This morn on NPR the Western Folklife Center’s What’s in a Song series caught the core of Greg Keeler’s “Coyotes and Cowboy’s” (4:03 mp3):
Greg is a long-time fren, composer of several songs for our radio work, and pollutes young minds at our local MSU-Bozeman.
NPR Labs published a visualization of U.S. public radio coverage (compiled from data current June 2007). The full-size map is a 3.6MB jpeg. Here’s a scaled down vers:
“For over 50 years, outlaw American radio broadcasters exploited a legal loophole and aired powerful pirate radio from the Mexican side of the border. So called ‘border blasters’ – or ‘X stations’ – were true innovators whose influence continues to be felt today. OTM’s Jamie York tells the story.”
With powers as high as 1M Watts — 10X that of the largest legal US transmitters — “locals saw it electrocute birds in mid-flight,” sez reporter Jamie York. From selling goat glands and baby chicks, to live love-making, to giving Wolfman Jack, Woody Guthrie, and the Carter Family an international audience, “The X Factor” (16:49 mp3):
via Kathy: Creative PR.
StoryCorps® this morn (NPR-ME) once again plucked the heartstrings, reminding us what we have to give thanks for. Danielle and Gabrielle Hall remember their mother Martha, who died of breast cancer in 2003. “I have pictures of our last Thanksgiving…” (2:08 mp3):
Stephin Merritt stays in NPR studios until he comes up with song. The song is inspired by a Phil Toledano photo (right). Two days later, from a shaky start, he gets a fine tune. The process is all captured on video and in an NPR-ATC report : “NPR Music: Stephin Merritt: Two Days, A Million Faces.”
Memorable quotes from Merritt’s studio incarceration: “Normally I would sit around in a bar…” “The last two snare hits, Agnus and Billy, goes Agnus, Billy, Agnus, Billy…”
An intervu at NPR pointed to this post by a guy who’s given and received waterboardings, all in the employ of the US.gov, “Waterboarding is Torture… Period.”
The blogger (at Small Wars Journal) is “counterterrorism consultant Malcolm Nance, who has trained hundreds of American service members to be ready for interrogation techniques.” From NPR’s story “Expert Sheds Light on Waterboarding“—
Host Alex Chadwick: “Is waterboarding torture?”
Malcolm Nance: “Yes, of course it is.”
On Halloween’s NPR-ATC cast, Kevin Kling comes outta a bike crash coma and into the light of life & death– “Ghost Story: Coma Gives Injured Biker New Insight” (5:34):
The latest Radio Diaries is featured on today’s NPR: Story of the Day podcast. It’s a multi-p.o.v. sound-portrait of twins separated at birth, “Identical Strangers” (13:10 mp3):
NPR reporter Tom Bullock had a nice music-laden commentary this Morning Edition about leaving Baghdad for the last time, “Journalist’s Assignment in Iraq Ends” (5:47 mp3):
An beta vers of an NPR Station Coverage Map. Roll over transmitter icons and it shows the areas covered and signal strength.
Jim Nayder’s The Annoying Music Show! presented an NPR Annoying Music Tribute to Elvis. Among the excrutiating impersonators and cringe-inducing covers, was this gem–
From his album Blowing Goats, the Pakistani-Chicagoan, Piranha Man, with “Viva Las Vegas” (1:57 mp3):
(Want more P-Man?: “Eye of the Tiger.”)
Still catching up on the Radio Lab listening. From season two’s “Where Am I?“:
Pilots call it “G-LOC” (gravity-induced loss of consciousness, pronounced “G-lock” not “glok”). Turns out this kind of experience (call it what you want) occurs quite frequently among fighter pilots. Producers Ann Heppermann and Kara Oehler bring us the story. We’ll hear from pilots Tim Sestak, and Col. Dan Fulgham on what it’s like to lose yourself while flying a plane. And we’ll hear from Dr. James Whinnery, who simulates G-LOC by placing pilots in giant centrifuges. His research monitors their brain activity as they accelerate to speeds inducing this loss of consciousness.
Alix Spiegel spent some time with folk Stuck and Suicidal in a Post-Katrina Trailer Park, for a 2-part report on NPR All Things Considered, “Life at Scenic” and “What can Be Done” (20:43):
The Daily News Record (Harrisonburg VA) today published an NPR=commies editorial, titled “An NPR Celebration?” It raves over a single word in an NPR piece on China’s red army.
The article is unattributed, and neglects to mention, among many other things, that the idea for their op-ed is lifted, in part word-for-word, from a National Review blog by Mona Charen — whose livelihood is based on bashing liberals.
This is nothing new, GOPs hate Dems and vice versa — their bickerings are what passes as political debate in this country. But what did fascinate me is nearly all the verifiable info (including the NatlRevu source) was provided not by the paper but by the readers in their online comments.
People argue whether the unwashed masses are qualified as “news” reporters. Or must raw info first be filtered by Qualified Journalists, the annointed arbiters of What We’re Told. Having worked in MSM for decades, I have developed an alternate theory: The News is Always Wrong; at least non-MSM sources have a chance of being right. I’ll tell ya about it sometime.
NPR’s Robert Krulwich teams with flashmaster Odd Todd for a “science-y” series of cartoons: NPR : When Carbon Falls in Love, the World Heats Up.
From Long Haul Productions for Father’s Day, a story of armed robberies, philosophical treatises, and a dad’s love debuts today on NPR Day to Day, “Walking With My Father” (8:59):
Excellent 2-part report the past couple nights on NPR All Things Considered about a man imprisoned for 17 years, until his murder conviction was overturned by DNA evidence.
“The Exoneration of Larry Peterson” (22:49):
“Larry Peterson: Life After Exoneration” (22:49):
Jakes new video for his NPR piece searching for the “Ark of the Covenant” and finding humanity. A radio story with photos from a trip to Ethiopia:
There’s a new entry at Wikipedia for radio innovator (NPR, ATC, Soundprint, Fresh Air) Bill Siemering. Said Bill in NPR’s first mission statement (1970): “The total service should be trustworthy, enhance intellectual development, expand knowledge, deepen aural esthetic enjoyment, increase the pleasure of living in a pluralistic society and result in a service to listeners which makes them more responsive, informed human beings and intelligent responsible citizens of their communities and the world.” (Wikipedia post by Program Doctor.)
This week’s HV cast is a Scott Carrier story about Fritz the dog. Fritz loves to play Frisbee. He still catches it most of the time, though not as much as he used to… before he went blind. “Blind Dog” (mp3 4:22):
