Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Here is what we’ve got next week March 28 to April 1, 2011

MONDAY: Continuing the Labor Discussion
Today Connecticut labor leaders respond to Governor Malloy’s claims that if he doesn’t reach an agreement with unions, massive layoffs are on the table: “If it’s the only option, it’s the only option to pursue.” And on the anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire we’ll talk to New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse about the evolution of the nation’s labor laws and labor unions since the tragic fire 100 years ago. Also, we’ll give you tips on shopping “sweat free.”

TUESDAY: Tracking Lost Civilizations (rebroadcast)
Could it be true?!  The lost city of Atlantis has been found!  Well, not yet, but a University of Hartford archeologist is on the case. Archeologists have been surveying marshlands in Spain where a space satellite photograph identified what looked like a submerged city in the midst of one of the largest swamps in Europe.  What they found might surprise you. Coming up, we’ll talk about the search for Atlantis.  And then we’ll check in with National Geographic explorer-in-residence Spencer Wells, who has been using DNA from people all over the world to document and create the first-ever map of human migration – showing how humans came to populate the planet after leaving Africa some 60,000 years ago.

SPECIAL EVENT, TUESDAY AT CCSU: Lifting the Veil
Journalism is changing.  We know that.  But how are journalists managing that change?  “Lifting The Veil” is a conference meant to uncover some of these secrets, and present new ideas about the news business.  These conversations will be recorded for WNPR’s award-winning news/talk show Where We Live in front of a live audience at Founders Hall at Central Connecticut State University, Tuesday March 29.

WEDNESDAY: An Exchange About Sol Lewitt (rebroadcast)
The Hartford-born artist Sol LeWitt is known for his large-scale wall drawings and paintings, which are still being “re-created” by artists to this day.  His work is the subject of a massive retrospective at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.  Three enormous gallery floors show off the scope of his work and the changes it made. Now that museum is presenting another aspect of his work – an “exchange” in which artists trade works and objects – A kind of “open source” model for the art world. Collaboration was the key to Sol Le Witt’s art – the collaboration between the many artists and craftspeople who helped him realize the what the art-going public would finally see.  It was truly conceptual art he made – art based on ideas.  In fact, LeWitt often said “the idea becomes the machine that makes the art.” Today we’ll celebrate the work and life of Sol LeWitt – we’ll talk to his friends, colleagues and admirers about what keeps his art and his ideas so vital.

THURSDAY: David Folkenflik
David Folkenflik is media correspondent for NPR.  His reports offer insight into the operation of the media amid tectonic shifts in the industry and cast light on figures who help shape the way the news business works.  Geraldo Rivera of the Fox News Channel once described Folkenflik as “a really weak-kneed, backstabbing, sweaty-palmed reporter.” Others have been kinder. The Columbia Journalism Review, for example, gave him a “laurel” for his reporting that immediately led the U.S. military to institute safety measures for journalists in Baghdad.  And, recently he was named to The Wire “50 Most Influential People in the Media.” In choosing David, The Wire cited the consistent quality of his reporting on shows like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, his insightful Twitter feed and how he “admirably” handled covering his own employer during the Juan Williams debacle.  His thought-provoking stories often spark debate and chatter, especially his rumination on the value of journalism school today, his two-part series looking at ideology in the media, and his coverage of how new media has influenced revolutions in the Middle East. Poynter has also praised David’s use of Twitter, showing how he uses a series of tweets to summarize and contextualize breaking news.  Folkenflik will talk with WNPR’s John Dankosky about these and other issues on Where We Live, taped from Tuesday night’s events.

FRIDAY: Reporting Back
It’s a rollicking roundtable of regional reporters talking about relevant, remarkable, and even ridiculous local politics and news.  You don’t want to miss it.

Malloy: No Labor Deal? “We’ll Lay Off Lots Of People”

Governor Dannel Malloy, Photo by Chion Wolf

by Diane Orson and John Dankosky - Governor Dannel Malloy stopped by WNPR’s Where We Live to take calls from listeners and to talk about negotiations with state employee unions.  His stance seemed pretty clear: Without $2 billion in concessions over the two-year budget cycle, he’s got no more good options for balancing the nearly $3.5 billion deficit.

“You want me to cut the budget more? I’ll cut the budget more.  You want me to eliminate more programs I’ll do that.  And in the absence of reaching a restructuring agreement we’ll lay off lots of people. I don’t want to do any of those things.  Having thousands and thousands of state employees become unemployed in the midst of a downturn in the economy where we can reasonably predict that Connecticut will be one of the last states to recover from makes no sense, but if it’s the only option, it’s the only option to pursue.”

Malloy later told the capitol press corps that he’s working on, in his words, a “nasty and ugly” alternative budget in case state employees don’t  agree to concessions.

NPR’s Folkenflik Headlines Where We Live Special Event

David Folkenflik

Lifting The Veil: Journalism, Uncovered

Tuesday March 29, Founders Hall

Central Connecticut State University

New Britain, CT

Journalism is changing.  We know that.  But how are journalists managing that change?  ”Lifting The Veil” is a conference meant to uncover some of these secrets, and present new ideas about the news business.  These conversations will be recorded for WNPR’s award-winning news/talk show Where We Live in front of a live audience at Founders Hall at Central Connecticut State University, Tuesday March 29.  On the agenda:

• A prominent political figure grills political reporters (how’s it feel now?)
• New media organizations team up on high-quality, investigative journalism
• An influential national reporter covers one of the toughest beats: The media

1:45 – 2:45 p.m. – Ned Lamont Turns The Tables
Since 2006, businessman and CCSU professor Ned Lamont has been in the political spotlight.  As an upstart challenger to Senator Joe Lieberman, he rallied an online base of support that allowed him to beat Lieberman in the Democratic primary, and barely lose that seat to the Senator in November.  In 2010, he ran a tight race for the Democratic nomination for governor.  All along the way, he had to face tough questions from the capitol press corps, local and national talk show hosts, bloggers and thousands of others.  Now, he’s asking the questions of some of the political journalists who’ve been grilling him for years: Dennis House, WFSB anchor and host of Face The State; Mark Pazniokas, chief political reporter for The Connecticut Mirror; and John Dankosky, Robert C. Vance Endowed Chair in Journalism and Mass Communication at CCSU, and news director of WNPR.  For the hour, Dankosky turns the microphone of his talk show Where We Live over to Lamont, as he gives the media a taste of its own medicine.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Partnership: A New Model For New Media
We’ve been hearing for years about the chronic struggles of newspapers and the proliferation of so called “new media” sources of journalism.  As one outcome of this change, the traditional competition for stories between papers has given way to a new era of cooperation.  By pooling resources and working together, these upstarts are making a real impact, informing the community, and driving the discussion in collaboration with newspapers.  Where We Live’s John Dankosky talks with a panel of innovators who are forming partnerships to present insightful and investigative journalism of the highest order (while maintaining a healthy sense of “competition”). Mike Webb, director of communications for ProPublica, an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in partnership with organizations like NPR and The Los Angeles Times; Jim Cutie is CEO and publisher of The Connecticut Mirror, an online site covering state politics that’s building partnerships and readership by filling a hole in public policy journalism;  Lynne DeLucia is a former editor of the Hartford Courant, who is now editor of C-HIT, the Connecticut Health Investigative Team, which provides in-depth journalism on issues of health and safety, in Connecticut and the surrounding region; and Doug Hardy, co-founder of the Independent Media Network, a venture designed to share content and provide advertising revenue to help locally-owned news and commentary websites in Connecticut.

7:00 – 8:00 p.m.  - NPR’s David Folkenflik
David Folkenflik is media correspondent for NPR.  His reports offer insight into the operation of the media amid tectonic shifts in the industry and cast light on figures who help shape the way the news business works.  Geraldo Rivera of the Fox News Channel once described Folkenflik as “a really weak-kneed, backstabbing, sweaty-palmed reporter.” Others have been kinder. The Columbia Journalism Review, for example, gave him a “laurel” for his reporting that immediately led the U.S. military to institute safety measures for journalists in Baghdad.  And, recently he was named to The Wire “50 Most Influential People in the Media.” In choosing David, The Wire cited the consistent quality of his reporting on shows like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, his insightful Twitter feed and how he “admirably” handled covering his own employer during the Juan Williams debacle.  His thought-provoking stories often spark debate and chatter, especially his rumination on the value of journalism school today, his two-part series looking at ideology in the media, and his coverage of how new media has influenced revolutions in the Middle East. Poynter has also praised David’s use of Twitter, showing how he uses a series of tweets to summarize and contextualize breaking news.  Folkenflik will talk with WNPR’s John Dankosky about these and other issues on Where We Live, and he’ll take questions from the audience.

Presented by WNPR’s Where We Live and The Robert C. Vance Endowed Chair in Journalism and Mass Communication at Central Connecticut State University, in partnership with The CCSU Journalism Department, The Arts & Sciences Public Policy Committee, and the student chapter of The Society of Professional Journalists.

UConn Men’s Graduation Rate “Unacceptable…Period” Says New President

Susan Herbst by Chion Wolf

by John Dankosky - As the UConn men’s basketball team gets ready to compete in the “Sweet 16″ round of the NCAA basketball tournament, the university’s incoming president is addressing criticism of the program’s graduation rates.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan called out UConn in an op-ed in the Washington Post.  He cited the 30 percent graduation rate among men’s players as one of the worst among teams still in the tournament.

Incoming President Susan Herbst starts her job in June.  But speaking on WNPR’s Where We Live, she said the academic record of the men’s program must change.

“The current graduation rate there is unacceptable.  Period.  And, it needs to move up, and I look forward to working with the athletics department on this,” she told me.

When asked about setting specific goals for the program, she told me that to make change, it’s more important to create a “culture of student success,” than to set strict targets to meet. ”It’s about supporting the faculty, the coaches, the deans the administrators who work on this…it’s not about threatening them.”

But, it’s not just the program’s graduation rates that have been a problem.  UConn was hit with sanctions from the NCAA over recruiting violations, and “failure to create an atmosphere of compliance.”  That’s resulting in probation, and a three-game suspension next season for coach Jim Calhoun.  When told that Calhoun can be the grumpy type when questioned about his program, Herbst said she’s looking forward to working with him and all the coaches.

“The university itself has to create a very strong culture of excellence and compliance, and we have to get out ahead of this.  We have to make sure coaches and students understand all the rules and not just wait for the NCAA to come along and investigate us,” she said.

“Y’know you’d rather be a clean program that is well within all the rules and regulations than a successful one.  And, you know, many universities have struggled with this.  You know success at what cost?  And, these are student-athletes. We are an academic organization.  The sports are wonderful, they bring attention to us internationally, but we’re there for one reason, and that’s to teach and graduate students, and all this other stuff is, in fact, secondary.”

And she added that in academic achievement in athletics, she wants UConn to be a model.  That model might be the UConn Women’s program.  Which is not only a favorite to win its third straight national title, but faces no sanctions from the NCAA – and graduates more than 90 percent of its students.

Listen for the full interview on Where We Live here.

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

It’s MONDAY!  It’s SPRING! And it’s supposed to snow today?!  Ack. Hope your week gets off to a good start.  Here’s what’s coming up this week: March 21 to 25, 2011.

MONDAY: Remember This
Today’s guest memorized the precise order of an entire deck of cards in one minute and forty seconds. This supreme act of memorization earned Joshua Foer a US record for speed and a winning title at the US memory championship in 2006.  But how does his uncanny ability to memorize useless information relate to our daily blunders of lost car keys, forgotten birthdays…and the classic: “I know you just told me… but what’s your name again?!”  Today we’ll explore memory with some of the best minds on the planet – we’ll find out how we might use some of the tricks of their trade in our own lives.  And did you know the brains of rats and human beings are nearly identical in terms of developing and processing memory?  It’s true, according to a UCONN researcher who studies the brains of rats to better understand just how memory works.

TUESDAY: UCONN President Susan Herbst
Susan Herbst is the new President of the University of Connecticut, and she’s walking into a lot of problems to fix.  Reports of “extravagant” salaries for leaders on its police force; controversies over pay, student performance, and the value of big-time college football in its athletic departments; the future of the school
in a redesigned state education system.  But, she’s also taking over a growing university that’s become an internationally recognized research center.  On the next Where We Live, we’ll give listeners a chance to talk to Susan Herbst.

WEDNESDAY: Energy Merger
The proposed merger between Connecticut-based Northeast Utilities and Massachusetts company NStar has some Connecticut officials worried about the direction of the giant utility, and the effect on ratepayers.  We’ll talk to Jeff Butler, executive from Northeast Utilities subsidiary CL&P about the merger – but also about electricity, conservation and renewable energy.

THURSDAY:  NPR Check-In
We have Alicia Shepard, NPR’s Ombudsman on Where We Live regularly to talk about journalism, and the job that NPR reporters and editors do.  She’s leaving the network, just as these questions have become a national issue on Fox News and The Daily Show.  We’ll pull apart the latest controversies at the network, and give you a chance to ask questions of Alicia Shepard.

FRIDAY: Governor Malloy
Dannel Malloy said he’d be more open to the press – more “communicative” than the previous governor.  But his whirlwind, 17-town “listening” tour must be having him reconsider this idea.  As he talks about his plans to fill a nearly $3.5 billion budget hole, he’s getting criticized by people who don’t like his tax plan, by those who don’t like his plan to get concessions from unions, and those who don’t like his cuts to government.  Ever the listener,
though, Malloy returns to Where We Live to answer your questions.

Esty: Connecticut Committed To Nuclear

by John Dankosky - Connecticut’s new commissioner overseeing energy and environmental policy says the nuclear accident in Japan is going to require the nation to step back and look at the “challeges that need to be faced” before moving forward with new nuclear power plants.

Speaking on Where We Live, Dan Esty said that nuclear should be part of a “portfolio” of choices to provide clean and cheap energy.  ”Frankly all of the energy options going forward have challenges,” he said.  ”The nuclear industry has to make sure that it can dispose of waste safely, and frankly deal with accidents.  And I think we don’t yet know what the final outcome of the situation will be in Japan, but it does signal that we need to be careful.”

Esty said that Connecticut’s nuclear plants are a generation more advanced, and have more safety built into them.  He also called Connecticut “geologically stable” and a place where nuclear plants could avoid major natural disasters.

“So, I think there is likely to be a commitment to nuclear that goes forward.  But I think the difficulty is that this adds – the safety issues that are now at the forefront of people’s minds – adds to the challenge, which was already substantial for nuclear, based on the difficulty of getting new plants licensed and built,” he said.

“And, frankly, the large part of that challenge is economic.  These plants have not been built in an economical way in recent years.”

The Millstone Plant in Waterford generates up to 60 percent of the state’s electricity.

You can listen to the entire interview with listener questions on Where We Live.

Healy Wrong on NPR “Welfare” State

by John Dankosky – I appreciate GOP Chairman Chris Healy’s charitable words in his response to my post yesterday about hyperbole over public broadcasting.   I also truly appreciate that he’s a dues-paying member of WNPR and a regular listener.  And, it’s nice that he admitted his claim that WNPR gets $3.3 million in state subsidies was false.

But, he still doesn’t have it quite right.  Here’s what he wrote:

The real number is $1.987 million and it should be cut from the budget entirely. The beauty of this subsidy is the manner is which it finds its way into the hands of both entities. A myriad of state agencies – Connecticut Public Library, Commission on Fire Control, Commission on Culture and Tourism, all program money they are given to Connecticut Public Broadcasting, whose building is located on Asylum Avenue in Hartford. It all adds up, no matter how John Dankosky tries to spin it.

Once again, that $1.9 million number is for federal funding – not state – and is for both WNPR and CPTV.  This has nothing to do with the “myriad of state agencies” he refers to.  Agencies, like those he mentioned, do occasionally give money to CPBI to support programming, but it’s either given as part of a competitive bid, to support a specific program production, or as part of a “media buy.”

If a Connecticut state department wants to get the word out about an initiative, they will often buy advertising on a number of outlets, which can include WNPR and CPTV.  (We call it “underwriting,” because there are restrictions on the length and content of such announcements on public broadcasting outlets.)

The state agencies choose to do so because they want their information to reach our smart, thoughtful, influential audience – people like Chairman Healy.  That is not a subsidy, or “welfare” as he puts it.  That is the state deciding to spend its marketing money in a place it thinks will get the most “bang for its buck.”

To put it another way, it’s kinda like when the last two Republican governors of Connecticut decided to use taxpayer funds to put their own faces on television spots and billboards for state agencies (sidestepping the need to purchase image-building political ads with their own campaign money).

State government has marketing dollars to spend (though, admittedly, not too many right now).  Is Chairman Healy saying those taxpayer dollars should only be spent on private media, like WTIC radio?  State “welfare” is okay for John Rowland, but not for Big Bird?

In the end, it doesn’t look good right now for federal funding of public broadcasting.  And, although none of the state dollars we get are “subsidies,” we realize that any funds from Connecticut coffers will be tight for years to come.  I take Chris Healy’s advice seriously, though.  Regardless of what public money we get, public broadcasters should continue to “sell their product with passion and persistence” and hope our listeners come through with the dollars to help it survive.

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Here is what’s coming up next week. March 14 to 18, 2011.

MONDAY: Winning
In America, you can win the peace, win the game, win the lottery, or (if you’re Charlie Sheen) you can just be “A Winner.”  The rhetoric of winning pervades our competition-obsessed society, but to what end? Author Francesco Duina’s new book “Winning,” takes a look at the social and psychological effects of success and asks whether winning should really be the ultimate goal. Does our winner mania make us all losers?  Mark Fenske, co-author of the new book “The Winner’s Brain,” would argue “no”.  He’ll identify eight “win factors” that are proven to pave the road to success.

TUESDAY: What Is A Modern Family?
The recession has caused sweeping changes in the structure of the American family.  The disproportionate number of men being laid off is redefining gender roles and relationships at home in ways not seen since the Great Depression. A recent Pew Research Study reveals that Americans are split on their feelings about these changes which have unfolded over the past half century.  We’ll talk with the director of the Connecticut Commission on Children which has launched initiatives like “Children and the Recession Task Force” and the 2011 Connecticut Fatherhood Initiative to learn the local affects of the recession.  And we’ll hear from parents about how they are coping with these shifting roles and responsibilities.  And we’ll hear from you!

WEDNESDAY: Young and Unemployed
Across the country, millions are still unemployed…and they’re not just older workers who’ve been laid off. The most recent government report says 18% of 16-24-year-olds don’t have jobs. Recently on the show we talked about “emerging adulthood” – the phenomenon of young people postponing marriage and parenthood until at least their late twenties, and spending lots of time in self-focused exploration. Today we’ll follow up that conversation talking about recent college grads that may not have the safety net that allows them to explore during those “emerging years”.  If you’re fresh out of college and have to get a job – what’s the outlook?  We’ll find out.

THURSDAY: Dan Esty
Dan Esty is the new head of the Department of Environmental Protection – and if Governor Dannel Malloy gets his way, that job will grow to include “Energy” in the title.  Esty’s a Yale professor who’s advised President Obama on energy policy, and several corporations on how to “go green.”  So how is he going to protect the environment while making life easier for business?  We’ll find out as Esty joins us to take listener calls on Where We Live.

FRIDAY: Japan
Today we’ll look at Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami through a local lens.  We’ll hear from the Japanese community in Connecticut, and explore how local businesses are affected. 

Healy Hyperbole Over Public Broadcasting Reaches High Point

by John Dankosky – It’s been another bad week for NPR.  A top fundraiser gets caught in an “ambush” video.  The CEO resigns. Jon Stewart mocks the network, and not just for the gaffe that fuels the fire of those who want to de-fund public broadcasting, but for not “fighting back” against those who want to take it down.

The whole episode has left some of the network’s top journalists “appalled,” and many of us at member stations embarrassed – and answering a lot of questions.

But, as much as NPR seems to be doing to mess up on its own, many of those who “pile on” seem to think it’s just fine to make up numbers and facts completely to prove their case.  For instance, here’s a Facebook post by Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy:

Really?  First of all, the local NPR station is called WNPR, not CPTV.  CPTV describes a television station, and it’s actually pretty easy to tell the difference.  (Hint: The letters “TV” give it away)

So, what is our subsidy?  According to WNPR and CPTV’s parent company Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc., WNPR gets no state operating funding at all.  CPTV gets an average of about $500,000 in bonding money from the state.

That’s pretty far short of $3.3 million, Chris.

But I’ll be charitable.  Perhaps he meant to reference all of our funding, y’know the enormous chunk we get from the federal government and the under-siege Corporation For Public Broadcasting.   Well, turns out that number for CPBI is around $1.9 million, and almost all of that is to support our television operation (which is quite a bit more expensive enterprise than radio).  WNPR itself gets only about $300,000 of that CPB support.

But really, who wants the facts?

By the way, I found the good chairman’s comment embedded in a blog post by our friend and occasionally grumpy NPR lover/hater Rick Green.  Rick is a devoted listener and paid member, and never shies away from speaking his mind about the station he supports.  And that’s what it’s all about.

But I do have some bad news for him.  When he writes: “I can’t stand their constant fundraising” and later writes “I also agree with the bloggers out there who are saying NPR would be better off without government funding” he sets up a little quandry for himself.

If he gets his second wish, I can almost assure you that gripe #1 isn’t gonna get better soon.

I do appreciate that he’s got the checkbook out once again, though.  Mug or totebag, Rick?

Coming UP!

By Catie Talarski

Heavens to Betsy!  I actually have the blog post up on a Friday afternoon!  This gives you ALL WEEKEND to prepare for next week’s shows.  I expect all of you to do your homework and be up to date on the latest news about Muhammad Yunus, every possible theory of where the lost city of Atlantis might be, and just how Governor Dannel Malloy plans to combine the departments of Public Utility Control and Environmental Protection.  Good luck.

Here’s what’s happening next week, March 7 to 11, 2011:

MONDAY: Microfinance, Pop and Politics
Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work pioneering the concept of “micro credit,” providing small loans to village entrepreneurs as a way to fight poverty.  Now the Bangladeshi economist is being forced out of the bank he founded. Coming up we’ll find out the latest on Yunus, who is scheduled to speak at Quinnipiac later in the day.  We’ll hear from students at that university who are using microfinance to make a difference in Nicaragua, and possibly here in Connecticut too.  Also, we’ll talk to “Pop and Politics” blogger and journalist Farai Chideya about African American women in politics.

TUESDAY: Finding The Lost City
Could it possibly be true?!  The lost city of Atlantis has been found!  Well, not exactly, but a University of Hartford archeologist and a team of sleuthy experts have been surveying marshlands in Spain where a space satellite photograph identified what looked like a submerged city in the midst of one of the largest swamps in Europe.  What they found might surprise you. Coming up, we’ll talk about the search for Atlantis, previewing an upcoming National Geographic documentary. And then we’ll check in with National Geographic explorer-in-residence Spencer Wells, who has been using DNA from people all over the world to document and create the first-ever map of human migration – showing how humans came to populate the planet after leaving Africa some 60,000 years ago.

WEDNESDAY: TBA
A super duper surprise!

THURSDAY: Dan Esty
Former federal regulator and Yale professor Dan Esty has been tapped by Governor Dannel Malloy to head the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the new agency that combines utility oversight and environmental regulation.  Coming up, he’ll join us in studio to talk about this restructuring and about environmental and energy strategy in the state.

FRIDAY: Reporter Roundtable
It’s a rollicking roundtable of local reporters talking about relevant, remarkable, and even ridiculous local politics and news.  You don’t want to miss it.