KGOU is expanding one program and adding another to our weekday lineup of news/talk programming, replacing Talk of the Nation, which  ends a 21-year run today. The final hour will be a must-listen, with Neal and Ted Koppel analyzing the news, and Neal's farewell.

Here & Now, produced by NPR Member Station WBUR in Boston, will expand to two hours, from 12 to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, beginning Monday, July 1. KGOU has broadcast Here & Now since 2009, hosted by veteran broadcaster and documentary filmmaker Robin Young. The show has added a co-host, Jeremy Hobson, a reporter and producer who has worked on NPR's All Things Considered and other public radio programs.

To the Point, a news interview program produced by KCRW in Santa Monica, Calif., joins the weekday lineup Monday through Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m. Hosted by Warren Olney, To the Point is a fast-paced interview show about topical issues.

The lineup on Friday afternoons is not changing; KGOU will broadcast the first hour of Here & Now from 12 to 1 p.m., followed by listener favorite Science Friday with Ira Flatow from 1 to 3 p.m.

We hope you'll listen to these shows, get familiar with them, and let us know your thoughts.

 

NPR's Scott Simon hosted the Public Radio News Directors Inc. annual awards banquet in Cleveland on Saturday, June 22, culminating a national conference. More than 100 awards were presented to local public radio stations from around the nation for work completed in 2012. KGOU's Kurt Gwartney was on hand to accept a PRNDI award for second place in the News/Public Affairs Program category. Details are on our Awards page.

During the conference, Kurt was elected to the PRNDI board, and will represent small-station news departments across the nation for a two-year term. Kurt has also been elected President of the state chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, so he will be representing the profession and the station well!

 

KGOU has several programs lined up to help celebrate Independence Day public radio style: To start, Morning Edition will have its annual reading of the Declaration of Independence -- with guest readers who will bring special significance to the tradition. Then at 7 p.m. it's time to exercise our freedom of speech with the Capitol Steps' semi-annual parody of the events and people in the news. Following at 8 p.m., KGOU brings listeners highlights of last week's Jazz in June concerts. Check our Special Programs page for a preview and celebrate with KGOU!

 

Pasta salad, long a summertime picnic staple, is often condemned because the most familiar versions have too much pasta and not enough vegetables, or are dripping with mayonnaise. Deena Prichep rescues pasta salads from their reputation by treating vegetables right, drawing inspiration from different cultures, and exploring new dressings -- hold the mayo! Recipes are at the Kitchen Window.

 

When 100-degree heat drives you indoors, the world of film offers hours of cool escape. NPR's editors and critics have recommendations of blockbusters to see -- or to avoid at all costs. NPR.org has reviews of what's in theaters now and interviews with the moviemakers.