StateImpact Oklahoma's first broadcast report aired on KGOU this morning and will be re-broadcast this afternoon during All Things Considered. Reporters Logan Layden and Joe Wertz have been digging into state budget issues in this new reporting partnership between Oklahoma's public broadcasters and NPR.

Oklahoma is just one of eight states participating in the StateImpact pilot project initiated by NPR. On the national side, the project's editorial staff includes Ken Rudin and Elise Hu, and is led by NPR's Executive Editor, Dick Meyer.

You can listen to this first broadcast report, and read the archives of their work thus far on the StateImpact Oklahoma website. We'll keep you informed, on the air and online, with in-depth reporting on how Oklahoma officials are spending your tax dollars.

Public radio was founded on a big idea: Bring the world to listeners, in all its complexity and nuance, taking the time to provide in-depth, contextual news coverage and unique entertainment programs. That was an ambitious undertaking 40 years ago, but listeners embraced the idea, and today public radio is a primary source for news and entertainment for millions of listeners.

Throughout its history, KGOU has had a few big ideas, too: From the decision to switch to a public radio format, to building a second signal to serve Oklahoma City, to building new studios, to expanding to a 24-hour broadcast day, to building signals in Seminole, Ada, Woodward and Chickasha, and now in partnering with NPR and other stations to provide coverage of state issues with StateImpact Oklahoma.

Through the years, listener support has brought all these big ideas to fruition -- public radio could not survive, much less thrive, without the financial support of listeners. In amounts large and small, listeners' donations have made an impact that few could have imagined 40 years ago.

Recently we had another big idea: to reduce KGOU's fall membership drive to only two days on the air. We've tried it a couple of times, with mixed results, so we'll need your help to make it work! If donations come in steadily over the next few weeks, we can pare down the on-air drive to only two days. Mail in your renewal form or use our online pledge forms to support this big idea.

KGOU is looking for a few friendly volunteers to answer the pledge phones in our studios during the on-air drive. It's a fun and gratifying experience, a chance to meet other public radio listeners, and a great way to show your support for KGOU. We'll definitely need volunteers on Oct. 13 and 14, but possibly other days as well. You can see what shifts are available and sign up on our volunteer page, or call Membership Director Laura Knoll at 325-0022 for more info.

Sama Salem was a University of Oklahoma Ph.D. candidate in oil and gas engineering who participated in Egypt's Tahrir Square protests last January and February. She's a faculty member at Cairo University, and was responsible for feeding and educating protesters as the winds of the Arab Spring spread across Egypt. KGOU's World Views features an interview with Salem on Monday, Sept. 26 at 11:30 a.m.

The unfolding calamity that is the Texas drought has thrown nature out of balance. The whole food chain is becoming disfigured, from the bottom to the very top -- from plants and insects to humans. Dried-up river beds, parched and cracked ground, and unfortunately, the suffering inflicted on people and animals are depicted in a photo compilation featured on NPR.org's The Picture Show.

The Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift have a new book, How to Eat Weekends. In this new volume, Lynne and Sally celebrate the weekend -- when the pressure is off, time becomes your ally, and you get to dig into cooking with a different mindset. It features 100 new recipes, a chapter devoted to international menus, and a trove of stories, quips and history.