Starting Oct. 5, we're making some changes to our Friday and Sunday schedules. We hope you’ll enjoy some new voices, alongside the great storytelling and news you already love.
The biggest schedule changes will happen on Sundays on Utah Public Radio. Tune in and discover what’s new on your Fridays and Sundays:
Two of our favorite programs are being discontinued. To the Best of Our Knowledge and Zorba Paster On Your Health will cease production at the end of September. The producer, Wisconsin Public Radio, cites new budget realities as one reason for them to focus on local programming. We appreciate WPR and the programs’ producers and hosts over the years for hours and hours of great programming.
Here are the changes you will notice on Utah Public Radio beginning October 5th. On Fridays only, instead of the last half hour of All Things Considered from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. you’ll hear a repeat broadcast of UPR’s popular program Both Sides of the Aisle.
On Sundays, you’ll notice several changes as we replace To the Best of Our Knowledge and Zorba Paster On Your Health with some great new-to-UPR programs: UPR will broadcast Top of Mind at 9:00 a.m., followed by The New Yorker Radio Hour, which moves to one hour earlier at 10:00 a.m. We’ll feature Big Picture Science at 11:00 a.m. The Splendid Table stays at noon. And we’re adding a repeat broadcast of BBC’s The Arts Hour at 1:00 p.m.
Utah Public Radio is always looking to improve our service to listeners. This FAQ will hopefully answer questions you may have about these programming changes:
Q: Why are you making these changes?
A: In this post-rescission climate especially we are trying to be responsible stewards of the programming dollars you provide to us. We are also always looking to present to you the most compelling and entertaining programming we can find. There are many great programs out there and we think it's good to refresh the program schedule from time-to-time to introduce you to programs you may love. Several shows have caught our ear while evaluating our current schedule. We think you’ll like them:
Top of Mind is a great program from BYUradio. Each week host Julie Rose and her team take a potentially divisive topic and go searching for perspectives on it that help us feel more empathy, more hope, and maybe a little challenged. They say their goal is to help us become better citizens, more effective advocates, and kinder neighbors.
Big Picture Science seeks to connect ideas in surprising and humorous ways to illuminate the origins and evolution of life and technology on this planet ... and beyond. From free-thinking robots ... to the recipe for dark matter ... to the mix-and-match genes of synthetic biology, they try to explore it all. The program is produced at the SETI Institute and hosted by Seth Shostak and Molly Bentley.
In addition to new programs, we have added an additional weekly broadcast for two programs we love. If you’re not familiar with them we think you’ll really enjoy these as well:
Both Sides of the Aisle is a weekly debate over politics, policy, and current issues facing the state of Utah, featuring voices representing the Right, the Center, and the Left. Representing Right is former State Auditor John Dougall, on the Left is former Salt Lake County Councilwoman Shireen Ghorbani, and speaking for the “common sense middle” is Natalie Gochnour, an associate dean in the David Eccles School of Business and director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. Both Sides of the Aisle attempts to help you understand the important questions facing residents of this state, while proving that Republicans and Democrats can sit in a small room and have a meaningful conversation. Both Sides of the Aisle is heard exclusively on UPR.
Curated, written, and presented by Nikki Bedi, BBC’s The Arts Hour brings you the best in global arts in a weekly showcase of rich arts, culture, and entertainment stories from across the BBC and broadcasters around the world. The program reaches places beyond most tuning dials and taps into stories, personalities and big global debates. Previous guests on the program include actor Russell Crowe, artist Ai Weiwei, actress Lucy Liu, comedian and actor Rebel Wilson, and director Spike Lee.
Q: How do you decide which shows to put on the air?
A: We listen to and evaluate a broad range of programs, looking for those shows we think you’ll likely add to your favorites list. We also want to present a good overall mix of public affairs, news, music, storytelling, and entertainment. Please continue to let us know how you feel about our programming.
We welcome your feedback. If you have questions regarding the programming changes, please email Program Director Tom Williams: tom.williams@usu.edu.
And as always, thank you for listening to Utah Public Radio — we depend on and appreciate your support.
