WHRB News

The Great American Talk Show: Season Finale!

news@whrb.org — Sun, 24 May 2009 10:51:33 PDT

It's hard to believe, but another semester of the Great American Talk Show has come to an end! You can check out the season finale, featuring host Tom Brennan and cohorts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows, here: TGATS 4.26.09.

This episode featured a live interview with producer Bruce Windwod and director John McKenzie of 12 in a Box, a British comedy that premiered in the US at the Boston Irish Film Festival on April 25. The evening after our broadcast, 12 in a Box was awarded Best Original Screenplay at the BIFF awards. Coincidence? Nevertheless, congratulations! We highly recommend you check this film out!

Thanks for sticking with us this season, and we hope you'll join us again next year with the return of our esteemed host Alex Doubet.

From Across the Yard: April 19, 2009

news@whrb.org — Sun, 24 May 2009 09:51:41 PDT

If you missed the season finale of From Across the Yard, you can listen to it in its entirety here: FATY 4.19.09.

Thanks to our host, Colleen Carlston!

This week:

Silverglate - Jon Staff interviewed this outsider candidate for Harvard’s Board of Overseers.
Kuumba - Gabby Bryant speaks with her fellow singer about what Kuumba, a non-exclusive group for black spiritual music, has meant to them at Harvard.
Relay for Life - Eric Romo attended this all-night event beginning on April 10^th in support of cancer research and awareness.
Angles in America - Lois Beckett explores how Harvard college students dealt with portraying characters afflicted with AIDS.
Goodbye - Alyce de Carteret bids farewell as she steps down from her position as news director at WHRB.

NOTE: Due to some filing errors, not all of the stories will be immediately available for individual download. We hope to get these up as soon as we can!

Thanks for tuning in this year! We hope you'll join us when we return this coming September for more From Across the Yard.

The Great American Talk Show: April 12, 2009

news@whrb.org — Sat, 02 May 2009 09:35:02 PDT

The April 12 edition of the Great American Talk Show, featuring co-hosts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows is no available! You can listen to the episode in its entirety here: TGATS 4.12.09.

NOTE: We have been extremely behind on our podcasting, so for that we apologize! But stay tuned! The season finales of both From Across the Yard (April 19, 2009) and the Great American Talk Show (April 26, 2009) will be up soon.

From Across the Yard: April 5, 2009

news@whrb.org — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:13:58 PDT

If you missed today's broadcast of From Across the yard, you can listen to it in its entirety here: FATY 4.05.09.

Thanks to our host, Lili Behm!

This week:

Birdsong- Colleen Carlston explores the cutting-edge research of a UCSF professor who visited Harvard on April 2.

Man On Wire- Dennis Raimondi hosts Speaking Freely, a radio show which aims to ask intelligent and thought-provoking questions and allow guests to speak in detail about their area of expertise and interest. This week begins WHRB News' collaboration with Speaking Freely, by featuring his interview with daredevil Philippe Petit (edited by Eric Romo).

Philippe Petit- Listen to Dennis Raimondi's entire 30-minute interview.
Speaking Freely- Check out his website, www.speakingfreelywithdennis.com.
Introduction- Listen to what he has to say about his radio program, past, present, and future.

Mothers- We continue our collaboration with the Community Charter School of Cambridge with student Anne Nicolas's tribute to her mother.

The Political Arena- Alexander Heffner brings us an interview from Capitol Hill with NY Congressman Dan Maffei, this week inside the Political Arena.

WHRB News will cover Harvard's Relay for Life on our next show, set to air April 19. Join us then for more From Across the Yard!

From Across the Yard: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

news@whrb.org — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:21:03 PDT

If you missed the March 22^nd, 2009 episode of From Across the Yard, our biweekly newsmagazine, you can check out the entire episode here: FATY 3.22.09.

Thank you to our host Natalie Panno!

This week we had a wide variety of different stories ranging from the scientific, to the political, to the seasonal.

Tune in:

National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference – Colleen Carlston attends and records this segment with Christine Mitchell, the Director of the Office of Ethics at the Children's Hospital of Boston and the Director of Clinical Ethics for the Harvard teaching hospitals.

Interview with Jim Ramstad – Jon Staff talks with former U.S. Congressman Jim Ramstad of Minnesota, a moderate Republican who was in Congress from 1990 until 2009, to talk about his term in office.

Leprechauns – Alyce de Carteret speaks with Professor Kate Chadbourne, who teaches Irish language and literature, to investigate the history of the Leprechaun in time for St. Patrick’s Day. You can listen to the interview with Kate Chadbourne in its entirety here: Kate Chadbourne Interview. Also check out her flute performance in our studio: Kate Chadbourne Performance.

The School Bus Driver – The fourth in a series of pieces by students at the Community Charter School of Cambridge. This week, a piece by Nephtalie Bernard. If you liked this story, check out Bernard's other piece: Writing.

Thanks for listening to the latest From Across the Yard! We’ll be back on April 5^th, 2009 with more news and stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

The Great American Talk Show: Introducing Christa

news@whrb.org — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:01:13 PDT

Last week, the Great American Talk Show welcomed guest host Christa Hartsock who discussed all things pop-culture with cohorts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows. If you missed the show, you can listen to it in its entirety here: TGATS 3.15.09.

TGATS will be taking a short hiatus due to Spring Break, but will be back live on April 12! We hope you tune in.

From Across the Yard: International Women's Day

news@whrb.org — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:56:06 PDT

If you were unable to catch the March 8, 2009 From Across the Yard live, you can listen to the whole episode here: FATY 3.08.09.

Thanks to host Eric Romo!

This week's episode features a few pieces relating to International Women's Day:

Commentary on Women's Week at Harvard - Lili Behm introduces a description of the week and its goals, by Gena Haugen.

How Advertising Uses Women- Colleen Carlston spoke with Jean Kilbourne, who studies and gives lectures about the uses of women's bodies in ads we encounter daily. She discusses the harmful effects of these ads.

Watchmen- This much-anticipated film recently opened. Reporter Natalie Panno attended an opening night showing and collected audience feedback.

The Political Arena- Every week, political correspondent Alexander Heffner brings you the scoop from D.C. This week, he discusses the growing phenomenon of "Twittering" politicians.

My Mother's Values- To continue showcasing the work of students at the Community Charter School of Cambridge, this week's episode features Courtney Johnson discussing why her mother and her mother's values are so important to her life.
Hear more from Courtney Johnson here:
Be Who You Are
My Grandmother's Values

Thanks for listening to this latest From Across the Yard! We'll return on March 22, with a special spring break edition. Listen to the Great American Talk Show next Sunday, March 15 at 12:30 PM.

The Great American Talk Show: Twitterific

news@whrb.org — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:08:58 PST

Rabbit rabbit! Guest host Tom Brennan once again led The Great American Talk Show with cohorts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows this afternoon. If you missed the episode, listen to it in entirety here: TGATS 3.1.09.

Be sure to tune in next Sunday at 12:30 for the next episode of From Across the Yard. The Great American Talk Show will be back two weeks from today with more invigorating pop culture discussion, March 15.

From Across the Yard: February 22

news@whrb.org — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:27:56 PST

WHRB's biweekly From Across the Yard newsmagazine returned on Sunday, February 22. If you didn't get a chance to hear it live, you can hear the whole episode here: FATY 2.22.09.

Thanks to Colleen Carlston, our host for this show!

This week:

The Political Arena: Live from Washington - In this installment, chief political correspondent Alexander Heffner begins his tenure live from Capitol Hill! He discusses D.C.'s changing political map with new president Obama.

Burrito Showdown - Eric Romo follows Harvard's own burrito-eating team as they compete for fame, fortune, and a trip to Acapulco in Qdoba's "Rice and Beanpot."

Basketball - In this week's piece from a collection created by students at the Community Charter School of Cambridge, Wale Wright discusses how basketball has become a tradition for him.
Hear more from Wale:

Black History Month - February marks America's first Black History Month with an African-American president. Spencer Hardwick, brotherhood chair of Harvard's Black Men's Forum, discusses what this month means to him.

Improv Comedy Festival - Reporter Alyce de Carteret attends Harvard's improv comedy festival, "Summer Camp," with her trusty recorder, vowing to catch hilarious snippets for From Across the Yard. What happens when the trusty recorder lets her down?

As always, thanks for tuning in! Join us again on March 8 at 12:30 P.M. for news and notes From Across the Yard.

The Great American Talk Show: An Oscar Preview

news@whrb.org — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:01:22 PST

This week: another fantastic episode of The Great American Talk Show! Guest host Tom Brennan and sidekicks Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows discussed the upcoming Oscars and the enigma that is Joaquin Phoenix. If you missed today's episode, you can listen to it in its entirety here: TGATS 2.15.08.

Though the TGATS boys certainly have their own opinions on the Oscars, we had the pleasure of talking to a real expert on the matter: film critic Nathan Rabin. We aired an edited version of the interview on today's show, but you can check out the full version here: Nathan Rabin Interview.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to join us two weeks from today, on March 1, at 12:30pm for another episode of The Great American Talk Show.

From Across the Yard: Valentine's Day Edition

news@whrb.org — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 07:46:18 PST

WHRB's biweekly newsmagazine "From Across the Yard" is back after a winter break. If you missed it live last Sunday, you can hear the complete episode here: FATY 2.08.09
Special thanks to our host, Lili Behm.
On the show:
Darwin Day- Correspondent Colleen Carlston explores Darwin's life and the ways Harvard groups prepared to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth.

Love Poetry- Natalie Panno's feature about romantic poetry in all its forms.

Hip-Hop- One of a series from students at the Community Charter School of Cambridge. This week, Ariel Garcia talks about what hip-hop means to him.
More from Ariel Garcia:
Musical Traditions
The Crossing Guard

Valentine's Day- Roving reporter Eric Romo learns what real Cantabrigians have to say about this holiday of love.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in Sunday, February 15, at 12:30 PM ET for the Great American Talk Show. From Across the Yard will be back on Sunday, February 22, with more news and stories.

WHRB Election Special

news@whrb.org — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:12:14 PST

Finally available for download is the full recording of WHRB's Election Special last November 4. You can listen to/download the file here: WHRB Election Special.

Note: Due to technical difficulties, two short portions of the nearly six-hour special did not record properly. As a result, there is dead air for 2 minutes in one portion (beginning around the 3:55:00 mark) and 14 minutes in the other (staring around 4:40:00). We apologize for the inconvenience.

Special thanks to everyone involved in the show's production:
Hosts Alexander Heffner and Markus Kolic
Producer Alyce de Carteret
Engineer Chris Hartl
Special correspondents Lili Behm, Eric Romo, Colleen Carlston, Natalie Panno, and Sanyee Yuan

Please check this blog post for updates including links to shorter segments of the special and a list of special guests.

The Great American Talk Show: A New Year

news@whrb.org — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:50:36 PST

Happy New Year, and Happy February!

After a long winter hiatus, The Great American Talk Show has hit the airwaves once again. Though our esteemed host Alex Doubet, who is currently studying abroad in Florence, will not be joining us this semester, TGATS lives on. Today, hosts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows discussed criminal goats, the Kung Fu Panda/WALL-E rivalry, and the impact of definite articles on movie titles. You can listen to today's episode here: TGATS 2.1.08.

In the coming weeks, TGATS will welcome a rotation of guest hosts. We hope you'll join us two weekends from now, on February 15, at 12:30pm for the next riveting episode of the Great American Talk Show! As always: 95.3FM WHRB.

The Great American Talk Show: Season Finale

news@whrb.org — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:24:51 PST

Just in time for the holidays, the season finale of the Great American Talk Show! As always, host Alex Doubet and cohorts Kevin Burrows and Alasdair Wilkins brought an absurdist look to news you don't care about and enlightening discussion you do. The episode originally aired on December 14, but now you can listen to it in its entirety: TGATS 12.14.08.

The Great American Talk Show will be taking a hiatus during the holiday and Orgy seasons, and will return to the air on January 31. Though our esteemed host Alex Doubet will be studying abroad in Florence next semester, Alasdair and Kevin will be back with two new hosts to continue the rich, comedic tradition for which TGATS has become so famous. We hope you'll join us!

From all of us at WHRB News, Happy Holidays!

Welcome Back, From Across the Yard!

news@whrb.org — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:50:30 PST

WHRB's news magazine From Across the Yard returned from its brief hiatus this afternoon. If you were unable to listen to it live, you can hear it in its entirety here: FATY 12.07.08.

Special thanks to our host, Markus Kolic.

This week:

The Political Arena: Youth Vote - On this week's segment inside the Political Arena, chief political correspondent Alexander Heffner evaluates the historicity of the youth voter turnout at November 4's election.
Obama's Election: A Continent Away - A feature on the African reaction to and inspiration by Obama's election, by reporter Natalie Panno
The Holiday Season - A feature on how the economic recession will affect holiday shopping, by reporter Lili Behm
Free Culture at Harvard - A feature on the growing Free Culture movement and how it will affect the way universities interact with their students and the community, by reporter Colleen Carlston
Veteran's Affairs - On this anniversary of Pearl Harbor, a feature on the treatment of veterans in today's community, by reporter Eric Romo

Thanks for listening! Tune in next Sunday, December 14, at 12:30pm for another absurdly comical episode of the Great American Talk Show with Alex Doubet. Your favorite news magazine will return next semester after a brief winter holiday and January’s Orgy season, so be sure to join us in February for more news and stories From Across the Yard.

TGATS: Thanksgiving Special

news@whrb.org — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:20:57 PST

In honor of the holidays, host Alex Doubet and cohorts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows dedicated this sixth episode of the Great American Talk Show to everything Thanksgiving! Take a listen here: TGATS 11.30.08.

Tune in two Sundays from now, December 14, at 12:30 pm for the last episode of the year. As always, we'll be bringing an absurdist look to news you don't care about and enlightening discussion you do, so don't miss out!

From all of us at WHRB News, Happy Thanksgiving!

Inside This Week's Political Arena...

news@whrb.org — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:09:31 PST

Host Alexander Heffner sat down with Mike Allen, chief political correspondent for Politico.com, and Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. If you missed this week's episode, be sure to check it out here: TPA 11.23.08.

A week from today, December 7, at 12:30pm WHRB's news magazine From Across the Yard will return to the airwaves. Be sure to tune in!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail us at news[at]whrb.org.

TGATS: The Quinary Episode

news@whrb.org — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:41:06 PST

The Great American Talk Show aired its fifth show this afternoon (can you believe it?), and like a fine wine, it just gets better with age. Host Alex Doubet and cohorts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows discussed everything from Japanese warrioresses to Spam. And where does Suri Cruise stand in her quest for world domination? Take a listen here: TGATS 11.16.08.

Tune in two Sundays from now, November 30, at 12:30 pm for a special Thanksgiving Day episode of the Great American Talk Show. As always, we'll be bringing an absurdist look to news you don't care about and enlightening discussion you do, so don't miss out!

Thanks for listening!

The Political Arena: Post Election

news@whrb.org — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:39:04 PST

Inside this week's Political Arena, host Alexander Heffner sat down with Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe Peter Canellos and historian Douglas Brinkley to discuss the results of last Tuesday's historic election. If you couldn't catch the show live, you can listen to it in its entirety here: TPA 11.09.08.

WHRB News' live election coverage last Tuesday was a huge success! Thanks to hosts Alexander Heffner and Markus Kolic, executive producer Alyce de Carteret, and everyone else who helped to make it happen. Audio of the entire five-and-a-half hours of coverage will soon be available right here on our blog, so be sure to check back!

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can contact us at news[at]whrb.org. The Political Arena will be back with its web-only edition next week, and will return live two weekends from now on November 23.

Happy No More Daylight Saving Time!

news@whrb.org — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:36:11 PST

Another fun, enlightening, and utterly absurd episode of the Great American Talk Show aired last Sunday! If you weren't able to join host Alex Doubet and cohorts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows on this 30-minute adventure, you can check out the full episode here: TGATS 11.02.08.

Topics in today's episode include:

James Bond: real American hero?
Suri Cruise: when will the reign of terror end?
Cockney listeners: will we have any left after these 30 minutes?

We also aired an EXCLUSIVE interview with Harvard Professor Michael Sandel. Take a listen below!

Michael Sandel Interview [broadcasted version]
Michael Sandel Interview [unedited] Coming soon!

Tune in two Sundays from now, November 16, at 12:30 pm for more news you don't care about and enlightening discussion you do. You can only get it here, on the Great American Talk Show.

Inside This Week's Political Arena...

news@whrb.org — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:39:18 PDT

Host Alexander Heffner sat down with Sam Donaldson, reporter and news anchor for ABC news, and Russell Riley, professor at the University of Virginia and chair of the Miller Center of Public Affairs' Presidential Oral History Program. If you missed today's episode, be sure to check it out here: TPA 10.26.08.

Election Night is quickly approaching, and we here at WHRB News are feverishly preparing an election special of epic proportions. Be sure to tune in for a marathon of live political coverage, beginning at 7pm on November 4 and running into the early morning hours. Our hosts Alexander Heffner and Markus Kolic will be reporting results as they come in with the help of special guests including Grover Norquist, Christiane Amanpour, and Doris Kearns Goodwin (among many others).

We hope you will join us! As always, you can direct questions and comments to news[at]whrb.org.

The Great American Talk Show: Still Great!

news@whrb.org — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:18:28 PDT

The third episode of TGATS aired today, and, boy!, it delivered. Our host Alex Doubet and accomplices Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows led listeners on an enlightening journey from golden calves in formaldehyde, to the Tudor Crusades of the 1200s, to death of satire (and, of course, beyond!). You can listen to the full episode here: TGATS 10.19.08.

Special thanks to our producer Alyce de Carteret. Along with her producing duties today, she also took some action shots of the boys as they were live on the air. Check them out!

Live on the air.

Your host, Alex Doubet.

Accomplices Kevin Burrows (left) and Alasdair Wilkins (right).

Tune in two weekends from now, November 2, at 12:30 pm for more news you don't care about and enlightening discussion you do. You can only get it here, on the Great American Talk Show.

The Political Arena: Webisode

news@whrb.org — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:21:06 PDT

This week, WHRB News is debuting its first webisode series ever: The Political Arena with Alexander Heffner. The Political Arena, a new public affairs broadcast on 95.3FM WHRB, can be heard live on the air bi-weekly on Sunday afternoons. But in the off-weeks you can still expect fresh political insight from bi-weekly webisodes right here on our blog.

In our first webisode, Alexander Heffner sits down with E.J. Dionne, columnist for the Washington Post, and Kevin Madden, former national press secretary for Mitt Romney for President 2008. You can check it out here: TPA Webisode 10.19.08.

Be sure to tune in next week for a live episode of The Political Arena on Sunday, October 26 at 12:30pm.

NOTE: The guests on last week's Political Arena were Jonathan Alter, senior editor for Newsweek, and Adam Nagourney, journalist for the New York Times.

The Political Arena: WHRB Debut

news@whrb.org — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:06:36 PDT

Dear listeners,

Due to some unforeseen staffing shortages, WHRB News will be putting its news magazine From Across the Yard on a brief hiatus for the majority of fall semester. We expect that FATY will return to the airwaves on December 7 to showcase the work of our newest reporters, currently in training.

In the mean time, WHRB News is proud to present The Political Arena with Alexander Heffner. This public affairs broadcast will air bi-weekly on Sundays, from 12:30 to 1pm, opposite The Great American Talk Show. Into Election Day and beyond the 2008 campaign, listen for fresh analysis and insight from across the political spectrum. You can learn more about The Political Arena, as well as get extra updates on all things political by visiting the TPA blog.

Along with bi-weekly on-air episodes, we hope to be posting web-only episodes in the off weeks. So check back for more political coverage, analysis, and updates!

(Also, stay tuned for more information about our upcoming election special!)

The first episode of The Political Arena aired this afternoon. If you missed it, check it out here: TPA 10.12.2008.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about our recent schedule changes, don't hestate to e-mail us at news[at]whrb.org. We'd love to hear from you!

A Long Tradition of Excellence

news@whrb.org — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:11:14 PDT

Now that the Great American Talk Show has had two successful episodes, I think it is safe to say that TGATS can offer you a long tradition of talk-show excellence. Our host Alexander Doubet and his cohorts Alasdair Wilkins and Kevin Burrows brought an exciting thirty minutes to the table in today's episode. It was out of control. Missed it? Never fear. You can listen to it in its entirety here: TGATS 10.5.08.

Special thanks to our producer, Alyce de Carteret.

Today's topics included hip-hop ballets, an upcoming Muppets movie (interrobang?!), and fine fettles.

We also aired an interview with Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller. Check it out!

Nicholas Stoller Interview [broadcasted version]
Nicholas Stoller Interview [unedited] ~~Coming soon!~~ Update: It's here!

Tune in two weekends from now, October 19, at 12:30 pm for more news you don't care about and enlightening discussion you do. You can only get it here, on the Great American Talk Show.