Ahoy WAMC-land!
We’re finally getting the hot summers we’re used to and we have some great programming coming up this month that you can listen to while you’re on the road, gardening or barbequing, or just puttering around the house.
First are our 4th of July specials. Coverage begins on Friday July 3rd at 9AM with NPR’sIntelligence Squared debate: Should states be required to license same-sex marriages?
The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment provides: “No State shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” And now, the Supreme Court is poised to answer the question of whether this clause requires States to license marriages between two people of the same sex. Does the Equal Protection Clause require States to license same-sex marriages, or will marriage be defined as between a man and a woman? The debaters are John Eastman, Evan Wolfson, Sherif Girgis, and Kenji Yoshino.
Following Intelligence Squared is Riding With the King – A Tribute to B.B. King at 10AM. The world lost a true musical giant when B.B. King died. In 2005, B.B. was excited to be celebrating his 80th birthday. He'd just released a new record and completed his first vacation after fifty-seven years on the road. The King of the Blues was vibrant and excited as he looked back at his 80 years on the planet.
Then at 11AM, we’ll be airing the program so many of you look forward to every 4th and that’s the Capitol Steps’ Politics Takes a Holiday! It's the most wonderful time of the year when Presidential candidates emerge from their political slumbers and proclaim themselves fit to rule this nation. The singing political comedians the will take on Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and all the other "76 Unknowns" who have thrown their hat (and your money) into the ring. It's time to "Mock the Vote" in 2015!
At 2PM we’ll hear from Alan Chartock and historian Harold Holzer as they discuss President Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address, delivered by Academy Award winning actor, F. Murray Abraham.
Don’t forget, you’ll get your daily local news programs at noon and 3:30PM with our wonderful North Country Bureau Chief in the host’s chair.
On the 4th of July, we’ll join NPR’s Korva Coleman for A Capitol Fourth 2015. This July 4, America's national Independence Day celebration marks 35 spectacular years of broadcasting live from the West Lawn of the United States Capitol. The event features performances from some of America's best known celebrities and musical artists. The show is capped off with a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" complete with live cannon fire provided by The United States Army Presidential Salute Battery, an audience favorite and now A Capitol Fourth tradition.
Beyond the 4th, we’re excited to announce a new program to the WAMC schedule, Travel with Rick Steves. Every Sunday at 6AM, you’ll be whisked away to places known and unknown to get an in-depth look at the culture and people, learn best feasting places, and explore the things we find around the world that give life its extra sparkle. Rick Steves is the leading authority on travel to Europe, and is extending his interest to global topics.
And last, but certainly not least, it’s time to pack up those picnic baskets for a backyard affair and listen to the annual Tanglewood broadcasts every Friday and Saturday night at 8:30PM, and Sunday afternoons at 2:30PM. It all starts Friday July 3rd for opening night, then the season starts in earnest the following week on Friday, July 10th. The season will end on Sunday Aug. 16th. Please do remember that while we’re in Tanglewood season, we will not have Classical New England on Sunday nights, and 8PM will bring the best of Live at the Linda.
Now with the half hour change in start time for Tanglewood, (the BSO has decided to no longer do the pre-show interviews and chats), WAMC will be airing Person Place Thing at 8PM on Fridays, an abbreviated A Hudson River Sampler at 8PM on Saturdays, and The Best Of Our Knowledge on Sundays at 2PM. As soon as Tanglewood ends on August 16th, we will return with our regularly scheduled programs.