Memorial Day Special Programming on WNPR
Here’s a rundown of special programming on WNPR this upcoming Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 25, 2015. Each of these national specials contains a local connection.
9:00 am and 7:00 pm: "We’ve Never Been the Same: A War Story"
All wars are the same, it is said; only the scenery changes. And the repercussions are pretty much the same too. Over the course of five years, Adam Piore gathered the stories of the surviving members of Delta Company, a Vietnam-era paratrooper unit; Jay Allison joined him for the last two years when it turned from a book into a radio story. We’re proud now to feature the finished hour on Transom and here at PRX. At Fort Campbell before deployment, Delta was a ragtag bunch, the “leftovers” as one of their fellow soldiers put it, but on the night of March 18, 1968, they became heroes. Their leader won the Congressional Medal of Honor and two others won the nation’s second highest honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, for their valor that night when the company endured a long and devastating battle—not as long or as devastating, however, as the years that followed, after the men of Delta Company came home separately to live alone with the memories. Adam Piore became dedicated to this group of guys and to their common story of trauma, guilt, courage, heartbreak, and reunion. This is Adam’s first work for radio and his notes about the transition from print are at Transom. You’re invited to come talk with him about his process or the finished work and to see archival photos. Among those featured is CPBN trustee and Medal of Honor winner Paul Bucha.
1:00 pm and 8:00 pm: Re:sound – "The Waiting Show"
Presenting! Season two of Re:sound from the sonic hunter-gatherers at Third Coast International Audio Festival. Hosted by award-winning producer and writer Gwen Macsai, Re:sound presents unforgettable audio stories curated from all over the world. Each episode explores a new theme through a variety of lenses, a refreshing mix of storytelling styles and joyful use of sound. For season two, Third Coast has chosen six favorite Re:sound episodes from the past year, nipped and tucked them just so, and prepared them for the national stage. This episode features "Four Failing Lungs" by WNPR executive producer Catie Talarski. It’s a story about two young people living with Cystic Fibrosis. For Beth and Brian, a lung transplant could extend their lives for years. Or, it could lead to rejection and continued suffering.
3:00 pm and 9:00 pm: Reveal, May 2015
Smartphones have turned virtually everyone into a filmmaker. This has meant that many people’s reaction to an event large or small is to whip out their phone and start recording. So what separates these everyday citizens from people who consider themselves “cop watchers?” Cop watchers are a loose band of activists who consider it their job to police the police. They’ll show up at traffic stops or hang out in areas with a large police presence so they can document the activities of police. You now can find cop-watching groups in dozens of cities across the country. But some officers are starting to push back, saying these groups interfere with their jobs and endanger the public. In this month’s episode of the investigative series Reveal, former WNPR reporter Neena Satija, who now works for Reveal and The Texas Tribune, takes us to places where tensions between cops and cop watchers have started to flare up. In Texas cities like Austin and Dallas, activists are being arrested, and police departments are asking state lawmakers to step in.