Where We Live Wins National Awards (Again)!

Senior Producer Catie Talarski, Host John Dankosky and Producer Josie Holtzman show off their new awards!

by John Dankosky – WNPR’s Where We Live took first place in the “Call-in Show” category at this past weekend’s national awards ceremony for PRNDI – the Public Radio News Directors organization.  The award is meaningful, because it is the only one of its kind for public radio programming.

Competing in “Division A,” WNPR shows are up against the big-time competition of stations in New York, Boston, California and Minnesota, and for the second time in its short history, Where We Live comes out on top! (We won the same category in 2007)

The winning entry, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” explored what it means to be a good neighbor, through the lens of the Times Square bombing suspect, Faisal Shahzad.

Per usual, when he was “discovered” living in a suburban Connecticut home, his neighbors described him as “a quiet” and “nice” guy.  Our question: How well do we know the people who live around us?  Our guests were Mark Oppenheimer, host of WNPR’s new periodic series Paper Trails and Peter Lovenheim, author of “In The Neighborhood,” a book about finding out about one’s neighbors by sleeping over at their houses.

Where We Live also took second place in the “News and Public Affairs Show” category for “Sexual Assault on College Campuses.”  This show came out of reporting by WNPR’s Diane Orson and the Center for Public Integrity about the widespread problem of rape and other assaults on campuses in Connecticut and elsewhere.  The show prompted reaction and action from Wesleyan University, one of the schools highlighted.

I’d like to thank everyone involved in the production of our show over the last year, our management and our funders.  But special thanks and congratulations go to Senior Producer Catie Talarski, the person who makes it all happen.  Its her vision and drive that makes Where We Live a success.

Thanks also to current Producer Josie Holtzman and Producer Emerita Libby Conn Franklin (now working for KWMU’s St. Louis on the Air).  And a big thanks to our listeners and callers.  To be voted the best “call-in” show in the country multiple times means that we must have some award-winning people who contribute their thoughts and ideas, their tough questions and personal stories.  I can’t thank you enough.

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Here are the radio shows hitting the airwaves June 27 to July 1, 2011:

MONDAY: It’s A Map
Since the days of great explorers navigating the globe, maps have served a very simple and essential purpose, getting us from point A to point B (without falling off the edge of the earth, of course).  But with the advent of digital mapping technologies, the form, function and potential of maps has been revolutionized. Today we’ll explore the world of New Cartography that radically reshaping our lives and perception of the world around us. We’ll be joined by the head of the UCONN geography department and the Yale Map Collection’s GIS specialist, to learn how new technology can map everything from elections in Egypt, to real-time crisis response in Haiti, to the location of organic ice cream stores in your immediate area.  But with all of this rapidly advancing technology, some ethical issues are called into question. In the 21st century we are all cartographers, so how would you map your world?

Whitey Bulger

TUESDAY: The Informant
Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, on the lam since the mid-90s, is in custody – after the FBI started running TV ads looking for tips.  But for years, before the FBI was scouring the country trying to catch him, he was working with the FBI as an informant – given special protections while he continued a life of crime.  We’ll look at the world of informants, and the role they play in law enforcement.  WNPR’s Jeff Cohen tells us about a man who has been working as an FBI operative in Hartford, Louisiana and around the country.

WEDNESDAY: WWL@HPL: Hartford Legislators
Where We Live teams up with The Hartford Public Library for “The Year Ahead: A Conversation with Hartford’s State Legislators.”  Members of the state congressional delegation from the capital city will share their thoughts about the state of Hartford, and what state lawmakers are doing to solve the city’s intractable problems.  We’ll be broadcasting live from Hartford Public Library, and taking questions from the audience.  Join us!

THURSDAY: Indie Music Show
It’s a head boppin good time as we check in with the internet’s busiest music nerd Anthony Fantano, host of The Needledrop. He’ll share the best in new independent music.

FRIDAY: Reporter Roundtable – The Shakeup
It seemed like not so long ago that the Malloy administration had signaled success in its first budget.  “Shared sacrifice” meant that all sectors were on the same page, pulling together to get Connecticut out of its financial hole.  Not so fast.  Union workers have turned down the concessions deal that the Governor was banking on – now that means “large-scale” layoffs, and a big shakeup in state government.  Our regional reporter roundtable wrestles with what’s next.

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Happy Summer! Here is what we have going on this week – June 20 to 24, 2011:

MONDAY: Justice and the Courts (rebroadcast)
Of the four cardinal virtues, why is lady justice the only one who has a statue in courthouses around the world? Yeah, in case you didn’t remember – those other virtues, Temperence, Prudence and Fortitude all seemingly have some role to play in our systems of law and governance.   But its Justice that’s become the icon of democracy. Yale Law professors Judith Resnik and Denny Curtis have published an enormous new book called “Representing Justice” – It explores how justice has been represented throughout history, in early drawings and modern architecture. From Charles Schulz’s “lady justice” a depiction of Lucy van Pelt, blindfolded, holding a sword and scales; to the loving display of a lawyer’s battered corduroy jacket in a Minnesota courthouse, the authors explore how these images of justice have, over time, influenced the development of courts and governments.

TUESDAY: Financial Literacy and Connecticut’s Kids (rebroadcast)
We’re struggling to get out of a recession, caused in part by borrowing way too much.  So, if grown-ups can’t manage their money – how should we expect kids to? Many financial experts say that children aren’t learning the right lessons about how to handle their money.  Here’s an example: A recent study finds that today’s parents are “incredibly lenient” about handing their children extra money – you know, that 20 dollars to go see a movie, over and above their allowance. It seems that kids are learning more about immediate gratification than budgeting their dollars, or having any sort of financial discipline.  And it’s hard for a parent who’s racked up thousands in credit card bills to make a case for living within one’s means. Today we tackle financial literacy for kids.  We’ll talk with experts in the field – and get your take – to find out what works, and what doesn’t.

WEDNESDAY: Journalists in Conflict
American society is just beginning to seriously consider the emotional trauma of fighting war. But what about reporting it?  The deaths of two photojournalists in Libya this year sparked fresh conversation about the emotional and psychological — and not just physical — health of reporters and photographers who cover conflict. Join us as we speak to Chris Cramer of Reuters about preparing and protecting journalists in the field, and Michael Kamber – a longtime reporter and photographer for the New York Times who has covered most major wars in the past 20 years. We’ll talk about the repercussions of witnessing war, as well as the media industry’s responsibility to care for their employees.

THURSDAY: Cocktails, The History Of
Today we’ll tell stories of how some of our favorite cocktails came to be. We’ll talk to an author who traces the history of Rum in the new world – from the cheap, caustic drink that fortified 17th-century pirates to today’s mojitos, made from bland, mass market rums. Poor yourself a bloody mary or mimosa and tune in.  And as always, it’s always best to drink responsibly before heading in to the office.

FRIDAY: Field Recordings
Field recordings of traditional music and oral history have provided an important window into the past.  Mystic Seaport has been collecting the stories of Connecticut’s dwindling fishing industry for exhibitions and books.  We’ll hear the voices of the men and women who keep alive our state’s only remaining commercial fishing fleet…and hear how Calabretta gathers these stories.  Also, the Yale Library has announced that it will be providing online access to hundreds of hours of field recordings from Guinea in Africa.  These field recordings are the most significant body of audio historical data on the indigenous history and culture of theses coastal villages in Guinea between 1958 and 1984. We’ll talk to two experts about what these recordings reveal, and about the deep cultural and musical traditions of this fertile region.

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Here is what we have on tap for next week, June 13 to 17, 2011:

MONDAY: Young and Jewish in America
Young people today have a lot of ways to define themselves – their clothes, their music, their facebook profiles.  But religious identity has become less of a defining characteristic because, well, it’s trickier to characterize.  Today we’ll look at the question “what does it mean to be an American Jew?”  We’ll hear the story of Luzer Twersky, a 23 year old Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn who has made the decision to abandon the conservative faith and community of his upbringing and reintegrate himself into secular American society. And we’ll look at young, American secular Jews seeking to explore their Judaism through a free 10-day, all expenses paid trip to Israel.  But how does a trip to Israel fit into this process of self discovery?  We’ll talk to Jewish scholars and students who have participated in the trip about their praises for and ambivalence towards this program.

TUESDAY:  Open For Tourism?
The Connecticut Tourism industry took some flack under the Rell administration for its one-dollar yearly budget and the state’s disappearance from the official tourism map of New England. Now we’re back on the map, but facing a tight budget for culture and tourism.  Coming up, Executive Director of the Commission Kip Bergstrom will join us to talk about the move into the Department of Community and Economic Development, and what he’ll be doing to bring tourists, and tourism jobs, to the state.

WEDNESDAY: Arts and Ideas!
It’s a LIVE broadcast from The Study at Yale – and we’ll talk to some of the artists and thinkers involved in the annual New Haven festival – like choreographer Susan Marshall and Haitian performer Emeline Michel. How about you get up early and drive yourself to New Haven to be part of our audience!

THURSDAY: Brooke Gladstone On The Media (rebroadcast)
A 24-hour news cycle, media moguls with political agendas, blurred lines between news and commentary. To many, these are sign’s that today’s media couldn’t be farther removed from the integrity of its roots. After more than two decades reporting on the Media, NPR’s Brooke Gladstone is of the opinion that we’ve been here before, and it’s actually been worse. Gladstone presents her manifesto in the new book The Influencing Machine. Through the medium of graphic nonfiction, She and illustrator Josh Neufeld frame today’s media in the context of two thousand years of history, and in the process challenge some cornerstone assumptions of the press, including objectivity and the roots of media bias, and dispell a fear that a media machine may be controlling our minds. Today we’ll talk with Gladstone and Neufeld about all this, and what the media really says about us.

FRIDAY: A Father’s Day
It’s a tribute to Father’s today! We’ll hear from fathers and about fathers in essays from the upcoming book “THIS I BELIEVE: On Fatherhood” – and Dr. Peggy Drexler joins us to talk about her research on the complicated father-daughter relationship, and how the bond girls have (or don’t have) with their dads shapes them throughout life.

IKEA and the Partial Destruction and Billboardization of a Modernist Icon

by John Dankosky –  We got a lot of feedback from listeners and emailers to our show about IKEA, the massive  Swedish furniture company.

Joseph Getter reminded us about another iconic area retailer, Stew Leonard’s:

 Stew’s has a similar back story of humble origins, lots of unique branding such as animated displays, a maze-like one-way path through food offerings that feel curated, culminating in the ready-made section, at which point you are ready to buy and eat.

Just like Adam Raider when he goes to IKEA:

This winter, I drove to New Haven intending to hop a train to New York but hit a huge snowstorm. Abandoning the trip to New York and suddenly overcome with hunger, I decided to visit the Ikea food court to grab some lunch. I had a delicious buffalo chicken wrap. Ikea’s new slogan should be “Ikea: you’ll come for the Flurg lamp, but you’ll stay for the buffalo chicken wrap.”

Dominik Kot writes about a less cheery subject:

There was some controversy in Sweden about Ikea outsourcing jobs to Southern States in the USA, where the workers had minimal benefits. For Example the workers in Sweden had 5 weeks vacation, while the US Workers had none.

That story involves a plant in Danville, Va. 

But my favorite correspondence comes from Robert Kirschbaum, who writes about a subject near to my heart…and one that fills me with conflict when I shop at IKEA.

Thank you for pointing out,in today’s program, that in New Haven Ikea compromised an architectural landmark building designed by Marcel Breuer.  Indeed, Connecticut Public Broadcasting has from time to time brought to the public some much-needed discussion about the need to preserve Connecticut’s architectural heritage, whichincludes mid-20th century modernist buildings.  Alas, despite those efforts, 20th century modernism seems to be an easy target for destruction — the people of Connecticutseem to maintain a Disney-like vision of their colonial and 19th century history, while regarding their more recent history as disposable.

As you can see from the photo below, the building had a much different look and feel before IKEA’s decision to lop off one half of the structure to build its store and parking lot.

The Pirelli Building, designed by Marcel Breuer in 1969. Photo: Robert Narracci

The argument I made in the opening of the show is that a company that has helped to democratize modern styles for American homes might think twice before brutalizing iconic buildings in the modern style.  While not everyone loves the Breuer building – then or now – its current state as a glorified billboard (below) strikes me as a gesture of ridicule.

Post-IKEA Pirelli building, photo by paul goyette, Flickr Creative Commons

But Kirschbaum’s email continues:

What saddens me is that CPB (parent company of WNPR), in moving from its former headquarters on the Trinity College campus to its current location, destroyed a very beautiful gem of a mid-century building designed by the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.  CPB removed the building’s glass curtain walls, and replaced them with the kind of cheap cladding used on the kind of professional buildings found in suburban strip malls.  It took away a delicate, transparent, and elegantly-proportioned structure, and replacedit with a bunker.  It might be bestin the future, to offer up a “mea culpa” whenever you see fit to discuss theissue of architectural preservation in Connecticut.

Judge for yourself.  Here’s the original IBM building:

Hartford IBM building on Asylum Avenue, original design

CPTV building today after renovation

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Happy BIRTHDAY to us! HAPPY birthday tooo ussss!  Happppeeeeee BIRTHHHDAYYYYYY to ourwonderfulradioshowwwww… happy birthday to us.

Where We Live just turned 5! Thanks for all your love on Facebook and the Twitters. We have the best listeners, really. Keep listening. And as always, thanks for your support. I’m so lucky to be able to do this every day and to have a great community of folks so interested and invested in what goes on where we live.  Keep your ears tuned for word of our 5-year birthday bash happening in the fall. All sorts of treats in store…

But first. I am LATE coming with the shows for this week. Only because we just decided what they are about seven minutes ago.  Here we go - June 6 to 10, 2011:

MONDAY: Narrative Medicine
Doctors get years of training in medicine, but what’s often left out is…humanity.  The relationship between doctor and patient is among the most important many of us will have in their lives, yet it’s becoming increasingly depersonalized thanks to overwhelming patient loads. But there’s a growing field of study – and practice – that aims at putting the humanities back into doctor’s training…to better treat the humans they serve. Today, where we live, we’ll look at “narrative medicine” and the “medical humanities” and how programs at Yale and Columbia are training physicians in poetry as well as anatomy. Is compassion the missing link in better health outcomes?  Can a more well-rounded doctor provide more compassionate treatment?

TUESDAY: IKEA MADNESS!
There is a distinct flow to the Ikea shopping experience.  As you move through the maze of expertly stacked lightbulbs and perfectly designed rooms you slip into a trance where, suddenly, you realize that without that lampshade, matching bedspread, and shag rug, your apartment would no longer be livable.  This is no accident.  Coming up we’ll look at the Ikea craze – what’s behind the phenomenon that has turned it from furniture store to – “The Life Improvement Store”

WEDNESDAY: Hedge Fund Show
Today we’ll talk to author Sebastian Mallaby about his book More Money than God on the inside story of hedge funds – from their origins to the most recent financial crisis.

THURSDAY: Legislative Wrap-Up
Connecticut’s legislative session is drawing to an end….on time.  Really?  After all of the budget angst and agony; and all the arguments about hot-button social issues; the Connecticut Mirror’s Mark Pazniokas drops by with lawmakers to walk us through the first act of the Dannel Malloy story, and how its playing at the capitol.

 FRIDAY: Remembering Bob Hohler
Bob Hohler was executive director of Melville Charitable Trust, which gave generously to support NPR News, and led a historic revitalization of Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood with the Billings Forge project.   He was a passionate advocate for the homeless, and also a guiding force for the Connecticut Mirror, an important innovation in our state’s journalism landscape.  Hohler died last week at the age of 78.  We’ll remember his life and work by revisiting a conversation we had with him on Where We Live, and another live show highlighting Billings Forge.