April 2012 | Signal eNewsletter | WSIU Radio

Vol. 5, No. 4: April 2012

Signal This Month on Morning Conversations

Mon, April 2 • Human Rights Activist and former Political Prisoner Bo Kyi Bo Kyl will discuss his campaign to help other political prisoners in Burma and around the world.

An Online Newsletter from WSIU Public Radio P o w e r e d b y Yo u ®

Come to the 5th Annual

April 13-15, 2012

c apestor ytelling.com

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ho loves a good story? We do – and we bet you do, too! That’s why WSIU is inviting you to join us at our “Share A Story Booth” at the 5th Annual Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival, held in the city’s historic riverfront district. Festivities begin on Friday, April 13 and wrap up in the afternoon on Sunday, April 15.

Tue, April 3 • Antarctica Roundtable Experts on climate change Bo Kyi. Photo: Human Rights Watch. and Arctic/ Antarctic regions discuss polar ice melt, rising sea levels, and more.

This year’s master storytellers are Sheila Kay Adams, Dan Keding, Jennifer Munro, Kim Weitkamp, Larry Brown, and Jessica Carlton.

Tue, April 17 • Author Herb Russell Author Herbert Russell will discuss his book, The State of Southern Illinois: An Illustrated History.

After you spin your tale at our booth, you’ll receive a CD copy of your recording as a keepsake, along with other items. WSIU Radio will feature this year’s recorded stories and a photo of each storyteller at wsiu.org.

Mon., April 23 • SIU President Glenn Poshard Tue., April 24• Science Café Beth Ellison of SIU’s Geology Department will talk about the planned relocation of Olive Branch after severe flooding.

Wed., April 25 • SIU Author and Professor Adam Stone SIU author and professor Adam E. Stone will join representatives of the Alzheimer’s Association to talk about his latest project, Life Unhappening, a spoken-word ballet about the impact of Alzheimer’s on three generations of one woman’s family. The ballet will be performed on Friday, May 4 at 7:30pm at SIU’s Shryock Auditorium.

Share your comments and suggestions for Morning Conversations to mornings@wsiu.org.

All Morning Conversations episodes are available online at www.wsiu.org/live. You can also find them on our podcast page and get a calender listing of upcoming events at www3.wsiu.org/radio morningconversation. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

In between main performances, stop by WSIU’s recording booth to share your own story, family history, or funny tale. Our booth will be available on Saturday, April 14 from 1-7pm. Look for WSIU’s canopy, branded with the WSIU and PBS KIDS Raising Readers logos, and our colorful Raising Readers Literacy Van near Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus.

To see photos and listen to stories recorded at the festival in previous years, select the “Radio” tab on WSIU’s homepage at wsiu.org, then select “Radio Voices: The Storytellers.”

Bryan Ross of Cape Girardeau shares a funny story about his experiences as an intern for the St. Louis Cardinals at WSIU’s storytelling booth last year.

Photo: Katie Tullis.

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! While you’re recording your story, we’ll keep the kids busy with fun activities from PBS KIDS. WSIU outreach student Danielle Farley (right) holds a storybook template provided to children at WSIU’s audio booth last year. Photo: Katie Tullis.

Meet SIRIS Operations Manager: Randall Hopper Since his first day on the job at SIRIS, Hopper has been in charge of, “everything,” he admits. “As the operations manager, I edit all the recordings, then upload them to the program database and broadcast them. I also do all the daily announcements, recruit and train our SIRIS volunteers, maintain the program and user database, and coordinate SIRIS radio orders and deliveries.”

Randy Hopper.

Photo: Katie Tullis.

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ave you ever wondered who monitors SIRIS programming on a daily basis?

Who makes sure local recordings are ready for broadcast? Who coordinates radio deliveries to users? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, then we’d like to introduce you to SIRIS operations manager, Randall Hopper.

A native of Bartlett, Illinois, Hopper graduated from Bartlett High School in 2007 and briefly attended Robert Morris College on a hockey scholarship. The experience didn’t pan out the way Hopper had anticipated, so he researched the various program opportunities at SIU Carbondale and decided to transfer to the university where he is pursuing a Music Business degree, with an emphasis in audio engineering.

“The degree I’m pursing is split between a business degree and a music degree,” says Hopper, who plays classical guitar.

“You have to do all the things the music students do, like play an instrument and perform at recitals. I’m also taking business courses, so I’m prepared for the business side of the music industry.”

Not long after arriving at SIU, Hopper heard about SIRIS from his roommate and long-time friend Ryan Kinsella, a WSIU outreach student who graduated from SIU last fall and is currently serving as WSIU Radio’s Celtic Connections producer.

Kinsella introduced Hopper to SIRIS director, Vicki Devenport.

“When I first started looking for a job, I had no idea that SIRIS was even part of a radio station,” says Hopper. “I had no idea what SIRIS was. I just wanted a job – and the job needed to be on campus.”

But, Hopper’s responsibilities don’t stop there. “I also answer the phone, help volunteers at the office, keep the office organized, and do other officerelated tasks. I also represent SIRIS at social functions and give presentations about SIRIS at SIU student registered organization (RSO) fairs.”

Although his “to-do” list seems daunting, Hopper says he doesn’t mind the fast pace.

“My job at SIRIS has turned out to be the perfect experience for my major. Not only am I working in radio, I’m also handling the administrative responsibilities that go along with it. Thanks to my experience at SIRIS, I already have a job lined up after I graduate this spring. It’s just crazy how it worked out!”

Hopper says that the best fringe benefit of his position at SIRIS is “getting paid to help people. I’ve gained great respect for the complexities of my job and for the generosity of volunteers. The retirees, the schoolteachers, and the graduate students who volunteer inspire me.”

Hopper also values the service SIRIS provides to people who are in need. “If you’re blind, you can listen to TV or radio news, but you won’t hear readings of local newspapers like the Daily Egyptian, the Carbondale Times, or the Mount Vernon Register-News. To know what’s going on in your community, someone is going to have to tell you what’s in the newspaper.

SIRIS provides a vital information service to people who would otherwise be forced to do without.”

Outside of school and work you can usually find Hopper “doing a lot of the things I do at school and work. I compose and play music, I play music with other musicians, and I produce music. My life pretty much revolves around all aspects of the music industry, and I love it.”

When asked if he has any other interests, Hopper smiles. “I like to watch hockey, especially the Chicago Blackhawks.”

WSIU Says Goodbye to Randall Hopper

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fter three years of devoted service to SIRIS, Randall Hopper is set to graduate from Southern Illinois University Carbondale this May… and both SIRIS and WSIU will miss his numerous talents.

After graduation, Hopper will be working for public radio station WFMT, Chicago’s classical music and fine arts programming station.

Hopper will be helping to produce two radio shows for WFMT, including Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin, which explores a variety of topics in the classical music world, and Fiesta! LatinAmerican Music with Elbio Barilari, which features the best Latin-American music from the 16th century to the present day.

Hopper credits SIRIS for helping him secure the job that awaits him after graduation. “My experience at SIRIS led to a two-year internship at WFMT, and now the station wants to hire me as a full-time employee. I’ll be doing many of the same things at WFMT that I did at SIRIS, which is basically running a radio station. The skills I’ve gained at SIRIS and WSIU Radio are invaluable.”

Hopper also understands and appreciates how lucky he is to have so much experience in radio before graduation. “I see all the jobs my friends are applying for, and I know they might have a harder time getting those positions because they don’t have 3-5 years of experience, as I have.”

Whatever lies ahead for Hopper, it’s safe to say that SIRIS and WSIU have helped to lay the foundation for his success. “Not many people can say they have extensive hands-on experience in all aspects of the radio broadcast industry,” says Hopper, “but I can – and I’m grateful for the experience.”

SIRIS and all the staff at WSIU Radio would like to thank Hopper for sharing his talent and professionalism with us for so many years. We wish him the best of luck in his new position!

VOLUNTEER FOR SIRIS! If you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, SIRIS is a great place to start. Get involved today by contacting SIRIS at (618) 453-2808 or send an email to wsiu.org/siris.

WSIU Thanks You!

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e’d like to thank everyone who contributed to WSIU Radio’s Spring 2012 Community Support Celebration.

Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to raise Volunteer Laura Borger on the air. over $22,000 to Photo: Beth Radtke. support your favorite programs on WSIU, along with services like the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS) and WSIU’s educational outreach and community engagement initiatives.

Listener donations are WSIU’s most reliable source of funding – and your investment in WSIU Radio goes a long way towards improving the quality of life in our region. Your donations help to support all of the programs you hear on WSIU, from Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Fresh Air to Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know?, Car Talk, and Wait! Wait!

Don’t Tell Me! WSIU is also proud to produce high-quality local programming, such as our nationally-distributed music series Celtic Connections, as well as local news and election features, and other local programs, including Morning Conversations, Radio Voices, In the Author’s Voice, Eye on the Market, Sunrise Sports, Rhythm in Bloom, and Sounds Like Radio.

Your support also helps to fund SIRIS, a radio reading service for people who are blind or whose physical disabilities make reading difficult or impossible.

You’re also helping to fund the professional hands-on experience in the broadcast industry at the WSIU Radio and TV stations.

A special “thank you” goes to WSIU staff members Laura Cobin, Susan Patrick, and Lisa Morrisette for coordinating and supervising our on-air membership celebrations. We’d also like to thank all the WSIU and University staff, students, and community members who served as on-air talent and phone volunteers.

WSIU is Powered by You!

Family Matters on Morning Edition

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t a time when Americans are living longer, there are more pressures on families to take care of all the generations.

In the eight-week series “Family Matters,” Morning Edition host David Greene tells the stories of three families of the “sandwich generation” – Ida Christian blows out the candles people who care for their aging on her 89th birthday cake. parents while supporting their Photo: Kainaz Amaria/NPR. own children – and examines the social and economic impact on their families.

Family Matters, Part 1 • Week of April 16

David Greene introduces the series and the three families profiled. Pew researcher Paul Taylor explains the demographics and economic change affecting the “sandwich generation.”

Family Matters, Part 2 • Week of April 23

Meet the Shamone-Gilmores, who take the unplanned challenge of caring for a sick parent. We learn what makes it so difficult for families to talk about planning for the future.

Family Matters, Part 3 • Week of April 30

The Hunter-Christian family decide to keep their grandmother at home no matter the costs. The family has innumerable financial and emotional decisions to make. How do they make the decision to quit their jobs and take care of a parent full-time?

NPR’s Back-Seat Book Club: April Reading List

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osted by Michele Norris (left), NPR’s Back-Seat Book Club, presented by All Things Considered (ATC), is a special segment aimed at young people ages 9 to 14.

Each month ATC chooses a special book and asks kids to read it and submit questions or comments for the author to backseatbookclub@npr.org.

Seedfolks takes place in a troubled urban neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio. The story begins when a young Vietnamese-American girl starts a small vegetable garden in a plot of land in a neglected, garbage-filled lot. From this small start, a project begins which transforms the neighborhood.

This is a moving story which presents multicultural urban life in both its negative and positive aspects. Each chapter is told in the first person by a different member of the community. Thus, by the end of the book we have heard a great diversity of voices: male and female, of many age groups, and of many different ethnic backgrounds.

Head to the Back-Seat Book Club website at www.npr.org/ series/141728003/nprs-back-seat-book-club to read an excerpt, listen to previous ATC Back-Seat Book Club features, and more.

World Café Anniversary Episodes

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oin us for another month of highlights from World Café’s past 20 years. We’ll enjoy music from the program’s most outstanding guests and career retrospectives of legendary musicians.

Saturdays at 8pm April 7 • World Music: King Sunny Ade, Angelique Kidjo, Ry Cooder on Buena Vista Social Club, Bela Fleck on Throw Down Your Heart April 14 • Sound of Memphis: Steve Cropper, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Booker T April 21 • ‘70s Singer Songwriters: Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne

Host Bryan Kelso Crow. Photo: Rachel Snow King.

Celtic Connections host, Bryan Kelso Crow: Photo: Rachel Snow King.

April 28 • A tribute to two great artists: the late Townes Van Zandt and the late Jeff Buckley

About World Café World Café offers an eclectic blend of blues, rock, world, folk, and alternative country. Hosted by David Dye, World Café takes listeners on a unique journey of musical discovery with a mix of music from both new and legendary artists. Live performances and intimate interviews with Dye’s musical guests highlight each show.

Thank You, Underwriters!

Please join us in thanking the underwriters who recently began, renewed, or expanded their partnerships to make public radio possible:

Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter Illinois

The Arthur Agency Carbondale, IL

Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors’ Bureau Carbondale Main Street, Inc. Cherry Insurance Services Carbondale, IL

Dr. Zahoor Makhdoom, Southern Illinois G.I. Specialists, Carbondale, IL

Tim Loughran Dentistry Herrin, IL

Center for Integrated Research and Cognitive Neural Sciences Native American Student Organization Paul Simon Public Policy Institute School of Law School of Music Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

For a complete list of WSIU sponsors and information about sponsoring WSIU programming, visit us online wsiu.org or call (618) 453-4286.

Airs Saturday @ 7pm • Sunday @ 6pm April 7 | New Releases Tune in for a sampling of new and recent releases from both sides of the Atlantic.

April 14 | St. Louis Tionol Preview This week we offer a preview of some of the Irish musicians and workshops teachers who will be appearing at the annual Tionol in St. Louis April 20-22, 2012. The full listing is available at www.tionol.org.

April 21 | American Folk This made-in-America program focuses on American singer-songwriters and Celtic musicians.

April 28 | Music of Cape Breton Cape Breton native Shauna MacDonald joins us for our third annual roundup of some of the exciting vocal and instrumental music coming out of North America’s most Celtic region, Cape Breton, Noval Scotia.

Share Your WSIU Story!

Tell us why you love WSIU Radio, and we’ll share your story on the air, online, or in print!

Online • www.wsiu.org/you Email • you@wsiu.org W S I U i s P o w e r e d b y Yo u ® WSIU Public Radio Communications Building 1003 - MC 6602 Southern Illinois University Carbondale 1100 Lincoln Drive Carbondale IL 62901 • 618/453-6101 • www.wsiu.org • wsiuradio@wsiu.org