NPR and public radio partner organizations are being honored with three 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism. NPR earned a duPont for coverage of the revolution in Syria, led by international correspondents Kelly McEvers (pictured) and Deborah Amos.

StateImpact Pennsylvania was honored for the team's coverage of issues related to hydraulic fracturing in natural gas production. (By the way, StateImpact Oklahoma reporters Joe Wertz and Logan Layden recently traveled to Austin to join their colleagues from Pennsylvania and Texas for two days of brainstorming on energy sector coverage.)

And, NPR shares a duPont Award with StoryCorps, which is being honored for its innovative and authentic remembrances of the human toll of 9/11, produced and broadcast for the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Jan. 22 at Columbia University in New York.

 

From the shortest of days to an all-night celebration, KGOU has a great mix of programming lined up for the holiday season. Tomorrow, we kick off the weekend with an annual favorite, A Paul Winter Solstice Concert with traditional music of the season performed by The Paul Winter Consort, beginning at 9 p.m.

KGOU has special programming for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day -- find an old or new favorite on our Holiday Programs pages.

 

On Friday, Dec. 21, World Views features an interview with Mohammad and Jalal Farzaneh, two brothers who arrived at the University of Oklahoma from Iran in 1978 to study architecture. Host Suzette Grillot delves into their experiences as international college students during Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and the U.S. hostage crisis. Thirty years later, they're U.S. citizens, successful in the home construction industry, and active in Oklahoma's Iranian community. World Views airs Fridays at 4 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m.

Changes to Oklahoma City's downtown skyline are apparent even from the suburbs, and on Monday, Dec. 24, Oklahoma Voices brings you the behind-the-scenes story of the design and construction of the sky-scraping Devon Energy Center. News Director Kurt Gwartney also talks with authors of a new book on the project titled Operation Scissortail. Oklahoma Voices is broadcast Mondays at 11 a.m.

 

Biographical films are en vogue this year, bringing historical events to the movie-going masses -- but are they accurate? All Things Considered conducts a little fact-checking on Argo, Hyde Park on Hudson, and Hitchcock to find out whether these bio-pics are true to the people and events portrayed, and to explain where producers took creative license. Robert Siegel's three-part series begins Monday, Dec. 24. You'll also find many movie reviews and interviews at NPR.org.

 

The season of St. Nicholas brings spiced speculaas cookies and other traditional European treats. NPR's Kitchen Window has recipes to please all tastes and dietary needs, including a gluten-free holiday table and flour-less baked goods to give as gifts or leave for Santa.