Mitch And Jane In "Call Me Maybe"

File this under "Things You Thought You'd Never See A Public Radio Host Do." But hey, a bet is a bet! Mitch Wertlieb and Jane Lindholm make good on their promise to make a Call Me Maybe video if we met this morning's $25,000 challenge. Who says public radio people don't have rhythm? Enjoy!

VPR's Expanded Legislative Coverage

The Legislature convenes this week, and VPR News will bring you broader and deeper coverage throughout the 2013 session.

The session begins on Wednesday, and Vermont Edition will broadcast live from the Statehouse at noon. Jane Lindholm will speak with House and Senate leaders about the goals and priorities for the session.

On Thursday, January 10, VPR News will carry live coverage of Gov. Peter Shumlin’s inaugural address at 1:30 p.m., hosted by Jane Lindholm and Bob Kinzel.

VPR’s audio stream from the Vermont House and Senate goes live beginning a 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The stream can be heard online at VPR.net or via VPR’s iPhone and Android apps, allowing listeners to tune in to proceedings anytime, anywhere.

Listen throughout the session for expanded legislative coverage. Reporters Bob Kinzel and John Dillon will continue their in-depth coverage of day-to-day developments, trends, and features, with a greater concentration on breaking news.

On Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., host Peter Biello will interview Bob Kinzel about the developments of the past week and a preview of the coming week.

In addition, reporter Kirk Carapezza will spend several days a week in Montpelier covering the Legislature for VPR’s digital reports. He’ll keep a legislative blog, post photos from the Statehouse, and update followers via Twitter (@KirkCarapezza) and VPR’s Facebook page.

You can keep up with all of VPR’s Legislative coverage at VPR.net.

Travel The World With VPR In 2013

2013 is going to be an exciting year for lovers of gardening, food, nature, and folk music! Join VPR for one of our three Citizens of the World Tours next year:

Exploring the Gardens of Italy
with Charlie Nardozzi
May 21- 31, 2013

Join VPR gardening expert Charlie Nardozzi as we explore the north and south of Italy visiting formal, opulent gardens and informal hidden garden gems. Along the way we'll uncover citrus groves, vineyards, and organic vegetable farms. Of course, a journey of exploration involving food wouldn't be complete without cooking classes and wine tastings at area vineyards. We'll visit out-of-the-way places including  a buffalo mozzarella farm, a limoncello liqueur-making operation, and Herculaneum, a lesser- known sister town to Pompeii with more intact ruins. We'll explore beautiful gardens, cook, eat, and laugh our way from Tuscany to Capri.

Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands
with Jane Lindholm
June 5- 13, 2013

For a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity join Vermont Edition host, world traveler and published travel author Jane Lindholm on a tour to the true equator and explore the history, culture, music, and food that makes Ecuador so special. We’ll sail the Galápapos Islands on a small, private ship and encounter the magic of the wildlife close up, an extraordinary experience for any generation.  Ecuador is the most bio-diverse country on the planet, and a journey not to be missed!




The Maritimes and Celtic Colours Festival
with Robert Resnik
October 9 -18, 2013

Join All the Traditions host  Robert Resnik on a tour for lovers of folk music, fabulous scenery, and extraordinary food: a musical journey to the Canadian Maritimes!  We’ll arrive in Cape Breton just in time to see all the highlights of Celtic Colours 2013, one of the world’s most celebrated Celtic music festivals.  In addition to enjoying concerts by folk music legends from all over, we will tour the Cabot Trail, eastern Canada’s scenic jewel, and will take a sea journey to beautiful Prince Edward Island, one of the shellfish capitals of North America!  Guests will have the option of taking an overnight train to and from Halifax, Nova Scotia, a treat for lovers of leisurely travel.  A beautiful and gloriously musical time is guaranteed for all!

Travel is a transformational experience. VPR's Citizens of the World Tours visit some of the most exotic locations on earth with expert hosts who give you insight into the landscape and culture you won't get with any other tour company. Plus, you'll always be traveling with friends because our tours attract people like you - public radio listeners.

Detailed itineraries and pricing will be posted very soon at VPR.net/tours. For more information, contact Ty Robertson at 802-654-4309 or trobertson@vpr.net to be placed on the mailing list.

Listener Feedback: Gubernatorial Debate

A lot goes on behind the scenes to prepare for a live broadcast debate with the candidates for governor. The format needs to be clearly thought out, the hosts' questions need to be researched in advance, listener questions are sought and incorporated, the candidates themselves need to agree to the date involved, microphones need to be wired in place and checked for proper audio levels, media coverage needs to be considered, and more.

It's no small job but it's a great public service and very exciting to be able to provide a statewide opportunity for Vermonters to hear a one-on-one debate.

So it was especially heartwarming after the debate when a listener wrote in and said this:

"You put some needed and clear pressure on, grilled them, did not let them slide endlessly around the park and tried to get the treasured goods. The candidates responded. The result was 90 minutes of quality."

He also said in his note: "Who won? I think Kinzel and Lindholm won."

Thank you! A few other comments we received:

"Job well done last night with the questions and keeping at these two who continue to wiggle around answering straight on. It is clear that Dubie and Shumlin are not fond of one another. I think they are testy with eachother and you both do a good job of defusing the heat." - Amy Robb, Pomfret

"That was the best political debate by miles I ever saw. Bob's and Jane's preparation was super outstanding. The candidates were easy to appreciate for who they are. VPR did a fantastic job informing the public, so Democracy can perform its miracle. I could not be more pleased." - Dan Allen, Montpelier

"Thank you very much for hosting the debate this evening. I was very impressed with the way both Jane and Bob managed the evening and keeping the candidates "on task" to answer the question at hand and allowing the opportunity for the public to participate." - Mei Mei Brown, Brandon


We're so glad our preparation came through! Jane and Bob did their very best to help you draw clear distinctions between the candidates, the VPR staff behind the scenes were the broad shoulders of the debate, and you, the listeners, made it possible to begin with. If you missed the debate, you can listen to it online here.

Vermont Edition Broadcasts Live From The CBC In Montreal

Hydro-Quebec was designated by the Vermont Legislature as a renewable energy source this spring. But the decision was not without controversy, as critics examine the environmental impact of the utility's plan to generate more power for New England. Tomorrow, Vermont Edition travels to Montreal to find out what Canadians are saying about this issue.

We'll speak with Claude Demers, Hydro-Quebec's science communicator, and Daniel Breton, an environmentalist with the organization MCN21. What's your take on Hydro-Quebec? Let us know at vermontedition@vpr.net, and listen tomorrow at noon and again at 7 p.m.

VPR will be following the Hydro-Quebec issue all summer. Explore our coverage here, and thank you for listening!

Photo: VPR's John Dillon reporting on the Rupert River in Quebec.

No Starburst Were Harmed in the Making of this Documentary (well, not that many...)

On Tuesday evening, VPR will air "States of Marriage," a documentary examining how several states have approached legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples. VPR's Patti Daniels shared her experience producing this project:

Most mornings last week I came in to work thinking, ‘this might be the final day of production and we’re done!’ But today it’s official – VPR’s documentary on same-sex marriage airs tomorrow evening and we’re ready to go. Our crack production engineer Chris Albertine and I will finalize a few details this afternoon, but right now I have a few minutes to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the final stage of producing a radio documentary.

We’ve logged many hours over the past few weeks in an editing suite working to finalize the elements of this broadcast. This is the detail work, tinkering around the edges. We stare at a computer screen with row upon row of audio files as Chris engineers the sound to make it just right.

The bigger part of the challenge has already been overcome by now. We started in the spring with one big question: how to tell the story of so many different states finding their own approach to the question of same-sex marriage? Our initial research generated a multitude of possible directions. Over the summer Jane Lindholm and I recorded at least 20 interviews, some of them lasting hours, with key political and advocacy leaders in five states. In addition to that, we combed through hours of archival sound to document the events that unfolded in Vermont and elsewhere. All of those dozens of hours of tape needed to be transcribed, prioritized, and developed into a cohesive, compelling story... all in just 51 minutes. Throughout the project, we wrestled with journalistic questions of balance, interpretation, and historical record.

And now, Chris and I are down to the nitty gritty: fueled by coffee and Starburst candies, we fixate on mere seconds of audio: should the music fade in more gently here? Where can we shave off seconds to meet the time limit? Do we have another take of that voice track? Can we get more cowbell? (Just kidding about the cowbell...)

You can learn more about States of Marriage at VPR.net. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

-- Patti Daniels, producer, “States of Marriage: The Debate Over Gay Rights”