We’re covering Super Tuesday extensively (the words “out the wazoo” come to mind), with the resources of NPR News, WNYC/PRI and public radio stations across the country.
Here’s what you’ll be hearing the rest of today and tomorrow:
- Throughout the day: updates on turnout, candidate appearances… on NPR Newscasts, Day to Day, Talk of the Nation and BBC Newshour
- 4pm All Things Considered: special updates and reports
- 6:30pm Marketplace
- 7:00pm LIVE Coverage of Super Tuesday Primary Results: WNYC’s Brian Lehrer will be joined by John Hockenberry and Adora Udoji; they’ll check in with reporters across the country as results roll in; and they’ll talk to voters about the choices they made today. Our coverage could go as late as 2am - and it will air on all News stations.
Wednesday
- 5:00am Morning Edition, with complete results and reaction
- On Point and Day to Day: more reaction
- 1:00pm NPR News Special: Super Tuesday Recap: Neal Conan hosts a two hour special. Hour One: Results, analysis and a demographic breakdown of who voted on Super Tuesday. Hour Two: A look at the presidential race and the issues driving it as well as the competitive Senate and House races shaping up around the country.
Online Resources: our favorite sites to follow Election 2008 news and results
Remember this?
That was the unceremonious end of the Iowa Public Radio Classical 89.5 (Cedar Falls/Waterloo) tower, after the top part of it collapsed during an ice storm last year. (I’ve always wanted to knock a tower over like that, but this is one of those rare moments where doing so doesn’t result in a prison sentence.) When the top part of the tower collapsed in the storm, it fell across the power lines, causing a surge that damaged the transmitter and other transmission equipment.
Here’s where we are a year later:
The Blackhawk County Board of Supervisors has approved zoning and site plans for the reconstruction of the tower. This completes preparation for construction of the station which begins this month. The project includes a new tower, transmitter building, digital transmitter (for HD Radio), antenna and microwave relay system. Approximately two-thirds of the project will be funded by federal grants with completion, weather permitting, by late spring.Until then, we remain at low power. We’re very anxious to get back to 100% - it’s been a long effort trying to secure funds required for rebuilding the tower, buying new equipment, and then getting the necessary zoning and other approvals, but we’re on our way.
Thanks for your patience!
CNN is airing presidential candidate debates tonight and tomorrow night: The Republican debate is at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley California tonight. The Democrats will debate at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
We won’t air them live; we can’t air them live because CNN rights won’t allow it. But CNN is allowing NPR stations to broadcast the debates after they’ve aired on CNN. Here’s when you can hear them:
- CNN Republican Candidates Debate: Friday 2/1 7-9pm
- CNN Democratic Candidates Debate: Saturday 2/2 7-9pm
Listen on AM640 or AM910… or our online streams.
NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving will host each special, and he’ll be joined by NPR’s Political Editor Ken Rudin.
Iowa Public Radio News will bring you live coverage of the President’s State of the Union Address, as well as the Democratic Response, on Monday, January 28th at 8pm. You can hear it on all the stations of the News network - AM640, AM910, the KUNI stations, as well as our stations in Lamoni, Carroll and Fort Dodge. You can also hear it on our online stream.
Robert Siegel will host NPR’s coverage, which will also include reaction from political analysts and members of Congress as well as “truth squadding” from NPR News’ Tom Bowman, Chris Joyce, Julie Rovner, Larry Abramson and others who will look at the President’s statements on Iraq, climate change, healthcare and education.
There will be a few program changes on the News network on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:
- 9-11am On Point: we’ll offer two hours of the program on Monday (”The Exchange” returns on Tuesday)
Listeners to AM640 should also note the following changes
- 11am-12n “After Oil” - For the last hundred years or so, America has been shaped, more than anything, by cheap oil. But now, there are plenty of people telling us: “The party is over.” The cheap oil is almost gone. America has always responded well to a crisis. But, thinking about “Peak Oil” — considering the magnitude, the devastation it could cause to our lives and lifestyles ….. Considering all of that, the question becomes: Can we act before the crisis? (”Talk of Iowa” returns on Tuesday)
- 12n-1pm Day to Day from NPR News (”Midday” returns on Tuesday)
I cross my fingers as I say that, but as of yesterday afternoon, engineers in eastern Iowa were able to finish their repairs and get 90.9FM (KUNI) back to full power.
This is great news! For weeks since the last ice storm, our service from 90.9FM has been crippled because of damage caused by the ice. We’ve been on a waiting list for a tower crew (only two companies in the US service tall towers like ours) but they came, they saw, they fixed, they left, and around 2pm yesterday, we turned the knob all the way back up.
This means much improved service for Iowa Public Radio listeners in many locations: there’s a stronger signal from 90.9FM once again, and our signals in Des Moines (88.9 and 101.7) as well as the Quad Cities, Dubuque and elsewhere are back to normal too (they feed off of 90.9).
Thanks so much for your patience over the past couple weeks.
While I’m at it, an update on 89.5FM - our classical station in Cedar Falls/Waterloo. You’ll remember its tower crumpled in an ice storm last year. We’re still operating on low power, but we hope to back up and running once the weather starts to warm up, and tower crews get back to the warmer-weather business of building towers.
