MPR - My Public Radio

Braves Organist Twitters a New Tradition

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:13:35 -0400

Baseball is a game filled with tradition – like singing along when the organ plays “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” But in many major league ballparks, technology has replaced tradition - the organist is gone, and fans sing to a recording.

At Atlanta’s Turner Field - home of the Braves - live organ music is making a comeback - with a 21st Century twist.

Previously aired on WABE and NPR (Weekend Edition, Saturday): July 2010

Our Town IS Our Town

Fri, 22 Jan 1982 10:00:00 -0500

When Director Kenny Leon first considered Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town, for his True Colors Theater Company this season, he knew he had a problem. The play is an American theater classic, but its setting and time frame, makes it felt a little bit dated.

How could Leon make the play relevant for Atlanta’s modern, urban audience?

Aired WABE, Atlanta, February 23, 2010

Power of Half

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0500

It seemed like a crazy, goofy scheme.

Kevin Salwen and his family sold their 7-bedroom home in Ansley Park and donated half the proceeds to charity

Philip Graitcer has this story.

Hominid Explores Whether We're Men or Apes

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0500

A new play by Out of Hand Theater is a true story of murder, suicide, and the overthrow of a beloved leader – sort of a modern-day MacBeth. The play, called Hominid, has 14 actors, 12 of them portray chimpanzees.

How Coca Cola Became Kosher

Mon, 18 May 2009 14:03:17 -0400

Tonight is the first night of Passover. And as Jews gather to tell the story of the their escape from slavery, there's another story that they could tell too - the story of one man, Rabbi Tobias Geffen, who in the 1935, infiltrated the inner sanctum of Coca Cola, and got the Coke executives to change the secret formula to make Coke kosher.

Rabbi Adam Mintz, a professor of Jewish history, at Queens College in New York tells the story.

Originally appeared on www.nextbook.org, April 6, 2009

Theaters Nimble in the Lagging Economy

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:00:36 -0400

Atlanta’s performing arts organizations haven’t escaped the country’s economic woes. One theater company has already shut its doors, and others are cutting back on productions. But in theater, the show must go on, and a few theaters are applying their creativity to finding ways to do just that.

Aired WABE, Atlanta - March 10, 2009

The Art of Field Recording, 2

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:08:12 -0500

Most people think folk music as a thing of the past. It seemed to disappear in the sixties. But if you search hard enough, folk music and the musicians who play it are still around. Art Rosenbaum has made it his life’s work to find and record it. He’s become the Indiana Jones of folk music.

Independent producer Philip Graitcer traveled with Rosenbaum to visit a few traditional musicians.

Originally aired on Weekend America, January 24, 2009

Shopping for the Blind

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:41:01 -0500

If you’re shopping for a friend or relative who is blind, things like a flat screen TV or digital camera are probably not on the top of your list, but there are other items – like talking scales, scanners and games that could be just the thing for a person who has limited vision.

aired December 19, 2008 on WABE: Atlanta

The Bomb That Healed

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:16:23 -0400

Fifty years ago this Sunday, on October 12, 1958, 50 sticks of dynamite exploded at The Temple, Atlanta’s oldest and most prominent Jewish congregation. The attack, later linked to a white supremacist group, may have been meant to intimidate Jews, but, it had the opposite effect.

Aired on WABE, Atlanta, October 10. 2008

Army's Ultimate Fighting

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:24:44 -0400

The Army says mixed martial arts fighting - a mix of boxing, judo, karate and wrestling - is tailor-made for combat. But mixed martial arts fighting is not just a training strategy. Since the sport is also wildly popular among 18- to 25-year-old guys, it's a useful tool for the Army to attract new recruits. This weekend, the Army's best fighters will compete for the title of All Army Combatives Champion.

Aired on Weekend America, October 4, 2008

Otis Redding Exhibit

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:37:49 -0400

Soul singer Otis Redding’s stardom was short; he died less than five years after his first hit. Today , September 9, Redding would have been 67, and at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon, Georgia, there’s a special exhibit that celebrates his life.

Philip Graitcer was there.

Aired on Tapestry, WBHM, Birmingham, September 11, 2008

International Community School

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:05:46 -0400

At one Stone Mountain, Georgia, elementary school, a typical day is more than just math, reading or language arts; many of the students are refugees from more than 40 countries, and the school’s trying to build an international community.

Philip Graitcer has this story.

Aired WABE, Atlanta, August 19, 2008

The Millennium Gate Opens

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:42:23 -0400

In Atlanta on Independence Day, a new monument, the Millennium Gate, will open to the public. It cost 18 million dollars to build and is the brain child of a wealthy Atlantan, Rodney Mims Cook. He says it’s his gift to the city.

Philip Graitcer has the story.

Originally aired on NPR, Morning Edition, July 4, 2008

A Son Champions His Dad

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:34:39 -0400

For most sons, dads are their personal heroes. But when Morton Broffman died in 1992, one of his sons wanted others to know how important his father was.

Philip Graitcer has this story.

Aired on WABE, Atlanta, June 15, 2008

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Wed, 21 May 2008 10:33:06 -0400

To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of - “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” – major league baseball teams are auditioning their fans to find the most talented performers of that iconic song. The national winner will sing at July’s All-Star Game. At Turner Field in Atlanta, home of the Braves, the search has taken on the proportions of an American Idol contest.

Philip Graitcer has this story.

originally aired on Weekend Edition, Saturday, May 17, 2008

Save the Wails

Sat, 03 May 2008 10:27:05 -0400

During the 1940s and 50s, field recordings made by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress introduced Americans to traditional music and led to the folk revival. Coffee houses, hootenannies, and groups like The Weavers and the Smothers Brothers took the country by storm. By the mid-1960s, rock and roll and the British invasion had captured America’s listening tastes. Folk music disappeared, and some thought it was dead.

But a recent release of field recordings of folk music shows that traditional music is still alive, and one Athens, Georgia man has made it his life’s work to find and record it.

originally aired on Studio360, May 2, 2008
listen to other shows on studio360.org

Martin Luther King Assasinated 40 Years Ago

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:22:13 -0400

Forty years ago today, April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis. As with the death of John F. Kennedy, many people remember where they were and exactly what they were doing when they first heard the news.

Reporter Philip Graitcer spoke with seniors at the Helene S. Mills Center in Atlanta’s Fourth Ward.
Aired WABE, April 4, 2008

Going Back to the Roots

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:14:25 -0400

Inspired first by Alex Haley’s autobiography Roots and now, by websites, DNA testing, and the PBS show African American Lives, more African Americans are researching their own family’s heritage. But as Philip Graitcer recently learned, unlocking those family secrets is not an easy task.
Aired WABE, February 26, 2008

Home of the Brave

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 14:33:59 -0400

2008 Winner Edward R. Murrow Award, Region 13
2008 Winner Green Eyeshade Award, Society for Professional Journalists

Atlanta’s Turner Field is a lively place. It’s the home of the Atlanta Braves, where thousands cheer young men playing baseball. But less than a fly ball away from home plate sits another kind of home, a hospice for cancer patients, where much older men and women play out the game of life.

Philip Graitcer has this story about two men whose lives were touched when they crossed the street that separates the hospice and the stadium.

Originally appeared on Georgia Gazette 8/31/07, NPR Weekend Edition-Saturday, 9/15/07

Bank Fraud

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:52:01 -0500

Computer technology has streamlined banking. Most of the time, that’s to our benefit - we can pay our bills online and get cash from an ATM. But there is a dark side, too – computers make it easier to commit bank fraud.

Philip Graitcer takes a look at how one businessman became a victim.

Aired WABE, January 21, 2008

Identity Theft

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Anyone can be a victim of identity theft. According to a Federal Trade Commission report, over 8-hundred cases of identity theft are reported in Atlanta each year,
Philip Graitcer reports that identity theft can be a devastating crime with lasting impact.
Aired WABE January 20, 2008

Santa's Barber

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0500

It takes lots of work to be a Santa Claus. They have to look the part too. Early preparations take place in a beauty shop in Atlanta where aspiring Santas with real beards come to get their hair and whiskers bleached to a snowy white.

From Atlanta, Philip Graitcer reports.

NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, December 22, 2007

Arvel Bird: Lord of the Strings

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 21:00:00 -0500

Arvel Bird plays a style of music that is hard to classify. Its been called Celtic, Native America, and World Music. Whatever his fans chose to call it, it’s a style that’s firmly rooted in his family background.

Aired on WABE, November 22, 2007

Laurel & Hardy Festival in Harlem, Georgia

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:36:00 -0400

In the United States, autumn is the time for outdoor festivals. There are festivals celebrating Greek culture, folk music festivals, and even festivals to celebrate historic cemeteries. One of the most unusual festivals is the Oliver Hardy Festival that recently took place in Harlem, Georgia, a town of 2,000 about 30 miles west of Augusta in the southern state of Georgia

Philip Graitcer traveled from Atlanta to see it.

Aired WABE, October 8, 2007

The Peace Corps Wants Baby Boomers

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Baby boomers have redefined retirement. They’re more active, and instead of playing mah-jong, they’re starting new careers and volunteering in their communities. Now, the Peace Corps wants them to go overseas. They’re launching a new initiative to recruit volunteers over 50.
From Atlanta, Philip Graitcer has this story.

Originally aired The World, October 3, 2007

Who's Driving the Car?

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:00:00 -0400
In a parking lot alongside the traffic-snarled Downtown Connector, a car moves along the pavement, between yellow lines and around traffic cones. Georgia Tech scientists are hoping that this car may one day help improve Atlanta’s traffic.

Aired WABE June 9, 2007

It's Out of Hand

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:30:00 -0400

Don’t expect to go to a play at the Out of Hand Theater and just sit back and watch. At a performance, you could be frisked, have your cell phone borrowed, or meet with a life coach. It’s all part of a plan by Out of Hand Theater to make theater going fun and stimulating.

As part of WABE’s continuing look behind the scenes at Atlanta arts organizations, Philip Graitcer has this report.
Aired WABE, June 19, 2007

Tommy Brown - Still Laughing and Crying the Blues

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400
Bluesman Tommy Brown began singing, dancing, and telling jokes in Atlanta in the 1930’s. Today, 70 years later, he’s still performing.
Aired Georgia Gazette, May 25, 2007

Peace By Piece

Mon, 28 May 2007 07:35:00 -0400

High schools can seem islands. All day long, students and teachers only see each other. But at 3 Atlanta private schools, there’s a program that is getting some students to see beyond the school walls.

Aired WABE, Atlanta, May 28, 2007

Playmaking For Girls

Wed, 23 May 2007 14:01:59 -0400

A youth detention center is about the last place you’d expect to see theater. But an Atlanta theater company has been holding workshops to help some of the girls there learn about playwriting, acting, and themselves.

As part of WABE’s behind the scenes visits to Atlanta arts organizations, reporter Philip Graitcer visited the Metro Regional Youth Detention Center to learn more about the Synchronicity Theater’s Play Making for Girls program.
Aired WABE, May 21, 2007

Big Nerd Ranch

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 17:59:13 -0400
It’s the time of year to head south for a winter vacation. Some computer programmers – they call themselves nerds –travel about an hour south of Atlanta to a spend a week at a dude ranch. But it’s not the kind of place where guests ride horses or lounge in hot tubs. We sent independent producer Philip Graitcer [great-sir] there to check it out.

Oglethorpe Muslims Invite Jewish President

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 17:49:39 -0400
Mention Muslim and Jew in the same breath and most people think religious warfare and hostility, but at Atlanta’s Oglethorpe University, Muslim and Jewish students are bringing people together. The Muslim Student Alliance has just asked the Jewish president of the university to become its faculty advisor.

Chocolate Is Love

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:56:46 -0500
For chocolate makers, Valentine’s Day is their own Valentine. To be ready for the onslaught of star crossed lovers and forgetful spouses, chocolate makers begin their preparations in early February. Reporter Philip Graitcer visited the kitchen of Chocolatepink, a chocolate dessert maker in Atlanta.
Aired February 14, 2007

The Gwinnett Philharmonic Finds an Audience

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Imagine getting a chance to conduct a professional symphony orchestra. At a recent concert by the Gwinnett Philharmonic, several children did just that. As part of WABE’s behind the scenes visits to Atlanta arts organizations, reporter Philip Graitcer looked at the orchestra’s efforts to develop new audiences.
Aired February 12, 2007

Homeless Mothers and Children

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500
According to last year’s homeless census, there were about 5.400 homeless people in Atlanta. Over 600 of them were homeless mothers and their children. Philip Graitcer reports on an organization that works with homeless families.
Aired January 24, 2007

Actor's Express New Voices

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Have you ever wondered what it takes for a new play to go from a script to an onstage performance? One step is a stage reading of the play. As part of WABE’s series of behind-the-scenes visits to Atlanta arts groups, reporter Philip Graitcer sat in on a recent play reading at the Actor’s Express.
Aired January 22, 2007

Remembrance of Things Fried: The Silver Grill Closing

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 09:00:00 -0500
One of Atlanta’s last meat and three restaurants is closing. The Silver Grill, a tiny 50-seat diner in Midtown, has been serving country cooking - like collard greens, country fried steak and peach cobbler - since 1945.

Philip Graitcer visited this dying institution.

Originally aired on WABE, Atlanta. December 22, 2006

Stillmore, Georgia: Almost a ghost town

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 21:59:47 -0400

There are about 475,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia. In September agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement swooped in on the tiny town of Stillmore, Georgia, arresting about 130 illegal workers. Those that weren't arrested left town or went into hiding. Now, the population of Stillmore is 80 percent of what it used to be.
Philip Graitcer visited Stillmore and spoke with some of those who are still there.

Aired on GPB's Georgia Gazette, October 13, 2006
Honorable Mention: Radio Feature Story, Georgia AP Broadcasters Awards 2006

The 1906 Atlanta Race Riot

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:05:00 -0400
One hundred years ago, on a sultry September night, 10,000 men converged in downtown Atlanta and began attacking African-American men, women, and children. Race relations in Atlanta were changed forever.

The Harmony Harmoneers

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 18:01:14 -0400
Their music is bare bones gospel. No violins, no guitar, no drums. Just voices. The Harmony Harmoneers have been singing this way for over thirty years.
Aired August 25, 2006, on Georgia Gazette, GPB

Italy Wins World Cup

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 18:30:00 -0400
Italy Wins World Cup. A report from Pizza Fritti, ground zero for Italian soccer fans in Atlanta.
Aired WABE, Atlanta, July 10, 2006

Design From Africa

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:10:00 -0400
It’s about the last thing you’d expect in a downtown Atlanta office building – a contemporary design exhibit with a strong African resonance.
Aired WABE, Atlanta, July 14, 2006

Itinerant Rabbi

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 12:33:40 -0400
Deborah Kassoff is a traveling rabbi. She provides religious services for congregations too small to have a rabbi of their own. I joined her in Helena, Arkansas.
Aired June 10, 2006 on Weekend America

Giving It Back

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 12:33:25 -0400
What’s it like to become successful and then go back and visit your beginnings? Recently, jazz trumpeter Scotty Barnhart did just that, returning to his old high school to give a special concert. He said it was an opportunity to give it back.
Aired WABE, April 18, 2006

Quilting & Chuck Close

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 12:32:53 -0500
Two new exhibits opened recently at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art and although the artists come from widely different backgrounds and cultures, the self-portraits of Chuck Close and the quilts from Gee’s Bend Alabama have remarkable similarities.
Aired March 31, 2006 on Georgia Gazette, Georgia Public Broadcasting

Memphis Blues Again - in Photos

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 12:32:28 -0400
In the 1940s. 50s. and 60s a tidal wave of blues talent washed through Memphis. Local photographer, Ernest Withers was there. Philip Graitcer caught up with Ernest Withers during a showing of Withers' photos at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.
Aired WABE 6/1/05

Tinsley Ellis Plays Blues

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 08:46:54 -0500
Atlanta musician Tinsley Ellis is best known for his rock electric guitar and his blistering on stage performances. But the blues inspires his music. He’s just released a live recording of some of his most popular music and recently he stopped by the GPB studios to visit with Philip Graitcer.
Aired Georgia Public Broadcasting 3/9/06

The Great Atlanta Fire of 1917

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 12:00:00 -0500
Few people remember that Atlanta has suffered two devastating fires. The more famous took place in 1864, during the Civil War - when the city burned as it was being captured by Union forces under General Sherman. (Aired WABE, Atlanta, March 1, 2006)

Love Jerry, a new musical

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 18:00:00 -0500
A controversial - and what some call a disturbing play - has opened in Atlanta. Public criticism and critical acclaim are being heaped on Love Jerry. It's about a pedophile who gets caught. (Aired Georgia Gazette, Georgia Public Broadcasting on February 10, 2006).

Santa's Hair - Is It Real?

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0500
Now that we're in full holiday mode, one of the most pressing questions on peoples' minds is: How DOES Santa get that beautiful hair and beard. Is it real? Is it expensive? Only Santa's hair dresser knows for sure. Philip Graitcer visited an Atlanta beauty shop to find out. Aired, December 8, 2005 on Marketplace Evening Edition.

Homeless Veterans in Atlanta

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 22:00:00 -0400
Although many veterans are being honored today on Veterans Day, some are forgotten. These are the homeless veterans. Philip Graitcer visited with some of them in downtown Atlanta.
Aired WABE, Atlanta, November 11, 2005

Winner: Best Feature Reporting - 2005 Georgia Associated Press Broadcaster Awards

AIDS in Rural Georgia

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 10:56:54 -0400
AIDS in rural Georgia has increased dramatically in the past decade. Much of this is due to the stigma of being gay and of having AIDS in rural communities.
Aired November 5, 2005 on Georgia Public Broadcasting
Winner: Best Series Reporting (with Susanna Capelouto, Emily Kopp, Charles Edwards): "Rural Health" - 2005 Georgia Associated Press Broadcaster Award

World Class Blues at Montreux

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:58:44 -0400
The famed Montreux Jazz Festival comes to Atlanta with world class blues performers. Aired on WABE, Atlanta. August, 2005.

Montreux Jazz Comes to Atlanta

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:55:32 -0400
The famed Montreux Jazz Festival comes to Atlanta for a weekend of world class blues and jazz. Aired on WABE, Atlanta. August, 2005.

Kaki King - Underground Guitarist

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0400
Three years ago, Kaki King was underground - literally - playing for coins in the New York subways. A chance meeting with a producer brought her a record contract and the chance to open for some big names in the music business. Voted one of the top guitarists in Guitar Magazine, learn about her here, before you hear from a friend! Aired on Georgia Gazette, Georgia Public Radio.

Atlanta Blues Scene - in 1930

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 17:04:37 -0500
In the 1930s, Atlanta was home to a thriving community of blues musicians. Although they were regional stars, today, few remember these musicians. Aired on WABE Atlanta. February, 2005

Francine Reed - Blues, Jazz, and Lyle

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 16:48:10 -0400
Bonnie Raitt has called her a national treasure. She's the show stealing back up singer for Lyle Lovett (Wild Women Get the Blues), and she's a popular jazz, blues, and gospel singer. She was born singing. Aired on Georgia Gazette, Georgia Public Broadcasting. March, 2005.

Music for Social Change

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 16:47:54 -0400
It has been said that music has charms to soothe the savage beast. Some music is used to bring about social change. Aired on Georgia Gazette, Georgia Public Broadcasting. March, 2005.

Lovesick Blues

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 17:12:16 -0400
Hank Williams has been called a musical Vincent van Gogh. His songs painted vivid pictures of the rural south - and the lives of the everyday people who lived and worked there. In a new biography, Atlanta author Paul Hemphill explores the life of Hank Williams. Aired on WABE, Atanta, October 2005.

Can Watching Disasters Affect Your Mind?

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 12:58:33 -0400
The media coverage of Hurricane Katrina has been constant, and many say unrelenting. Experts say the combination of continuous bad news, along with disturbing images, can affect the mental health of those watching or listening to the coverage.
Aired WABE, Atlanta. September, 2005.

Winner: Best Staff Coverage (with Kate Sweeny, Leah Fleming, David Barasoain, and Bruce Kennedy): "Atlanta Manages Katrina Evacuees" - 2005 Georgia Associated Press Broadcaster Awards

The Moon Rises on Delta Moon

Sun, 15 May 2005 16:30:49 -0400
Delta Moon is one of the hottest blues bands in Atlanta. Winner of the 2004 Blues Foundation's best band, Delta Moon takes traditional country blues, adds a couple of electrified slide guitars, a flashy female vocalist, and comes up with an eclectic and musically pleasing mix. Aired on Georgia Gazette, Georgia Public Broadcasting. March 2005.