As many of you know, NPR has decided to end production of Talk of the Nation. This left us with a need to find new programs for the mid-day hours. In addition, many people responded to our on-line listener survey earlier this year asking questions about a number of programs. Those two events combined have led the staff to a new programming lineup that includes these changes, effective as of Monday, July 1st:
View a .pdf of the new schedule
New Programs:
Music from the Tri States - Sunday, 11am - 12:30pm
Music Director Ken Zahnle will host a program of music recorded in the Tri States of all genres. Classical, folk and jazz will all be represented in this local program.
The Story - Weekdays, 1pm - 2pm
Less "blah, blah, blah," more "aha!" No dispassionate pundits or sterile academics allowed. That's the credo of The Story, hosted by the renowned Dick Gordon that fills in the picture of events in the news with compelling person experiences.
The World - Weekdays, 3pm - 4pm
"PRI's The World" brings one-of-a-kind international stories home to America. Each weekday, host Marco Werman guides listeners through major issues and stories, linking global events directly to the American agenda. "The World's" coverage is provided by a global network of international journalists. The program also has access to the 250 BBC correspondents located around the world.
Radio Lab - Thursday at Noon
The long standing special series is now a weekly program! Radiolab is an experiential investigation that explores themes and ideas through a patchwork of people, sounds, and stories. In each episode, Radiolab experiments with sound and style allowing science to fuse with culture, and information to sound like music.
The Moth Radio Hour - Friday at Noon
The Moth is all about true stories, told live. Each program will feature people from everyday life sharing their stories in front of an audience. Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, these personal stories will reveal a new perspective on the human experience. Since each story is true and every voice authentic, the shows dance between documentary and theater, creating a unique, intimate, and often enlightening experience for the audience.
Concierto - Fridays at 10pm
Concierto is a weekly program of classical music presented in Spanish and English. The program features classical music by Latin American and Spanish composers and musicians.
Folk Alley - Sundays at 10pm
From Kent State University, Folk Alley collects the best in traditional and contemporary folk, Americana and roots music.
The following shows are now on at new times:
- Living on Earth will air Wednesdays at Noon. Overwhelmingly, the decision to move the show out of the noon hour to Sunday mornings was unpopular with listeners. We heard you, and the show will be back on at noon.
- Tell Me More will be heard an hour earlier at 2pm weekdays.
- Bob Edwards Weekend will be heard an hour earlier, from 9am-11am on Sunday mornings.
- 51%, the women's issue program will air Saturday afternoons at 3pm, followed by State Week in Review at 3:30pm.
- Song Travels with Michael Feinstein, which had been a temporary series, is available year round and will stay on the schedule but move to Sunday mornings at 6am. Riverwalk with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band returns to its Saturday night spot at 7pm.
- World of Opera will air starting a half hour later at 12:30pm on Sunday afternoons.
With these changes, four programs are leaving our schedule:
- Talk of the Nation, as mentioned, is being discontinued by NPR. This was not a station decision, but a network decision.
- Music from the Hearts of Space, On Being and Marketplace Money are all shows that received very low assessments from listeners in our survey. We understand while they may be the favorites among some audience members, overall, they are not among our more popular shows. They have been removed from our schedule as of July 1st.
In addition, Tri States Public Radio's local program "Folk Weekend" will have a new host. Tri States Audio Information Services Program Director and local musician Bill Harroun will take over hosting duties to give Music Director Ken Zahnle more time to work on Music from the Tri States.
We know these are a lot of changes, but they are informed by your input and the desire to produce a programming schedule that brings the best possible programming to the widest possible audience. Your continued feedback is critical. So listen to the new shows and get accustomed to the schedule, and let us know what you think.