CELEBRATE YOUR INDEPENDENCE WITH ARIZONA PUBLIC MEDIA AND NEW RADIO PROGRAMS!
posted by Laura McKee
July, along with the official start of the monsoon season, brings us a new fiscal year and a summer program schedule featuring award-winning news and entertainment programs.
The Your Vote 2012 campaign continues with in-depth local, state, and national election coverage in addition to get-out-the-vote public service announcements. Over the next several months, AZPM will host a multitude of in-studio debates and forums with candidates running in statewide, Congressional and the U.S. Senate races. Visit here to see the most up-to-date information. On June 29th, we streamed live on our web site the Washington Week “Town Hall Forum on SB1070” a collaboration of WETA/Washington, KPBS/San Diego, and PBS 6/Tucson. On Sunday July 1st at 4 p.m., we will rebroadcast the program in its entirety on PBS World (Channel 27-3, Cox 83, Comcast 203). Then, on Monday July 2nd at 6:30 p.m., we will broadcast highlights from this program within Arizona Illustrated on PBS 6. You can also watch the town hall on line anytime at azpm.org/yourvote.
AZPM kicks off July with one of our biggest television programs of the year, A Capitol Fourth. This live national broadcast of America’s favorite Independence Day tradition features unrivaled performances from some of the country’s best-known musical names topped off by the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation. Tom Bergeron takes the helm as the new host of this star-spangled affair, live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, July 4th at 5 p.m. (live from D.C.) with encore presentations at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on PBS 6. More details can be found here.
On radio, NPR 89.1 FM will broadcast The Capitol Steps: Politics Takes a Holiday on July 4th at 7 p.m., pre-empting Jazz at Lincoln Center. For thirty years The Capitol Steps have been putting politics and scandal to music. Tune in to this radio special full of political satire with song parodies and skits, created and delivered by many former Congressional and Senate staffers!
Starting on July 7th, NPR 89.1 FM will freshen up its weekend lineup with several new programs! • Snap Judgment from NPR tells intriguing stories about extraordinary and defining events in people’s lives. The program’s raw, intimate, and musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see a sliver of the world through another's eye. Snap Judgment host Glynn Washington, takes listeners on a narrative journey - leaping from one person's frying pan into another person's fire. Deejay-driven musical delivery, paired with lush sound design, drops listeners into the very heart of what matters. Snap Judgment's fast-paced (sometimes dark, sometimes playful) narrative highlights people from across the globe that put everything on the line. More here.
• Living on Earth, hosted by Steve Curwood, is an award-winning, environmental news program which delves into the leading issues affecting the world we inhabit. As the population continues to rise and the management of the earth's resources becomes even more critical, Living on Earth examines the issues facing our increasingly inter-dependent world. More here.
• 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. Hosted by Jad Abumrad with co-host Robert Krulwich, RadioLab is designed for listeners who demand skepticism but appreciate wonder. More here.
On Classical 90.5 FM over the next 13 weeks, Music Mountain will replace Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, on Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. starting July 5th. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra replaces Deutche Welle Festival Concerts Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. starting July 1st. While Community Concerts take a siesta for the summer, they will be replaced with Fiesta! on Sunday afternoons at 3 p.m. starting July 1st. Fiesta! is a new production devoted to Latino concert music and presents artistically significant compositions from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. The acclaimed composer, musician, performer, and professor, Elbio Barilari, is the host and creative force behind this series. He invites listeners to enjoy and learn about the lively and compelling sounds of Latin American classical music. More here.
I encourage you to give these new radio programs a listen, and let us know what you think.
PBS 6 offers something for everyone this summer. With the 2012 Olympics coming to London in August, Michael Wood’s Story of England, a four-part series hosted by historian Michael Wood, explores the 2,000-year-old history of the village of Kibworth in Leicestershire, England. A new Masterpiece Mystery: Inspector Lewis series starts Sunday, July 8th at 8 p.m. with the first of four new episodes, “The Soul of Genius.” “Generation Vipers” follows on the 15th, “Fearful Symmetry” on the 22nd, and “The Indelible Stain” on the 29th. The new series Market Warriors premieres on Monday nights at 8 p.m. starting July 16th. From the producers of Antiques Roadshow, Market Warriors features 4 expert shoppers competitively scouring flea markets across the country for vintage valuables. This three-part series is followed each Monday by the original Antiques Roadshow at 9 p.m.
Our efforts for the benefit of Southern Arizona would simply not be possible without you. On behalf of all of us at AZPM, please accept my sincere thanks for your continued support and best wishes for the summer.
Jack Gibson
