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KGOU Newsletter for April 2007
Note: Links to other sites may no longer be active or content may have changed.
The Technicalities of Recent “Technical Difficulties”
Those who tuned in Sunday, April 1 to hear the April Fool’s edition of the Capitol Steps (one of the most anticipated programs we offer on KGOU) were no doubt disappointed to hear Assignment: Radio airing an hour early instead. This particular problem was the result of networking miscommunication issues between our new production and on-air computers. This is an intermittent problem which we hope to solve soon with the help of the company that set up our automation system. Another problem we’ve experienced showed itself most recently during the April 7 broadcast of Whad’Ya Know and is also responsible for past troubles with Car Talk. This problem relates to NPR’s new program delivery system, Content Depot. It replaces the traditional satellite real-time delivery system of the past – and has great potential. But, as with most new and innovative systems, Content Depot has a few ‘bugs’. Some of these unintended consequences show up system-wide on all stations, while others affect stations independently, depending upon how the individual stations use the system. The problems we’ve experienced range from brief, intermittent silence to the distribution of incorrect audio, to the loss of entire programs. We regret the inconveniences these two issues have posed and are working diligently here at KGOU, and in coordination with NPR, to remedy them. Our goal, as always, is to provide the best public radio service we possibly can. It is what you expect and deserve. Jim Johnson KGOU Program Manager
 Calling All Phone VolunteersWe especially need volunteers on Sunday, and during the "working hours" of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekdays. To volunteer for a shift, sign up at our volunteer page or call Membership Director Laura Knoll at 325-0022. Have fun and support KGOU at the same time! KGOU News Covers Transportation Issues
KGOU's public affairs program Oklahoma Voices has recently focused on transportation, with a ten-part series, The I-40 Crosstown Expressway and the Future of Mass Transit in Central Oklahoma. Over the past year, News Director Scott Gurian has conducted research and gathered interviews for the series,
speaking with political leaders, engineers and transportation planners, rail advocates, architects and commuters.
 The series began by examining the history of Oklahoma City's historic Union Train Station and passenger rail service in the state. KGOU then presented in-depth coverage of the controversy surrounding the proposed relocation route for Interstate 40, how much the project would cost, and how it could affect other transit options. We also compared Oklahoma's current mass transit system with those of other cities by traveling to Dallas and speaking with the mayors of Salt Lake City and Denver. And we've taken a look at plans currently underway to increase options for commuters in Central Oklahoma, including the Fixed Guideway Study and the campaign to expand Amtrak service from Oklahoma City north to Kansas.
If you missed any of the series, you can listen again, view maps of proposed transit routes and hear extended interviews that we didn't have time to include on the air, all by visiting the Oklahoma Voices section of our website.
Freedom of information is an invaluable tool, not just for journalists, but for all citizens participating in a democratic society. The forum aired March 19; it's available for download from our Oklahoma Voices archives, if you missed it or just want to hear it again. Intelligence Squared Debates Global Warming
 KGOU will air the Intelligence Squared U.S. debate on the proposition "Global Warming Is Not a Crisis". The series brings Oxford-style debate to American audiences: one motion, one moderator, and three panelists on each side. In this recent debate, panelists
tried to answer the question of whether the buildup of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is leading to a crisis. Tune in Sunday, April 15 at 11 a.m. on KGOU to hear all the arguments defending and challenging this proposition.
Wanted: Listener Input on Global Climate Issues
 Starting May 1, NPR, in partnership with National Geographic, will take listeners on a year-long global voyage, exploring how Earth's climate shapes people, and how people are shaping Earth's climate.
NPR is looking for listeners' insights into these issues. Network producers are asking: What related topics would you like them to explore? What are you confused about? And what are your observations on climate change? Send your questions and comments to NPR. Some might be answered on-air or on npr.org – or they could be the start of a larger story. Stay tuned for this year-long series and more on this important topic. StoryCorps Wins a Peabody Award
StoryCorps is celebrating with a new method of listening to these stories. Each week, StoryCorps' Dave Isay will host a podcast, featuring the same stories you hear on NPR – plus bonus material you won't hear on the air. You can subscribe and get these stories delivered straight to your e-mail inbox or iPod. This American Life Wins a Peabody, Too
 An episode of This American Life titled "Habeas Schmabeas" also won a Peabody Award, for a program about prisoners at Guantanamo Bay being denied the right of habeas corpus.
For a limited time, you can download this episode for free from the TAL website. It's a special, uncut version that contains several minutes of additional material. A written transcript is also available.
The TV version of This American Life made its debut on Showtime March 22. If you weren't able to see it, Showtime is making the entire episode available to watch on the web, for free. There is a catch – you have to have the latest version of Flash Player, or be willing to download it to your computer. Leroy Sievers on Talk of the Nation Monday
On Monday, April 16, the first hour of Talk of the Nation will feature guest Leroy Sievers, who writes the daily "My Cancer" blog on npr.org and voices a weekly podcast. In May 2006, Sievers began an ongoing series of commentaries on his fight with cancer. He is a contributor to Morning Edition, and has touched many with his honest, heart-felt commentaries and blog entries. Tune in Monday at 1 p.m.
New! BLOG of the Nation
There are many ways to carry on a conversation, even one that reaches all across the country. Talk of the Nation has expanded its capacity for conversation with a new weblog, called Blog of the Nation.
The blog provides a place for listeners to comment on the show as it happens, and to talk to other listeners about what they're hearing. As TOTN Assistant Producer Sarah Handel writes, "We'll also let readers in on the more interesting aspects of the TOTN editorial process, and provide information we just couldn't squeeze into the program." Blog posts are written by Handel, Editor Scott Cameron, and Assistant Editor Barrie Hardymon, along with occasional posts by host Neal Conan. Give it a look – it's another way to converse with those shaping the programs you hear and other listeners as well.
Submit Your Events for the KGOU Community Calendars
KGOU provides listings of community events and services with our online and on-air community calendars. We often are asked how to submit these events in order to have them listed online or on the air.
 The quickest way is to use the online event submission form at kgou.org. Filling in as many blanks as possible helps ensure that we have the correct information, and also allows us to more quickly turn these online submissions into on-air announcements.
We generally need about three weeks' advance notice to produce the calendars you hear on the air. For online listings, the earlier you can submit your event, the better, but it's a little easier to accommodate last-minute submissions. If you have questions or need more information about the "in the community" section of kgou.org, feel free to contact Kurt Gwartney, Operations and Public Service Director. You can call him at 325-8171 or send him e-mail at calendar@kgou.org.
Highlights from the Networks:
A Marine's Story
A Marine from Norman, Oklahoma is being remembered as a hero after he died trying to disarm a bomb. Staff Sergeant Dustin Gould was on patrol when he came across an explosive device. The bomb technician was on his fourth tour of duty in Iraq and he died just two weeks before he was scheduled to return home. His story, produced by KGOU News Director Scott Gurian, aired on Day to Day Wednesday, April 11.
Sadr-Backed Protests Urge U.S. to Quit Iraq
 Tens of thousands draped in Iraqi flags march through the streets of two Shiite holy cities to mark the fourth anniversary of Baghdad's fall, some calling for U.S.-led forces to leave Iraq. But the rallies, ordered by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, were largely peaceful.
Read the Associated Press story on npr.org.
Peace Controversy Shakes Small Town
To the members of a women's group in Fairmont, Minnesota, a U.S. Department of Peace seemed like a straightforward idea. The United States has a Department of State and a Department of Defense, why not one of Peace? The last thing they expected was the town controversy that ensued.
Hear Daniel Zwerdling's report that aired on Weekend Edition Saturday, March 24.
Stories from Oklahoma on StoryCorps
The StoryCorps mobile booth's recent stops in Lawton and other cities produced stories with Oklahoma ties that aired on Morning Edition recently. On March 23, retired Methodist minister Robert Crum told a story of his tenure in a shelter in Des Moines, Iowa. The experience, he says, changed lives, including his own. Hear his story again from the StoryCorps pages at npr.org. Another story came from Roberta Keys-Torn, the last surviving sister of a set of quadruplets born in Hollis, Oklahoma in 1915. Listen to her story, which aired March 30. And on April 6, we heard the story of sisters Evelyn Palmour and Doreene McCoy, whose family was sent packing by the Great Depression. The family sold their grocery store in Norfolk, Nebraska, and headed for their grandfather's farm near Chelsea, Oklahoma. They told their story as the StoryCorps booth stopped in Jackson, Mississippi. A Tribute to a Child's Best, Bedraggled Friend
 Linus had his blanket, and millions of his real-life counterparts also had a "blankie" or a well-loved toy that became a constant childhood companion, and their first true friend. Authors Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz celebrate 50 comforting "loveys" in Dirty Wow Wow and Other Love Stories. Read excerpts and listen to the report that aired on Weekend Edition April 1.
Crazy Cool: Nellie McKay in Concert
Nellie McKay is a singer-songwriter known for her distinctive mix of jazz vocals and torch singing with cabaret pop, rock and a rap-inspired rants. Hear McKay in a full concert recorded live, or view an audio slideshow.
Have Cell Phone Rings Gone Too Far?
Can it really have come to this – a proposal to regulate cell phone ringtones in New York City? Some might call the proposal laughable, but after all, this story aired Sunday, April 1 on Weekend Edition. Listen and we'll leave it to you to decide how 'foolish' an issue it is.
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