|
|
ArchivesMar 20, 2008Today on Word of Mouth, we look at the various ways the major television networks are trying to adapt to a changing media landscape, and we talk about our favorite "guilty pleasures"on TV. NPR's Eric Weiner tells us about the growing trend of slum tours, and reviewer Matthew Battles introduces us to some of the best new books coming from university publishers. Download MP3 or Stream below:
listen: No audio currently available. Order on CD (pdf).
TV Networks Adjust to New CompetitionBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, March 20, 2008.Network television is in trouble. Viewers are flocking to the Internet and cable channels, and they're skipping over commercials with TiVo and other on-demand services. The recent writers' strike and the dispute over Internet distribution rights showed how vulnerable TV is to competition from other media. Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott talks with Robert Thompson about the new ways networks are looking to make money and how it will affect programming. Dr. Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.
(Photo by Matt Parsons) Here are Laura's favorite guilty-pleasures on TV: listen:
  Slum ToursBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, March 20, 2008.The favelas of Rio de Janeiro are among the big draws for slum tourism - sometimes called "poorism" - a growing trend in the travel industry. Westerners pay to tour the garbage piles and open sewage in the slums of Mumbai, the townships of Johannesburg, and settlements among the vast landfills of Mexico City.
Eric Weiner is a national correspondent for NPR and the author of the book Read Eric Weiner's article in The New York Times, "Slum Visits: Tourism or Voyeurism?" Read "Why We Need Micro Loans Instead Of Slum Tourism" on Brave New Traveler Read "Slum tourism: good or bad?" in Foreign Policy Read "Slum tours: a day trip too far?" in The Guardian (Photo by Christopher Baan) listen:
New Hampshire Cities Grapple With Budget DeficitsBy David Darman on Thursday, March 20, 2008.Wall Street has been the scene of incredible financial reversals lately. Here in New Hampshire, financial problems for many communities are much less spectacular, but no less real. For instance, Manchester and Concord are both on track to run annual deficits as they head through their fiscal years. But in Nashua, the city’s budget has so far stayed out of the red. New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman has more. listen:
Granite Staters Reflect on Five Years of the Iraq WarBy Laura Knoy on Thursday, March 20, 2008.Five years ago today the first missiles fell on Baghdad. Today the war continues; many in New Hampshire have lost their lives, with many more injured or maimed. The war has also been said to influence our recent elections and divide our state along pro and anti-mission lines. We’ll talk with Granite State servicepeople, their families, VA workers, peace activists and political analysts about their reflections of five years of the Iraq war. Guests
listen:
|
Support FromHighlightsNavigationUser login |
Pop-culture junky 
