Tag Archives: Nikki Leon

WPRB News: Nobel Politics and the History of the Woodstock Festival

On October 8, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo for his “long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.” Princeton Philosophy Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah wrote to the Nobel Committee in favor of Liu Xiaobo’s nomination. I recently spoke with Professor Appiah about his support for the nominee.

Next, two of our reporters take a look at the history of the famed Woodstock music festival in a conversation with Artie Kornfeld, an American musician, record producer, music executive and organizer of the music festival.

Listen here: Right Click to Download

This episode featured work by Brittany Murphy, Andy Martens, Anthony Paranzino, and Sandy Fong.

Executive Producer: Nikki Leon.
Senior Producer: Flora Thomson-Deveaux.

CC licensed music from .Tape.

The Dispatch: Haisong Jiang and the Airport Kiss

Newark Airport (CC Flickr: _hlian)

Newark Airport (CC Flickr: _hlian)

In January 2010, a graduate student named Haisong Jiang crossed a Newark Liberty International Airport security line in order to say goodbye to his girlfriend one last time.  The breach (which came less than a month after the apprehension of the so-called “underwear bomber“) caused more than travel delays.  For Jiang, a Chinese national, it brought a personal introduction to the American justice system.  In March, he pleaded guilty to defiant trespass.  His punishment?  Community service and a $500 fine (plus court fees).  A bill to tighten airport security is now advancing through the New Jersey Legislature.

Although the incident was covered by a number of media outlets, Jiang has been shy about interviews.  We wanted the story straight from him.  Rosy Yang reports.

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Script by Aku Ammah Tagoe and Rosy YangFlora Thomson-Deveaux and Nikki Leon contributed editing. Senior Producer was Aku Ammah Tagoe. Executive Producer was Nikki Leon. Special thanks to Ian Auzenne and Jon Solomon. Music from Chad Crouch and Evgeny Grinko.

You can also watch the video of what happened at Newark Airport here:

The Dispatch: Recidivism in New Jersey

CC Flickr photo by Lisa Andres: The Atlantic City Boardwalk at Night

CC Flickr photo by Lisa Andres: The Atlantic City Boardwalk at Night

In New Jersey, the re-arrest (recidivism) rate for adult offenders is about 55%. We’ve got a lot of people ending up in jail more than once here—about 31% of all adult prisoners.

Who do these numbers represent? We sit down with one prisoner from Atlantic City to learn more. Tasnim Shamma reports.

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Naomi Nix contributed editing to this story.  Aku Ammah-Tagoe was Senior Producer.  Executive Producer was Nikki Leon.

Music from Chad Crouch.

The Dispatch Web Content: A Bit of Wedding History

CC photo credit: schizoform (via flickr)

CC photo credit: schizoform (via flickr)

If you tuned in to WPRB in October, you may have caught an earlier version of Naomi Nix’s story about the first same-sex commitment ceremony performed in the Princeton University Chapel.  Here’s the final version, which is quite a bit different from the original.  Take a listen:

Left Click to Listen, Right Click to Download

(Reporting by Naomi Nix, Produced by Nikki Leon)

Correction:  Reverend Sue Anne Steffey Morrow was the Associate Dean of Religious Life in 1997 not the dean of the Princeton University Chapel. WPRB regrets the error.

The Dispatch: From Old Media to New with Charlie Gibson and Marc Fisher

photo credit: Sarah G...

photo credit: Sarah G...

We’re taking a look at how mainstream media outlets are adjusting to generational and technological shifts.  Charles Gibson of ABC News shares thoughts on his retirement and the future of broadcast journalism.  Marc Fisher, Enterprise Editor at the Washington Post, gives a glimpse at how new media is revolutionizing his and others’ work.  Plus, we ask people on the street how they get their news: Paper, RSS, or Something Else?

[This show was hosted live by Nikki Leon and Connor Carreras.  Leon, Carreras and Sophie Jin contributed reporting and production.]

Interview with Charles Gibson (Nikki Leon):
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Interview with Marc Fisher (Sophie Jin):
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“How do you get your news?” (Connor Carreras):
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WPRB News: A Conversation with Charlie Gibson

flickr CC licensed photo: carlosgomez

flickr CC licensed photo: carlosgomez

During this fall’s membership drive, WPRB News aired an interview with Charles Gibson, longtime ABC anchor and host of World News Tonight with Charles Gibson. Gibson, set to retire at the end of this year, shared some thoughts about the future of broadcast media. He also reminisced about his career and his beginnings in broadcast journalism as News Director at WPRB.

Listen here.

Produced by Nikki Leon.

Discourse: Paul Muldoon

Rackett

In collaboration with the WPRB’s Publicity and Promotions department, News will be presenting an interview today and Sunday with poet and part-time rock star, Paul Muldoon.  Muldoon is the Howard G. B. Clark Professor and Chair of the Peter B. Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University.  His collections include New Weather (1973), Meeting the British (1987), Moy Sand and Gravel (2002, garnered a Pulitzer Prize) and, most recently, Horse Latitudes (2006).  He is also the Poetry editor of the New Yorker magazine.  Though best known for his own poetry, Muldoon writes lyrics and plays guitar in a band called Rackett.  Rackett is scheduled to perform Saturday May 2nd at the Performing Arts Center in  Princeton New Jersey and at the Bowery Poetry Club on May 16 and June 20.  A returning guest on Discourse, Muldoon focuses this time on the connections between his poetry and his music.  Tune in today at around 7:30 EST (subject to change) and Sunday, May 3rd at 12:00pm EST.  Or just listen here:

Part I

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Part II

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Web Extra:

This is Muldoon’s second appearance on Discourse.  During his first interview on the show, Muldoon read his poem “Wind and Tree” from New Weather (1973).

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Discourse: Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench

From Discourse, Sunday April 19 at 12:00 pm EST, produced by Nikki Leon.

A conversation with filmmaker Damien Chazelle, whose debut picture, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, is being feaured in the “Discovery” category at the 2009 Tribeca Film FestivalGuy and Madeline is a musical, a gritty, vérité-style jazz flick, and, at its core, a love story.  Catch the world premier at Tribeca this April 23rd, or check out the festival website for following showtimes and tickets.

Promo:

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Part I:

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Part II:

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Part III:

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WPRB News Preview: The Arts and Sciences



This week, tune in for a  double edition of Discourse, featuring the latest in film and the future of molecular biology.

Sunday at 12:00 pm EST, join News Director Nikki Leon for a conversation with filmmaker Damien Chazelle, whose debut picture—Guy and Madeline on a Park Benchis being featured at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. Listen to the promo here.

Then, at 12:30 pm EST Sophie Jin and Yihe Dong take a look at the latest in cell research. Jin explains how scientists are investigating “quiescence,” a specific state in the life cycle of the cell. Dong speaks with Princeton biologist Hilary Coller, a leader in the study of quiescence, about how her work may, among other things, be applied to cancer research.

If you miss the broadcast or want to hear it a second time, come back to WPRB News for both episodes.

The Latest in Nanotechnology

Photo credit: Wonderlane

Photo credit: Wonderlane

From Discourse, Sunday April 12 at 12:00 pm EST, produced by Nikki Leon and Alfred Miller.

In this episode, we take a look at a new technology, “nanoimprint lithography” developed by Princeton University scientist Stephen Chou. We explore how this method of building things on a “nano” scale can be used in a variety of areas, from building microchips to examining DNA. Chou reflects his work with Science correspondent Alfred Miller. MIT’s Technology Review has named nanoimprint lithography one of the “10 emerging technologies that will change the world” twice—first in 2003, and again this year, for its applications in DNA sequencing.

Part I

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Part II

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Part III

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