KGOU Newsletter for May 2007
Note: Links to other sites may no longer be active or content may have changed.
Spring Membership Drive a Success
KGOU Night at the Museum
 KGOU staffers had a great time meeting listeners as we helped kick off a new season of Cocktails on the Skyline at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art on Thursday, May 3. In this photo, Lisa Janssen and Brian Hardzinski enjoy the view. You can see a short video of the event posted on YouTube. (Can you find Karen Holp, Jolly Brown, Kurt Gwartney and Lisa Harrison – or yourself – in the crowd?)
'Jazz In June' Is Almost Here
KGOU is proud to help produce Jazz in June, one of central Oklahoma's premier music festivals. This year's event is fast approaching, so mark your calendars now for June 28 - 30. Featured performers will be The Rounders, Elvin Bishop, Garaj Mahal, and the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. For a complete schedule of concert  locations and performers, visit the Jazz in June website.
In anticipation of this year's festival, The Weekend Blues will take us back to last summer's highlights. Over the Memorial Day Weekend, May 26 and 27, The Weekend Blues will feature eight hours of Jazz in June 2006 performances by Jeanie Bryson, the Sean Costello Band, the Eric Byrd Trio, and Marcus Belgrave's Octet in a tribute to Louis Armstrong. Al Gore on ATC Friday, May 25
 Friday on All Things Considered, Michele Norris talks to former Vice President Al Gore about his new book The Assault on Reason, in which Gore argues that policy making today is being driven by hype, celebrity news, partisanship, other agendas, and fear – not on reason.
Tune in the afternoon of Friday, May 25 to hear the interview.
NPR News Enters the Blogosphere
A new weblog debuted at npr.org this month – a blog for and about NPR News. The official blogger is Tom Regan, who has just recently joined NPR. His goal is to promote discussion of news stories among listeners. Give it a read and see what others have to say, or suggest future topics.
NPR Rough Cuts: The Bryant Park Project
 Want to participate in NPR's creative process? Visit Rough Cuts, where NPR pilots new projects and asks you to share your ideas and reactions.
Currently featured, "The Bryant Park Project" is a news service and early-morning-news-program-in-development out of NPR New York. Hosted by Luke Burbank and Alison Stewart, the project targets a younger audience than Morning Edition. Right now you can hear it online or on podcasts. It's set to debut on some stations later this year. KGOU has no plans currently to air the program.
20 Years of Fresh Air
 Public radio listeners nationwide were first introduced to Terry Gross and Fresh Air in 1987. The program is marking this milestone with the re-broadcast of some of Terry's favorite interviews.
The show has also recently launched a daily podcast for download to the portable listening device of your choice – you can sign up at npr.org.
Capitol Steps Nominated for Theatre Award
 We knew they were clever, but here's proof – the Capitol Steps have been nominated for a prestigious Drama Desk Award, given in recognition for excellence in theatre productions. Three of the Capitol-Hill-staffers-turned-political-parody-performers,
Bill Strauss, Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton, were nominated in the category of Outstanding Lyrics. Not bad for a troupe that's never played Broadway! You can listen to a preview of their new album from their website, in case you can't wait for their next special.
Searching For the Next Public Radio 'Star'
Public Radio Exchange's Talent Quest, the search for the next big public radio host, is off and running. A total of 1,368 people submitted auditions, more than 30 percent over projections!
 It's similar to television's American Idol – contestants will compete in four rounds of auditions and on-air challenges. Public radio listeners get a chance to weigh in by casting their votes online, along with a panel of public radio professionals and celebrity judges.
The field will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists the week of June 4. In the end, there will be three winners – each of whom will get to produce a pilot show for possible funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and $10,000 in cash. You can sign up to vote, listen to as many contestant auditions as you can stand, and read some of the conversations on the Quest message boards, all at the Talent Quest website.
Highlights from the Networks:
Will Work for Food: Couple Fills Plates Locally
 When Alisa Smith and J. B. MacKinnon faced unexpected guests and bare cupboards, they turned to the land around them to create a meal.
They caught a trout, picked mushrooms in the forest and apples from an abandoned orchard. The delicious meal was a hit, but it also raised a question for Smith and MacKinnon – could they eat like this all the time?
Listen to this 'most e-mailed' story from Weekend Edition Sunday, May 20, and read an excerpt from their book Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally, at npr.org.
Take the Carbon Challenge
 The Sheppard family of Chapel Hill, North Carolina are concerned about contributing to global warming, and are trying to reduce their carbon emissions.
As part of NPR's yearlong exploration of climate change, called Climate Connections, All Things Considered is inviting families, like the Sheppards, to take the Carbon-Counting Challenge – a carbon-reducing diet of sorts. Using an online form created by the EPA, you can calculate your family's carbon emissions, and see how you compare. How 'American' is Oklahoma?
 Illinois is the most American of all the states, according to the Associated Press's analysis of census data in a feature on All Things Considered May 17. The AP compared states on the basis of 21 demographic factors, and declared Illinois' stats most closely match statistics of the nation as a whole.
Oklahoma ranked 21st on the sliding scale, deviating most from the American norm in the areas of household income, amount of industry, and ratio of urban to rural population. Hear the report and view an interactive map at npr.org. ATC Features Oklahoma's Rocketplane
 A handful of companies are vying to be the first to take paying tourists for brief rides to the edge of space. All Things Considered has been reporting on the fledgling tourist space flight industry, in which Oklahoma-based Rocketplane Limited, Inc. figures prominently. Listen to a report by Frank Morris of Kansas City public radio station KCUR at npr.org.
Art Retrospective Recognizes 'Schizophrenic' Genius
Martin Ramirez was diagnosed as a catatonic schizophrenic soon after he immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1925. During his 30 years in mental institutions, Ramirez produced more than 300 mesmerizing drawings. Much of his work is now on display in a major retrospective at the American Folk Art Museum. See some of the drawings and hear Jon Kalish's report that aired on All Things Considered Saturday, May 12.
Big Sound, Bigger Voice
Macy Gray has kept busy since her audacious 2001 debut – She's put out three albums, acted in films, established a music school, and launched a line of clothes designed for full-figured women. Hear her Weekend Edition interview and listen to tracks from her new album, Big.
The Splendid Table Features Oklahoma Eatery
Stroud's Rock Café was featured on The Splendid Table April 11 on KGOU. Food critics Jane and Michael Stern told host Lynne Rossetto Kasper that the Rock Café has the best CFS (Chicken Fried Steak) in the west! Listen to their mouth-watering critique of the menu items at this Route 66 eatery.
|
|||
