© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

We're Knights Of The Roundtable

One of the best things on WAMC is the first hour of The Roundtable, every weekday morning between nine and ten.

The whole idea of that first hour panel discussion is to create a transition from the hard news of the combined WAMC-NPRMorning Edition to the softer, stimulating Roundtable material, a combination of author interviews, arts discussions, and material concerning events around the region. The cast is almost always the same. Joe Donahue hosts and when he can’t do it, Ray Graf takes over. The two men have different styles but they are both tops in their field.

Our two regulars, Libby Post and Rosemary Armao are both incredibly bright and well spoken. I do my bit and one or two days a week, the always brilliant and articulate Mike Spain, the associate editor of the Times Union, sits in one of the chairs and proves over and over again how bright and decent he is. Sometimes Ira Fusfeld, the retired publisher of the Kingston Freeman, joins us. He is one smart dude and knows a great deal because of all his years on the paper.

The whole idea is that we talk about everything that is in the news. If it’s complicated, we try to make sense out of it.

Let’s try Ebola. Everyone is confused. Some people think the media is overplaying the disease that has scared the world. Many feel that Ebola will never reach the United States and or become a real health problem. We have explored this up and down, in and out. We consult the journals, the best newspapers in the country. We quote the CDC and the top doctors and bio-ethics people. There is nothing about this topic that hasn’t been said on the Roundtable. But, of course, we don’t stop with our differing opinions. We ask that folks write in with their views and as much as possible, we try to include their comments on the program. We cherish the opportunity to hear from you.

Of course, there will always be folks who don’t like or respect what you have to say. They may call you names and assume that there is a single answer to any problem or that only someone with the letters MD after their name is entitled to have an opinion. Those people are few and far between. During the last fund drive we heard again and again how many of you love the give and take and the warm and obviously loving banter among the panelists. To put it mildly, the program has been a hit and we thank all of you who listen and those who participate.

Some people will believe that any argument is too much but most of us understand that the more perspectives we offer up, the more likely it is that people can form their own, educated opinions. Unfortunately if you get a thousand “’atta boys” and one really angry letter from someone who really doesn’t get it, you feel bad that you can’t please everyone. That’s human nature.

We are thrilled by the show’s success and we love all of you who have told us how much you like it and have backed that up with your WAMC memberships. You couldn’t possibly have a million dollar fund drive in record time if people didn’t feel that way. So, to all of you who are in this thing of ours, this WAMC thing, I thank you and I can’t tell you how I appreciate what YOU have done. I look forward to seeing you on the radio.

Dr. Alan Chartock is professor emeritus at the University at Albany. He hosts the weekly Capitol Connection series, heard on public radio stations around New York. The program, for almost 12 years, highlighted interviews with Governor Mario Cuomo and now continues with conversations with state political leaders. Dr. Chartock also appears each week on The Media Project and The Roundtable and offers commentary on Morning Edition, weekdays at 7:40 a.m.
Related Content