of the 100th anniversary of college football’s most famous fight song…oh, the letters we’ll get from South Bend. We’ll be talking baseball, too, and then the show will go to the dogs for the sport of beagling.

And finally, this weekend I got around to adding 2 new podcasts to my podcatcher, NPR's On the Media, and PRX's Moth Radio Hour. Have you checked out either of these shows? Lemmie know what you think!

The New How We Got Here is ... Here!

2009-10-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Stepping away from our Friday Podcast Roundup (because it's usually released earlier in the week) the newest 'cast of Jeb Sharp's How We Got Here gives us an uncut conversation about President Warren G. Harding's love affair with his neighbor Carrie Phillips.

The heart of the podcast is an Interview fellow World producer Marco Werman conducts with James David Robenalt, author of The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage During the Great War. Robenalt was given access to love letters that were sealed to the public that Harding wrote to Phillips, and uses them to provide a personal touch to the elements that led up to American involvement in WWI.

For those who don't know, How We Got Here is a podcast all about providing historical context to modern issues, and exploring history in in a new and exciting way. Jeb Sharp says she chose to dedicate the 'cast to this conversation, because she felt like listening to Marco and Robenalt was like "stumbling onto the greatest dinner party in town." And after listening, I think you'll agree.

Don't forget, if you like the How We Got Here podcast, or any other podcasts from The World, let them know you're listening by joining their groups on facebook, or signing up for their RSS feeds! That way you'll be notified of new podcasts the moment they come out, and you can have a direct line to the podcast producers, who all love input from their listeners.

All images are courtesy of the How We Got Here Web page, care of PRI's The World and WGBH.

A Little Public Radio Competition around the Hub

2009-09-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Boston area public radio listeners will soon have another choice when it comes to where they get their news and talk programs. Public TV powerhouse WGBH (producers of shows like NOVA and Masterpiece, to name a few) already packed an FM punch with RPRN favorite radio program The World, but now they are migrating their classical music programing off of 89.7 fm and onto newly acquired WCRB 99.5 fm, a commercial classical music station.

WGBH currently airs news programing on it's 89.7 frequency from 5 until 9am, and again from 4 until 8pm during the weekday, and carries NPR standards Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as WNYC produced The Takeaway. The Takeway is a daily news and arts show produced with the BBC World Service, PRI, and The New York Times. By shifting their classical music programing, WGBH opens up 6 hours of air time to possible news and talk programs.

WBGH also operates an entirely classical music station online.

This of course means WGBH will be going head to head with that other public radio station, WBUR. The Boston Globe article on the changeover quotes WBUR general manager Paul La Camera as saying that WGBH would have a "steep climb" in coming into the local news radio market, and saying that WBUR is "not going to surrender any of that ground."

WGBH is planning to pay of the new addition to their family with the Keep Classical Alive fundraising campaign. A press release issued by WGBH says that although WCRB is licensed as a commercial music station, it will become a public radio station after the changeover.

Personally I think this is great news. As a Public Radio Nerd the thought of having even more shows to choose from is fantastically exciting, especially considering all the difficulties WGBH has been having lately. I just hope there is enough of the public radio pie in Boston for both WBUR and WGBH to share. Can't we all just get along?

Images courtesy of WGBH's mission page, and WBUR's Administraion page.

Set Aside an Hour for Today's Here & Now

2009-09-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

If you were, I dunno at work or something around noon today, I can understand why you might not have heard today's Here & Now from PRI and WBUR. But now the show is up and available on the Here & Now Web site, so you have no excuse!

Today, host Robin Young opens up the show with a conversation about the proposed creation of a federal consumer protection agency. Robin speaks to Harvard Law School professor and the brains behind the proposal Elizabeth Warren. Robin puts forth many of the criticisms that have been leveled at Warren, and she in turn touches on what she would like to see change for the average American consumer.

Then, Robin remembers classical composer Leon Kirchner, who died yesterday of heart failure. Kirchner was, among other things, teacher to cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Following that, Robin Lets the gentiles know that Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish new year, begins at sundown today. Robin speaks with Rabbi Charles Klein from the Merrick Jewish Center on Long Island, NY, about how the economic downturn and the fallout from the Bernie Madoff scandal are affecting Jewish communities.

In the fourth part of the show, Robin talks with senior reporter for Politico.com Ben Smith about the most recent controversy surrounding the political group ACORN, and what might happen to the group in the near future.

And finally, Robin talks with Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David about the new season about to air on HBO, reuniting the cast of Seinfeld, and his apparent love of whistling.

Phew! What a way to end the week huh?

Images are courtesy of UC Berkley graduate student newsletter and the Politico.com staff page.

Inside Kennedy's Memoir

2009-09-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you heard WBUR's Bob Oakes interviewing Jonathan Karp this morning, as it really gives an intriguing peak inside the late Senator Ted Kennedy's new memoir. If you missed it, hop on over to WBUR's revamped website, and give it a listen.

Karp is a Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of TWELVE, the publishing group who put out Kennedy's memoir, True Compass. Karp also served as editor for the book.

While talking about some highlights from the book, Karp also talks about what is was like to work with Kennedy and the influence of his wife Vicky.

And major public radio props go to Bob Oaks, for heeding the criticism of most of the coverage of Kennedy's death, and broaching what Kennedy had to say about the incident on Chappaquiddick, and the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.

All images are courtesy of the WBUR website, and the TWELVE website.

Friday Podcast Roundup!

2009-08-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

As with last Friday, here's a brief rundown of some of my favorite podcasts for this week.

On this week's World in Words Podcast:

The rise and rise of Rosetta Stone. With big government contracts and a huge advertising campaign, Rosetta Stone is now American’s #1 language teacher. If you learn the Rosetta Stone way, you’ll absorb a language an infant does. Well, that’s the theory. Also, non-native English speakers from around the world take part in an English Spelling Bee in New York. And, Hillary Clinton’s not-so-lost-in-translation moment in Kinshasa, Congo.

There is no new history lesson from How We Got Here, so on to The World's Technology Podcast! On this week's 'cast:

Castle builders in France use medieval technologies and techniques to build a castle…from scratch. Also, we have an interview with Bertrand Piccard, who wants to one day fly a solar-powered plane, non-stop, around the world. And we end with one podcast listener’s amazing art project. He and his buddies use GPS and their bikes to make geo-spatial art!

And from the funny podcasts, On this week's BBC Friday Night Comedy Podcast (with a special guest from our other favorite British podcast):

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis take a look at the worlds of food and newspapers, while Mitch Benn gets all patriotic, Jon Holmes is wee and goes "whee!", and special guest Andy Zaltzman pinpoints the importance of next week's Test match with laser precision.

And in this week's Bugle:

Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver think that you cannot be disappointed with Burma's sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi because that implies you thought there might be a different outcome. Sentenced to 18 months of house arrest for opening her door to an unexpected American does seem insanely harsh but it is consistent with years of lunatic military rule. Also Rabbis on a plane, a Woodstock 40th Anniversary and the best remix that has been sent in so far.

Have a nice weekend fellow public radio nerds!

The Rock of Boston Rocks No More.

2009-08-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Since EVERYBODY seems to be looking to the past this weekend, I thought I'd direct your attention over to a radio related story from those good folks at PRI's Here & Now.

In the later half of the show, Robin talks with Charles Laquidara and Danny Schechter, who were part of one of Boston's first underground rock radio stations, WBCN.

WBCN signed off of the FM dial on Tuesday August 11,

To be honest, before my radio dial got comfortable in the public radio frequencies, I had written off WBCN. I thought they were just another commercial station with obnoxious dj's and less than stellar music selection. I never really knew anything about what made WBCN so popular in the first place, nor did I appreciate it's place in local radio history.

Listening to Robin talk to these two guys, who still come across as real radio personalities, really gives you a little taste of what it was that made this station special. While some of those things have been picked up by college radio stations and the like, I think there is still a bit of a vacuum left for people who want fun music AND local news.

But in my humble opinion, you still can't beat Public Radio for filling as much of that vacuum as it can. There might not be too much Rockin and Rolling going on throughout the day, but that's an easy trade-off for all those great stories!

Image courtesy of Mr. Laquidara's blog, www.bigmattress.com and his post gathering WBCN related content.

A Belated, but Fond Fairwell

2009-08-13T11:47:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I missed this one, but fellow Public Radio Nerd (and frequent visitor to this blog) Ken George is leaving WBUR for greener pastures.

Quite literally greener pastures, as he's moving to Upstate New York to take over Web Direction at Union College!

Ken has not only been instrumental in spearheading the evolution of the new WBUR.org but also has been a constant giver-of-props for my little slice of the web.

His official last day at WBUR was August 7, and tonight he is heading over to the Sunset Cantina to say his final goodbyes at 5 tonight, so all those who can please stop by and lift a glass with Ken for me!

This Public Radio Nerd wishes you all the best in your future endeavors.

Filling the gap left by Ken, current News Director of WBUR John Davidow has taken over as Executive Editor for the website, while Day to Day's Martha Little will pop on the the News Director hat on September 1.

Friday Podcast Roundup!

2009-08-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

For your weekend podcasting pleasure, might I suggest some fresh shows from around the world of Public Radio?

As the Kings and Queens of the public radio podcast, PRI's The World cooks up a fresh batch of 'casts throughout the week. If you want to see a complete list of The World's podcasts, then head on over here, and indulge to your heart's content.

As there are SO many podcasts on offer, I'll just detail my favorites:

Firstly, The World in Words podcast, by Patrick Cox. If you can't tell from the title, this show is all about languages, and how they grow and cross cultures. This week:

In this week’s World in Words podcast, Israel’s government tries out some new words to describe its West Bank settlement program. We consider those, and take a look at previous rhetorical attempts to justify Israel’s expansion into Palestinian territory. Then, a conversation with the University of Arizona’s Kathy Short, who manages an ever-expanding collection of children’s books from around the world. Finally, an update on Brooklyn’s finest fake French band, Les Sans Culottes. After more than a decade together, the band is finally performing in France.

Next, we get a quick history lesson from Jeb Sharp with How We Got Here. This podcast is all about delving into the history behind current events, and providing context to the current polictical climate. On this week's show:

Journalist Otto Pohl journeys back to Moscow to find out who shot him during a demonstration in 1993. Veteran foreign correspondent Charles Sennott returns to Afghanistan and Pakistan on the trail of the Taliban. And Warren Kozak tells us about the legendary Curtis LeMay.

Now, we finish our round up from The World with a stop at Clark Boyd's technology desk, for the World's Technology Podcast. Much more than gizmos and doo-dads, The Technology Podcast is concerned with the people behind the tech, and their effect on the world. This Week:

This week’s podcast features a geek’s audio tribute to John Hughes, the late director of “Weird Science.” Also, we talk about a project to make thousand mile sand dunes with the help of bacteria. And we hear about the solar suitcase, a toolbox designed to greatly improve maternal care in the developing world.

And since it's Friday, and you need something fun to listen to, check out the BBC's Friday Night Comedy Podcast for a bit of a laugh. Some of the jokes might seem a bit esoteric to those of you who aren't familiar with British culture, but if you hang in there, and maybe google a few things, you'll be laughing along in no time. This week:

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: This week Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis wonder why we don’t got no respect these days. Also in the show, Mitch Benn writes a new kind of love song; Jon Holmes needs your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle; and special guest Dr Ben Goldacre talks about bad science. Also featuring Laura Shavin. Produced by Ed Morrish.

And finally, I know it's not related to public broadcasting in any way, shape or form, but a brilliantly funny (if not always appropriate for all ages) new episode of The Bugle from The Times of London also arrived today, and if you're a fan of shows like The Daily Show, then this is right up your alley. On this week's edition:

Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver wonder if the former US president has been watching too many episodes of '24'? As revealed in a previous Bugle, John found out that Clinton's favourite TV show is the popular TV drama series. But it could also be to satisfy Hilary that he's not playing around; 'I'm just off to fly to North Korea to rescue those two journalists' does sound an unbelieveable excuse for going out for the day.

So enjoy this bevy of podcasts, but don't take too long, as tomorrow you've got new episodes of Car Talk, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, Only A Game, and Living on Earth to partake of! So happy Friday, and have a nice, Public Radio filled weekend!

And as always, if you know of some great podcasts , then send 'em my way, via the comments.

A Few Things You May Have Heard

2009-08-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

If you've been an "eagle eared" listener to your local NPR station recently, you may have noticed a few new things mentioned throughout the day. (Perhaps "bat-eared" would be more appropriate, but that sounds a little mean...)

By now you've probably heard the plug for listeners to go and check out the "New NPR.org" a.k.a the newly revamped website. For the tech-cautious among you, I'll let the trusty voice and visage of NPR's Scott Simon fill you in on all the details via this handy video:

But wait, there's more!

Another cool tool on the new NPR.org can be found when you hit the "find a station button." The button will take you to a page with 3 options: Find A Station, the very cool NPR Road Trip, and the My Address tabs. All are pretty self-explanatory, but it's that "Road Trip" one that got me excited. I quickly punched in a trip I used to make quite often, from Cambridge to Amherst, and the tool provided a list of NPR stations and when I could tune them in along the way. Pretty neat huh?
My only critique is the lack of a button to email those directions, but I'm sure one is already in the works.

Secondly, if you listen to the underwriting announcements, you've very likely heard someone say "Support for NPR comes from the estate of Richard Leroy Walters, whose life was enriched by NPR, and whose bequest seeks to encourage others to discover public radio." My interest was piqued about this particular underwriter, especially since it involves another Public Radio Nerd. Luckily for everyone, All Things Considered host Robert Siegel was also curious about Mr. Walters, and he tells us what he found in this story:

I think I can speak for all of us fans of Public Radio when I say Thanks Mr. Walters, and may you rest in peace.

Images, Audio and Video all courtesy of the new NPR.org.

R.I.P Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

As I can't really add anything to the conversation currently going on practically everywhere, I'll leave you with two ways that I will always remember the King of Pop:

Firstly, from the much missed Chapplle Show:

And secondly, an eerily well timed video via NPR's Blog of the Nation (thanks Barrie Hardymon, for the post!)

R.I.P Michael, and thanks for all the great tunes.

A Personal Note from Radio Boston

2009-06-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you got the chance to check out this week's Radio Boston, care of WBUR, but head on over to the show's front page to give it a once over. The show is all about Boston's fishing industry, and the balance between keeping a business alive and protecting the resources they use.

Now to be totally honest, I haven't checked out Radio Boston's web-space before, as I usually listen to the show while I'm out and about. But I was struck by the very personal note, penned by show host Jane Clayson (or I suppose typed would be more accurate, but where's the poetry in that?) I don't know if Ms. Clayson does this for every show, or only when the Radio Boston team deem it appropriate, but I really like it.

In many public radio shows, the end result is due to the very hard work done by the team of invisible people toiling behind the scenes. Because what appears on the web is often handled by whoever has time to do it, you don't often see personal, first person letters written by way of introduction to the show. The norm is to create something that could have been written by anyone. I don't know why, but just reading Ms. Clayson's note made me far more interested in listening to the show. Perhaps, the personal tone allows for a more personal connection between Host and Listener?

But what do you think? Is this just something that is curious because it isn't done by everybody else? Or is there something to this? I for one will be checking Radio Boston's site more often to see if they make this regular habit!

Images of the Gloucester Fishing Boat the Padre Pio, and of Jane Clayson, are courtesy of the Radio Boston website.

Fwoooosh! Do you know what that sound is? That's all the dust and cobwebs getting cleaned off of this blog after my lengthy absence. I hope there will be no such breaks in the future!

On Point Talks to the Boss

2009-04-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone caught my tweet earlier today and tuned in, but WBUR's On Point got all Public Radio Nerd-y and talked with the new NPR head honchess about the place of National Public Radio in the quickly changing news-sphere.

Vivian Schiller, the president and CEO of NPR as of January of this year, kept it pretty candid with On Point Host Tom Ashbrook, as they discussed how NPR has managed to grow to a massive scale while other traditional news outlets (TV and newspapers) are having a hard time staying afloat. Considering Ms. Schiller's previous job was heading up NYTimes.com, it's especially interesting to hear about what directions she would like to push NPR in with regards to new media and web tech.

While we Public Radio Nerds have known how great we are for quite some time now, it does feel nice to hear other people recognizing all the great work being done by NPR as a whole, and their member stations (like WBUR and WGBH in this neck of the woods.)

As always, make sure you check out the comments beneath the show page, and on twitter and facebook, as they do raise some interesting points, if you can ignore some of the crazy posts that are inevitable in comments sections.

Image of Ms. Schiller (speaking to NPR employees in Washington D.C.) courtesy of On Point's story page.

I've Been Bitten by the Twitterbug

2009-04-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

With my Blackberry firmly in hand, I now follow countless others, and embark on that journey taken by countless others, into the fantastical land of Twitter.

That's right, this nerd now tweets.

I'm working on a better way to present those tweets (or twitter messages) but as of right now, the best I could do is a misshaped widget at the bottom of my blog. I made it using an application called saytweet, which allows you to make a canvas you can then display your "tweets" on. It sounds pretty cool, but I'm sure I can make it look a little bit better, if I spend another hour playing around with image size and such.

With Twitter, I'd like to really focus on what I'm missing with the blog, namely all the cool stuff that I don't manage to write a full post about. I'd also like to tweet about any interesting upcoming features in the world of public radio, so you can all listen in with me!

So don't forget to follow me at http://twitter.com/RPRNerd!

Print Refugees

2009-04-02T19:24:00.001-07:00

The Current.org, the web arm of the newspaper of Public Broadcasting has an article about how many "Print Refugees" are finding ways to collaborate with local public broadcast stations to "bolster local and regional coverage."

The article goes on to detail how the print folks will be working with their "Pubcasting" colleagues (a term I whole heartily steal from the Current) but it seems like this is very unofficial, and very un-paid.

"So far, in both Seattle and St. Louis, ex-print journalists serve as unpaid news advisers to the stations, as well as providing contextual reporting and analysis on projects with station staffers."
- Dru Sefton, Senior Editor, Current

I'm especially curious to see how this burgeoning relationship will fare, not only because these newspaper folks will probably be competing with me for jobs, but also because of how public broadcasters rely on local newspapers to help generate stories.

And I'm not the only one who recognizes this relationship.

After a leaked memo about NPR dropping all of their newspaper subscriptions in a cost cutting measure (did they already cut the free coffee?) many newspaper folks felt betrayed. NPR Ombudsman, Alicia Shepard posted on her blog sought to quell the fury, explaining the network was cutting back on their subscriptions, not cutting them out altogether.

I love the idea of further collaboration with print journalists, especially since our own local Boston papers have just cut down their staffs, but how long can it last without some kind of monetary compensation? And where is that money going to come from?

Maybe a fund-drive or two?

Image of former Post-Dispatch reporters working out of KETC in St. Louis, courtesy of the current.org.

Is this the Worst April Prank Ever?

2009-03-31T13:31:00.001-07:00

(Click on image to see a more detailed version)

Here & Now today (march 31st) features a segment on a computer worm that might be upsetting several Windows users tomorrow, in an elaborate cyber April Fool's joke (and also might be sending e-mountains of spam, stealing credit card numbers, or deleting files from your computer.)

So not a "Funny Ha Ha" kind of joke, really.

Robin speaks with Jose Nazario, a manager for security at Arbor Networks, who explains what exactly this worm might be doing in your PC, and how it is being spread from computer to computer.

Or the worm, aka Conficker, (this is a link to the Wiki article, not the actual virus!) might not do anything at all for years, according to Talk of the Nation guest, Larry Magid of CBS News and CNET. Magid, and one of the last callers to the segment, stress that the number of computers infected by this worm, reported to be anywhere between 1 and 12 million, has been steadily going down, and whatever damage this virus might do, it is really nothing to get worried about.

However, just in case you ARE worried, follow this link the kind folks over at Here & Now posted (courtesy of USAToday), and see if your computer is carrying the Conficker worm.

Well, I'm looking pretty good. What about you other PC users out there?

Images courtesy of Wikipedia, found here, a ZDNet story on Mr. Nazario, and Mr. Magid's profile on pcanswer.com.

LOE Looks at Some Up-Coming Changes for US Autos

2009-03-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

This week's Living on Earth from PRI had a few segments that got my eco-friendly motor running (sorry, I couldn't resist) about the two possible near futures regarding our cars.

First, Host Bruce Gellerman examines California's efforts to reduce their carbon emissions, and the options open to fuel providers to make their product fall into line.

Second, reporter Ingrid Lobet gives us some background on a prodigal son (of sorts) from the electric car industry. The Th!nk car company from Norway is planning to open a production facility somewhere in the US, and hopes to have them on showroom floors by 2010.

Hopefully by the time they open their doors, people will actually be able to afford to buy a new car, as I'd hate for a good idea like this to be wasted due to bad timing. And seeing as my car recently bit the dust, I'd like there to be a few more eco-friendly commuter options out there, besides just hybrids and bicycles.

Image courtesy of Th!nk Global.

More on the Pew Study

2009-03-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today PRI's Here & Now adds to the conversation from yesterday, about the Pew report on the state of American media.

Robin Young speaks to Mark Jurkowitz, an associate director from the Pew research center, and they explore 2 interesting points:

Firstly, they discuss how the explosion of blogs and citizen journalists are primarily writing about what other journalists are exploring (or cannibalizing, as robing puts it), so what will they do as more "front-line" journalists are losing their jobs. (Hey... I think they might just be talking about me!)

And secondly, Robin and Jurkowitz explore one of the conclusions of the report, saying that one of the most-talked-about proposed solutions is one that just isn't going to work. The Pew report points to the idea of having customers who will pay for content, in either as a subscriber or through micro-transactions. As Jurkowitz points out, this is a system that is impossible to re-instate in today's world of infinite free content.

Personally, I can't wrap my head around why online advertising is so much less expensive than print advertising. I can't say ads in print newspapers ever really grab my attention, and they certainly don't seem to be more effective than their online counterparts (granted, I didn't go to school for advertising, so I may be missing some crucial information here.)

But until then, maybe more institutions will be following in Public Broadcasting's footsteps, and turn to fund-drives to stay in business.

Image courtesy of Mark Jurkowitz's columnist profile page from Boston.com

The Outlook is Gettin' Mighty Bleek Out There...

2009-03-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

NPR's Talk of the Nation today begs it's listeners to "hold off" on writing an obituary for the American Newspaper industry, as a new report tells us exactly how bad it is for Journalism in America.

However, TotN's guest for the majority of the segment, Tom Rosenstiel doesn't paint a particularly hopeful picture.

Rosenstiel is director of the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism, which evaluates the performance of the American press. He says that with the news that more newspapers stop printing and migrate to the web, Print Journalism is having trouble trying to figure out who is going to pay for it.

Check out the full report here, and my fellow Radio Nerds should head straight to the Audio section of the report to read about the future of our favorite medium (although Public Radio Only Nerds have no need to rush, as we are not explicitly mentioned.)

Seeing as I'm desperately trying to find a job in this industry this is not exactly good news, but there are some rays of sunshine to gleam from the report, especially the radio front. The report says that radio (or Audio as the report calls it) is in pretty good shape to undergo the transition from traditional AM/FM only to multi-platform broadcast. The influence of podcasts and online radio has proven to be a popular alternative to the old fashioned AM/FM turner.

Be sure to listen to the show to see how listeners are reacting to the changes in their local coverage, and keep an ear out for one caller who says since her newspaper of choice is more ads and less news, she's relying more on NPR, and see if you can share my sense of smugness as a Public Radio Nerd.

Images courtesy of the Missouri School of Journalism, and the online page for the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism report.

In Case You Missed It!

2009-03-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

I heard an absolutely terrifying story on NPR yesterday, about a service for students looking for internships.

In the story, senior NPR correspondent Noah Adams provides a profile on the "University of Dreams" a company who offers to help potential interns find internships, for a fee of course!

As someone who recently graduated from University, and who had a few internships to boot (as evidenced by the photo below, from a WBUR editing booth) this is a little scary, but also understandable. I was able to do my internships in Boston because my mum lives relatively near to where I wanted to intern. Had this not been the case I don't know what I would've done, because I doubt I would have been able to pay for a program like this AND University fees as well.

Phew, you know it's getting tough out there when you have to pay someone to let you work for them.

(also for all my bias-conscious readers out there, NPR is NOT listed under their list of radio companies they can secure internships with.)

An Early St. Patrick's at Harpoon's Boston Brewery

2009-03-09T18:26:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, Harpoon Brewery was starting the second day of their annual St. Patrick's day festival. I went to see who would talk to me about the event.

Click on the link above to hear my story, and don't forget to check out the Flickr slideshow, on the right-hand side of the blog, featuring some great photo's by Caleb Lyons.

Mobile post sent by PublicRadioNerd using Utterli. Replies. mp3

I don't think the folks over at Harpoon could've picked a better day to hold their St. Patrick's day celebration. On the Saturday I went (the full festivities are over 2 days) the weather was just warm enough to be comfortable without your coat, making it the perfect weather to squeeze under some tents with a few hundred strangers to lift a few glasses.

I especially enjoyed the opportunity to tour the brewery, as usually if you visit Harpoon's Boston Brewery when there's isn't a festival going on (which I would still recommend, by the way) then you get to experience a "Tasting" where you have the sections of the brewery pointed out to you, while sampling whichever seasonal brew is appropriate. The Brewers tour however, is exactly what you want from a brewery tour. You get to walk among the enormous tanks, and smell the heady smells that are ever-present in a brewery. And since this was during a festival, everyone was carrying a full 16 oz cup full of the harpoon beverage of their choice, so all of the tour-goers were excited and talkative.

Brewer Drew Martinez led our group through, and was gracious enough to spend a few minutes talking to me afterwards, about all things beer, and about his experiences at Harpoon. Be sure to check out the Audio piece at the top of the post, to hear him talk about what he likes about doing the tours.

And not only was there the as advertised Corned beef and Cabbage sandwiches (which really were very good) but also on hand were some fantastic Italian sausages, and for those who aren't inclined to eat meat, there were pretzels, popcorn and french fries galore.

And the crowd that gathered there, were a varied lot. you had an equal chance of bumping into a 60 year-old mailman from Connecticut as you did bumping into an old class mate from high school (both of which I did.) The people there were friendly and the staff at the event were knowledgeable and polite.

So from this humble blogger's view, the Festival went off without a hitch, and if you're anything like me, you'll be sure to mark your calenders for Harpoon's next big festival, in June.

Special thanks to Ms. Melby, over at Harpoon for graciously answering all my questions, and helping me find everyone I wanted to talk to, and thanks also to Caleb Lyons, who took all the pictures for this story.

Obama's new Pick for FCC

2009-03-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

Obama has decided to put forth what NPR is calling one of his "technology gurus", Julius Genachowski, as the new head of the FCC.

For those either not taking journalism classes or paying attention to all the fines being issued by the FCC over the last few years, the FCC has been less than popular with many broadcasters.

Under previous Bush appointed commissioners Kevin Martin, and most notably Michael Powell (son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell) the Federal Communications Commission was ... a little too laissez fair when it came to who owned the station, but was very conservative when it came to what was being said on the air.

Personally I really appreciate Obama's choice of someone who has their mind on how the nation needs to move forward with our next generation tech. Seeing as he'll be in charge of everything from trying to push nation-wide broadband access to the digital TV changeover to regulations for cellphone companies, he'll have quite a bit of work to do to bring everyone onto the same page.

And I hope this new commissioner-to-be will be a little friendlier to our favorite public broadcasting institutions than the last few heads of the FCC.

But until we hear more about Mr. Genachowski's policies, check out this profile on Obama's Pick from NPR.

Hopefully he won't push for further deregulation and corporate consolidation, and will tackle some of the really important issues surrounding our new world and the world-wide-web. If you want to hear more about just one of those issues, also give yesterday's On-Point (for March 3rd) a listen to, as they discuss online abuse and free speech on the web.

Images courtesy of Mr. Powell's Wikipedia page, and NPR's Story page of Mr. Genachowski's appointment.

I hope you've got this already....

2009-02-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already added "the World in Words" from PRI's (and the BBC's) The World to your podcast manager of choice (yeah Google Reader!) then add it now! The newest 'cast is available today, and its a particularly good one this week.

Host Patrick Cox leads off with a nod to the Oscar sweeper Slumdog Millionaire, and he brings up how although American audiences are rumored to abhor subtitles, many people he spoke to had a hard time pinpointing which scenes were the ones that predominately used subtitles.

Between that story, and the one about the roots of Arab culture in the U.S. and you've got a grade a podcast ready for your ears. So what are you waiting for? Get a listen'ing!

Images courtesy of the World in Words Facebook page, and Patrick Cox's Facebook page.

Just a Little Pat on the Back!

2009-02-25T14:33:00.000-08:00

Now usually I get to write about other people making a splash on the net savvy world of Public Radio, but now I get to talk about me too!

Check out this post from WBUR's Converstation Blog from a few days ago.

Does anyone recognize that smiling mug?

Thanks again Ken!

This is as cool as having deep fried Oreos at the Topsfield fair! (Hence the seemingly random picture)

A Little Close to Home

2009-02-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many of you out there feel the same way, but today's On Point from NPR really broached a topic many people my age are are intimately familiar with: Student Debt.

And if guest Allan Michael Collinge is right, than it might not just be my generation that is dealing with this problem.

Collinge, founder of an online advocacy group for student borrowers, studentloanjustice.org, and author of The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History - and How We Can Fight Back. says Colleges and Universities are predatory in their lending practices, and are making astronomical amounts of money from high pressure collection practices.

Now in full disclosure, I'm sure you all could guess that I have a fairly large student loan debt myself (although it's not nearly as bad as it could have been, thanks to the wounderful Bacherman family and their scholarship for radio nerds!) so I tend to agree with most of the charges Collinge puts forward. In addition, I come from a country where most of the Universities are much cheaper, and, unless I'm very much mistaken, you aren't expected to pay back your loans until your income reaches a certain level. As opposed to the American system, where you have about a year before you have to start paying back your loans. Or if you took a semester off, like me, youhave just 6 months.

And in this economy of failing banks and crushing mortgage debt, are student loan debts next in line?

Images courtesy of Mr. Collinge's GoodReads page, and On Point's show page.

My Newest Obsession

2009-02-21T10:54:00.001-08:00

Anyone who knows me personally probably knows that I have a deep and un-nerving love for all things trivia. And having been laid out with what I hope was a slight case of food poisoning, I've had a bit more time to recuperate with my new friend, the British tv quiz QI.

The British have a love for formulaic game shows, but this is one that shines above the rest, and is far and away better than those other British imports: The Weakest Link or Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

The concept of Quite Interesting is that the questions are so difficult and hidden behind generations of misconceptions that the answers are nearly impossible to get on the first try. So guests score more points if their answer is interesting, rather than being correct (although in practice this usually just means the guests come up with more and more ridiculous jokes that are slightly related to the question, rather than the correct answer.)

But the real crux of the show is that the guests can lose points by giving boring answers, so most panelists end the game with negative scores!

The show is hosted by the utterly brilliant Stephen Fry (probably best known stateside as guest star Dr. Gordon Wyatton on the popular series Bones and the Narrator for the tutorials in the popular video game Little Big Planet) and in the UK is well known for his love of trivia and knowledge.

The show is currently in it's 6th season, but if you're like me, you won't be able to watch the show on the BBC's region locked iPlayer, so you'll want to check out this site, where you can watch each episode in it's entirety, in any order you so choose.

Be warned though(!) the site above links to a host site, which in turn has links for adult content, so you might not want to check this out at work. Besides, the QI gang usually devolves into dirty jokes and rude gags pretty quickly, so you probably don't want the boss to catch you watching this anyway!

Images courtesy of the QI Website and Wikipedia page.

First Mobile Post!

2009-02-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

so I decided recently to take the big leap, and dip into that scary world of mobile-tech, and got myself a blackberry! I had to wait for a little while for all the functions to kick in (unless I wanted to spend an extra $3 per day until the next billing cycle, which I didn't) but they were absolutely worth the wait.

And the ability to make mobile posts was a BIG selling point for me. So hopefully my next mobile post will be a little more exciting!
Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Street Artist Released, After Pleading "Not Guilty" to Graffiti Charges

2009-02-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

So instead of showing up at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston to celebrate the opening of an exhibit of his now historic artwork, famous street artist and graffiti legend Shepard Fairey spent the weekend in jail, and has now been released without bail.

I might be leaping to conclusions here, but does this remind anyone of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force fiasco? Granted, if any laws were actually broken, then of course Fairey should have to bare the same punishment anyone else would, but on the eve of his ICA opening? That's a little too coincidental for me.

WBUR's Andrea Shea (who also did the piece on Fairey for Here & Now I mentioned in the previous post) had a great piece this morning featuring an interview with a spokesman for the Boston Police, who refused to elaborate on if the ICA exhibit and party had any bearing on the time of Fairey's arrest. And make sure you check out the audio slideshow on WBUR, as it has some really cool shots for Fairey in action.

Also, according to the Associated Press, Fairey is suing the AP, after they accused Fairey of copyright infringement.

All in all it seems like quite a busy week for Fairey (although, considering his 14 previous arrests I can't imagine this would completely ruin his weekend.) I sure hope this won't make him think any less of our fair city...

Image courtesy of Shepard Fairey's Website, Obey Central.