New Recipes for Flagship Shows
Well, folks, the frost has covered our windshields, the jack-o-lanterns are in the compost, and the great testing of recipes for Thanksgiving is underway. (This year I think I’m going to try adding some oyster mushrooms to my stuffing. And is it too decadent or heart attack inducing if I try to wrap the turkey in bacon? Thoughts?) Anyway, while we’ll be in the kitchen creating our dishes, the folks at NPR have done some testing of their own and this month we’ll sample their latest menu, as it were. Let me explain.
The mother ship in Washington (NPR) has decided that Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition needed some schedule shake-ups to both enhance the listening experience and accommodate our changing attention spans. So, starting November the segments you’re used to hearing at certain times of your drive will be moved from anywhere between a minute or two, to ten to fifteen minutes. The crew at WAMC got together and labored over NPR’s new clocks so we could make sure you still get the local news and segments you love listening to.
Here’s when your favorite local segments will be heard:
Monday – Friday Morning Edition:
5:05AM - Stardate
6:20 & 7:20AM - WAMC Sports
6:49:35AM- Paul Caiano’s Weather Report
7:30AM - The Academic Minute
7:45AM - Alan Chartock’s morning commentary
8:44:30AM - The Writer’s Almanac
NPR Newscasts will now be at 19 minutes and 42 minutes past the hour.
Monday – Friday All Things Considered:
4:04PM - Earth Wise
5:48PM - WAMC Business Report
Weekend Edition Saturday Sunday:
5:55AM - Stardate
8:35AM - Pulse of the Planet
Weekend Edition Sunday:
9:35AM – Strange Universe with Bob Berman
The stories and segments that NPR usually airs like Your Health, StoryCorps and Frank DeFord will be moved around a bit as well and the length of the stories and newscasts will be changed. Some of the blocks will give WAMC more local news time, while others will only have headlines and underwriting credits.
One change that will occur outside of Morning Edition and All Things Considered, is the bottom of the hour news during The Roundtable. Due to the changes, it will no longer originate from NPR, but from the BBC via American Public Media. Just think, you get a double whammy of BBC; they will be at the :01 and :30 during each hour.
We understand that the new clocks may take some getting used to, as many of us time our drives in the morning and afternoon by what’s on the radio. Please know that the changes are nationwide and all NPR member stations will be following the same format. We’ll get through this together, and before long, it will seem like the schedule has been like this forever.
So, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Special programming will be provided, so stay tuned for some great music to cook and travel by and of course on Black Friday we’ll giving you some great shows to listen to on the app as you wait in ridiculously long lines to get that $100 flat screen.
_____________________________________
Thanksgiving Specials
Thursday 11/27
9-11AM - Giving Thanks: A celebration of Fall, Food & Gratitude
With music and stories for Thanksgiving, host John Birge creates a thoughtful, contemporary reflection on the meaning of the holiday. We remember Dr. Maya Angelou, and she shares her Thankgiving blessing and memories. Nikki Giovanni reads food poems from her new book, and recalls the Thanksgiving she got kicked out of college! Also, Simple Gifts from Copland, a Simple Song from Bernstein, and lots of music about fall, food, and gratitude. For listeners in the kitchen, on the road, or relaxing after the feast, Giving Thanks provides the perfect atmosphere for Thanksgiving: the warmth of great music, and truly memorable words.
11AM - Giving Thanks with Harmonia
Harmonia rings in the harvest season with a cornucopia of early music delights! We'll hear merchant cries from long-ago London, witness the marriage of music and ritual, and dine at Johann Hermann Schein's musical Banquet. For dessert: our featured release Amor Vincit Omnia or "Love Conquers All."
2PM - Thanksgiving with Cantus
Cantus is one of the premiere men's vocal ensembles, and with Alison Young, talk about the holiday, music, and food.
Friday 11/28
9AM - Bob Dylan and the Band - Complete Basement Tapes
The complete story behind Bob Dylan and The Band's 1967 recordings in Woodstock, NY, now known as the Basement Tapes
10AM - Beatles Special, TBA
11AM - Roy Orbison – Mystery Girl
This program takes in depth look at Roy Orbison's 1989 posthumous comeback album, "Mystery Girl."
2PM - Power of Words: FDR, The Four Freedoms<