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Alternative Radio for December 22, 2008
1:02 PM - 2:00 PM
[Program Website]
Today's Highlight: "Which Side Are You On?" with Studs Terkel
Historian Howard Zinn says, "You can't be neutral on a moving train." Indeed, in a time of crisis you can't sit on the fence and wait for others to make the decisions for you. An engaged citizenry is the essence of democracy. The classic union song asks, "Which Side Are You On?" If we are all rendered as mere spectators and onlookers then what does that say about our democracy? It's easy to blame the media which to a some extent contribute to a general feeling of helplessness and fear, thus leading to apathy and inaction. But individuals cannot escape responsibility.
Studs Terkel
Studs Terkel was never neutral or passive. The longtime Chicago radio host was the Pulitzer PrizeÐwinning pioneer in oral history capturing the voices of Americans from all walks of life. In the 1930s, while acting in the theatre, he dropped his given name, Louis and adopted the name Studs, after the fictional character Studs Lonigan. He was the author of numerous books including "Working," "Hard Times," "The Good War" and "Hope Dies Last." He was the recipient of many honors including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critic's Circle and the Presidential National Humanities Medal. He was a legend and his voice and work will endure. Studs Terkel died in Chicago on October 31, 2008. He was 96.
Alternative Radio is a weekly one-hour public affairs program offered free to all public radio stations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and on short-wave on Radio for Peace International.
Established in 1986, AR is dedicated to the founding principles of public broadcasting, which urge that programming serve as "a forum for controversy and debate," be diverse and "provide a voice for groups that may otherwise be unheard." The project is entirely independent, sustained solely by individuals who buy transcripts and tapes of programs.
Its "headquarters" is situated to correspond with its position in the mainstream mass media: down an alley, behind a house, on top of a garage in Boulder, Colorado. From this rarefied location, AR's programs manage to reach over 125 radio stations and millions of listeners. AR is part of the non-profit Institute for Social and Cultural Change.
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