Radio News
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Radio Talking Book Radio News December 2006 |
Current Edition: December 2006
Next Edition: January 2007
Previous News Editions: January 2006, February 2006, March 2006, April 2006, May 2006, June 2006, July 2006, August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006
A New Approach for the Radio Talking Book
The Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network has six sites in the state where teams of local volunteers help our listeners with access to their local newspapers. We have been on the air with local papers in Mankato since 2000, and our location there has been the radio studio at University of Minnesota, Mankato campus. Because of increased needs for their studio space, we have been looking at other sites in Mankato and have settled on the Mankato CCTV studios.
An unexpected benefit has happened as a result of our change to this location. The CCTV studio is the source for the local cable company, which reaches 85% of the households in Mankato. We will be putting the Minnesota Radio Talking Book signal on the SAP channel of the local cable system. This is the first time the RTB has been offered on a SAP channel in Minnesota. This will not affect anyone’s use of the Radio Talking Book.
SAP stands for Secondary Audio Program, and it is often used for non-English language dubbing or video description. It is available on most televisions made after 1990. The method of enabling it varies from television to television; with some, it is as simple as touching a button on the remote. Denny Kemp, of Mankato’s CCTV, is quite excited about this change, which will make the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network available to many who might be hesitant to let others know of their difficulty reading.
Books Available Through Faribault
All books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available through the Minnesota Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Faribault. Their phone is
800-722-0550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their catalog is also online, and you can access it at www.klas.com/mnbph. If you live outside of Minnesota, you may obtain copies of books by contacting your own state's Network Library for the National Library Service.
Review old issues of Radio News on the Internet at www.mnssb.org/radionews/.
Chautauqua
Tuesday - Saturday 4 a.m.
The Great Transformation
Nonfiction by Karen Armstrong, 2006.
In the 9th century BCE, peoples of four regions of the civilized world created the religious and philosophical traditions that nourish us today.
Read by John Mandeville.
23 broadcasts. Began November 9.
Uncommon Carriers
Nonfiction by John McPhee, 2006.
McPhee looks at the people who work in freight transportation. He rides in an 18-wheeler, goes to ship-handling school, and rides on coal trains.
Read by Diane Ladenson.
9 broadcasts. Begins December 12.
The Orientalist
Nonfiction by Tom Reiss, 2005.
Lev Nussimbaum was Jewish, transformed himself into a Muslim prince and became a bestselling author in Nazi Germany. His life was wilder than any of his stories.
Read by Fred Lyon.
20 broadcasts. Begins December 26.
Past is Prologue
Monday - Friday 9 a.m.
Stalin’s Folly
Nonfiction by Constantine Pleshakov, 2005.
When Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, Stalin had been warned of the invasion but refused to believe it. When it happened, he spent a week cowering in his dacha.
Read by Dan Sadoff.
12 broadcasts. Began November 27.
Infamous Scribblers
Nonfiction by Eric Burns, 2006.
In our country’s early days, journalism was known for feuds, lies, passion, and sensationalism. But it allowed participants to air issues that led to our independence.
Read by Eric Thornton.
14 broadcasts. Begins Dec. 13.
Bookworm
Monday - Friday 11 a.m.
The Whistling Season
Fiction by Ivan Doig, 2006.
Rose and her brother Morris move to Montana with offers of jobs, but they soon become the local source of education.
Read by Dan Kuechenmeister.
12 broadcasts. Began November 21.
Susannah’s Garden
Fiction by Debbie Macomber, 2006.
When Susannah turned eighteen, she went away to school and never saw her boyfriend or her brother again. Now at fifty, she feels she is missing something. She returns to her childhood home because of her mother, but she also revisits the choices she made many years ago. L,S -
Read by Martha Wigmore.
11 broadcasts. Begins December 7.
A Redbird Christmas
Fiction by Fannie Flagg, 2004.
After a startling diagnosis from his doctor, Oswald T. Campbell moves from cold, damp Chicago to spend what might be his last Christmas in Lost River, Alabama. There he meets people - and a bird - who change his life.
Read by Laura Rohlik.
6 broadcasts. Begins December 22.
Potpourri
Monday - Friday 2 p.m.
Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt
Nonfiction by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart, 2006. When Alva’s father-in-law died, he was the richest man in America. But Alva and her husband quickly began to spend the family fortune, determined to get to the top of New York society. And part of that ambition was for their daughter Consuelo to marry well, whether or not she loved her husband.
Read by Marylyn Burridge.
22 broadcasts. Began November 16.
Cockeyed: A Memoir
Nonfiction by Ryan Knighton, 2006.
The author was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa on his 18th birthday. As his world became darker, he learned to treat his blindness as a life of slapstick. L -
Read by Hugh Jones.
9 broadcasts. Begins December 18.
Choice Reading
Monday - Friday 4 p.m.
Arthur & George
Fiction by Julian Barnes, 2006.
George was the son of a Midlands vicar; Arthur grew up in shabby genteel Edinburgh. Their lives would intertwine in a mesmerizing alliance.
Read by James Keane.
21 broadcasts. Began November 21.
Pardonable Lies
Fiction by Jacqueline Winspear, 2005.
Maisie Dobbs is asked to investigate a son’s purported death in the Great War. His mother’s belief in his life led her to the edge of madness and to the dark arts.
Read by Joy Fogarty.
12 broadcasts. Begins December 19.
PM Report
Monday - Friday 8 p.m.
Absolute Convictions
Nonfiction by Eyal Press, 2006.
The son of an abortion provider looks at both sides of the culture clash that envelops his father’s life. There are high passions on both sides.
Read by Fred Lyon.
13 broadcasts. Began November 29.
Wall Street versus America
Nonfiction by Gary Weiss, 2006.
Contrary to assumptions, Wall Street is able to rip you off illegally, unethically, and laughably. The author shows investors how to act decisively to protect themselves.
Read by Susan Niefeld.
12 broadcasts. Begins Dec. 18.
Night Journey
Monday - Friday 9 p.m.
Dirty Blonde
Fiction by Lisa Scottoline, 2006.
Cate Fante is a federal judge, but she worries about her ablities and that she leads a double life. Then a high-profile case uncovers her secrets and her new career hangs in tatters. Her life is being threatened as well.
Read by Pat Kovel-Jarboe.
11 broadcasts. Began November 27.
The Bookwoman’s Last Fling
Fiction by John Dunning, 2006.
Cliff Janeway was asked to assess the book collection left by Candice Geiger. But he finds some of the valuable first-editions missing, replaced by cheap reprints. The mystery may involve murder, and Janeway’s safety may be compromised. V,L -
Read by Neil Bright.
13 broadcasts. Begins December 12.
Off the Shelf
Monday - Friday 10 p.m.
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits Fiction by Ayelet Waldman, 2006.
Emilia marries her soul-mate, but he comes with a smart pre-schooler. When Emilia loses her newborn daughter, her time with her step-child becomes almost impossible. Her healing seems out of reach.
L,S -
Read by Karen Wertz.
10 broadcasts. Began November 27.
Water for Elephants
Fiction by Sara Gruen, 2006.
Jacob Jankowski remembers himself as a young man living and working with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The world of the circus was both Jacob’s salvation and a living hell. L,S -
Read by Chuck Torrey.
14 broadcasts. Begins December 11.
Evening Odyssey
Monday - Friday 11 p.m.
In the Company of the Courtesan
Fiction by Sarah Dunant, 2006.
The courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion Bucino escape the sacking of Rome in 1527, and head for Venice. They make the perfect partnership. But their rising fortunes are threatened on several fronts. L,S -
Read by Bonita Sindelir.
15 broadcasts. Began November 14.
Teacher Man
Nonfiction by Frank McCourt, 2005.
For thirty years, Frank McCourt spent his days in the classroom and his evenings dreaming of being a writer. But his love of storytelling was what gained him a lasting impact in the classroom. L -
Read by William Stout.
10 broadcasts. Begins December 5.
The Fallen
Fiction by T. Jefferson Parker, 2006.
Garrett Asplundy was working as an ethics investigator for the city of San Diego, when his body was found under a bridge. Was he executed? Was it a crime of passion? Was it because of a personal vendetta? Or was it part of a cover-up? L -
Read by Bert Gardner.
11 broadcasts. Begins December 19.
Good Night Owl
Monday - Friday midnight
Skinner’s Drift
Fiction by Lisa Fugard, 2006.
When Eva’s father is dying, she returns to South Africa where he had farmed. Ten years before, she fled for the United States, keeping her memories and her father’s secrets private. Now she must come to terms with her family’s violent past. L -
Read by Judy Woodward.
10 broadcasts. Begins Nov. 22.
My Lucky Star
Fiction by Deborah Keenan, 2006.
Philip Cavanaugh and Claire Simmons are lured to Hollywood to write. Then their project brings in screen royalty, including a secretly gay megastar, and the new writers worry about their jobs. The writers quickly devise a scheme to maintain their jobs, but the way is not smooth. L,S -
Read by Scott Brush.
15 broadcasts. Begins December 6.
The Ice Queen
Fiction by Alice Hoffman, 2005.
A woman wanting to be left alone is struck by lightning, but instead of killing her, it gives her a new beginning. She now feels frozen all the time, so she goes in search of another lightning victim who always feels hot. L -
Read by Mickey Young.
7 broadcasts. Begins December 28.
After Midnight
Tuesday - Saturday 1 a.m.
Solstice Wood
Fiction by Patricia A. McKillip, 2006.
Sylvia’s grandmother requests she come home, and she does, in spite of the woods near there that both beguiled and frightened her. When she meets the Fiber guild, she learns why her grandmother watches her.
Read by Katja Amyx.
8 broadcasts. Began November 22.
The Whole World Over
Fiction by Julia Glass, 2006.
Greenie’s decision to accept the New Mexico job affects others in her life. Her husband remains in New York dealing with his depression, and her friend Walter learns to depend on others for friendship. But for Greenie, too, the move has consequences. L -
Read by Dan Kuechenmeister.
21 broadcasts. Begins December 4.
Abbreviation Code: V - violence, L - rough language, S - sexual situations