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North Country Public Radio Receives $6,000 Grant from Corning Corporation

Canton, NY, Thursday, July 22, 2010—Corning Canton Plant Manager Joseph W. Neubert presented North Country Public Radio Underwriting Director Sandy Demarest with a $6,000 check representing Corning Incorporated Foundation’s ongoing support of NCPR's local and national news coverage and its contemporary literature series Readers & Writers on the Air. Corning Foundation has been a stalwart supporter of NCPR's mission since 1982.

"Corning Incorporated Foundation’s decision to invest in the work of the station over the course of almost three decades, makes it possible for NCPR to do work with depth, breadth and impact that would not be feasible without that level of Foundation commitment,” said Station Manager Ellen Rocco. “We are grateful that Corning consistently and generously values and supports our work."

North Country Public Radio's Davis Sommerstein Wins Another National Edward R. Murrow Award

Canton, NY, Thursday, July 17, 210-The Radio Television Digital News Association has announced the 2010 National Edward R. Murrow Award winners for excellence in electronic journalism. North Country Public Radio's David Sommerstein won for investigative reporting for Seaway Valley & Hackett's: A Special Report. David's report was placed in consideration for a National Edward R. Murrow Award after receiving a Regional Murrow for investigative reporting in April this year. David's story was also honored for best news special/documentary and best enterprise reporting in the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Awards Competition earlier this month. This is the sixth National Edward R. Murrow Award for North Country Public Radio.

Seaway Valley & Hackett's: A Special Report was a story of a bold idea for a homegrown venture gone sour. Sommerstein traced how two North Country retailers - Hackett's and Wise Buys - came together in a shifting delta of dreams, deals, and debt. He spent several months pursuing sources, reading financial filings, researching complex debt instruments, and consulting with regional and national experts in the financial sector.

"Stories about business and the economy can be hard to tell. To do them well requires solid understanding of the wonky side - the numbers, the paper trail, and so on - as well as a good ear for the human voice that's so often missing. And that's not to mention skilled reporting," said News Director Martha Foley. "I'm very, very proud that the RTNDA recognized those qualities in these reports."

North Country Public Radio Receives Seven First Place Awards in the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Competition

Canton, NY, Wednesday, June 09, 2010—North Country Public Radio’s news department was honored with seven first place awards in the annual New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Awards Competition at a ceremony in Saratoga Springs, NY on June 5th.

The seven first-place awards include:

“Needless to say, our pride in the news department grows exponentially each year as their work is recognized by entities such as the Associated Press,” said Station Manager Ellen Rocco. “As one long-time listener put it in a recent message to me, ‘this is why I listen to North Country Public Radio all the time.’”

NCPR Adirondack Bureau Chief Brian Mann to Cover Gulf Oil Spill for NPR

Canton, NY, Tuesday, June 01, 2010- North Country Public Radio Adirondack Bureau Chief Brian Mann will be traveling to the Gulf Coast as part of National Public Radio's oil spill coverage team.

"We're not surprised that NPR has tapped Brian to help with coverage of this major story," said Station Manager Ellen Rocco. "We're proud to 'loan' him to NPR as public radio invests in deepening coverage of this major story."

Mann, who began his career covering the Alaskan oil industry and the Exxon Valdez spill, will spend two weeks reporting for NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His assignment begins June 6.

"I spent several years writing about the impact of a major oil spill on coastal communities that rely on the ocean for their livelihoods," Mann said. "Sadly, the situation in the Gulf region looks very similar to what I witnessed in Prince William Sound in 1989."

After coming to NCPR in 1999, Mann produced an award-winning radio documentary about the potential and risks of oil and gas development in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Mann will be stationed initially in New Orleans, LA. During his absence, Adirondack coverage will be provided in a partnership with Adirondack Daily Enterprise Reporter Chris Knight and the assistance of WNBZ radio.

Mann lives in Saranac Lake with his wife Susan and son Nicholas. His stories and team reporting with North Country Public Radio have earned him several national Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Bob Edwards is Back on Public Radio

Canton, NY - Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - North Country Public Radio is now airing Bob Edwards Weekend Saturday mornings from 6 to 8am. The weekly interview showcase features celebrated host Bob Edwards, one of public radio's most respected and best-loved personalities.

"Bob Edwards is a public radio icon," says Program Director Jackie Sauter. "As host of NPR's Morning Edition for many years, his signature sound became the sound of morning news on public radio. The new show focuses on people, ideas and music, and it's clear that Bob loves his new role. Listeners can again look forward to enjoying his unique and friendly style when they wake up to Bob Edwards on Saturday mornings."

Each two-hour program includes a mix of conversation and music, as well as special features including archived segments from the original This I Believe audio essay series. Bob Edwards Weekend is produced by Sirius XM Satellite Radio and distributed nationwide by Public Radio International.


Summer Dorr, host

North Country Public Radio Launches New Music Show with Summer Dorr

Continuing its strong tradition of locally-hosted programs, North Country Public Radio has announced a new program, hosted by Summer Dorr. Another Playlist airs Fridays from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m., and features an alternative playlist of new music, including singer-songwriter, folk, alternative country, pop and experimental.

Summer Dorr is a North Country resident, and a lifelong music lover. She is also an independent filmmaker, and is working on her MFA in Creative Writing. Her new show will be an original blend of new and unusual music with a unique appeal to younger listeners. Each hour will also include a segment called "Musician on Music" featuring Chris Clarke of the regionally based band Swimming in Speakers.

Listeners can hear Another Playlist each Friday night on North Country Public Radio. Each week’s program is also available for listening on the station’s website.

North Country Public Radio now airs twelve locally-hosted music shows each week, in addition to award-winning news and information programs.

North Country Public Radio Wins Two Edward R. Murrow Awards

Canton, NY, Tuesday, April 19, 2010 -- North Country Public Radio’s news team was once again honored by the Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) with two 2010 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. The station took top honors for continuing coverage and investigative reporting in the small market category for New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. A Year of Hard Choices won first place in the continuing coverage category, and David Sommerstein’s Seaway Valley & Hackett’s: A Special Report was honored for best investigative reporting. Both entries are now in consideration for national Edward R. Murrow awards.

NCPR organized its coverage of the regional impacts of the national economic recession around the title: A Year of Hard Choices. The News Department began with a week of intensive reporting in March 2009 and ended December 28 with a follow-up story on an out of work couple profiled in that opening week. The series, spread over the calendar year, included interviews, audio diaries, hard and soft news features, a blog, and photo essays at ncpr.org.

David Sommerstein’s investigative report was a story of a bold idea for a homegrown venture gone sour. He traced how two North Country retailers – Hackett’s and Wise Buys – came together in a shifting delta of dreams, deals, and debt. Sommerstein spent several months pursuing sources, reading financial filings, researching complex debt instruments, and consulting with regional and national experts in the financial sector.

“Stories about business and the economy can be hard to tell. To do them well requires solid understanding of the wonky side – the numbers, the paper trail, and so on – as well as a good ear for the human voice that’s so often missing. And that’s not to mention skilled reporting,” said News Director Martha Foley. “I’m very, very proud that the RTNDA recognized those qualities in these reports.”

Celebrating the Good Works Evening Will Recognize Regional Nonprofit Organizations

Canton, NY, Tuesday, April 13, 2010 -- The Adirondack Nonprofit Network (ANN), an informal network of leaders from nonprofit organizations serving the Adirondacks, in collaboration with the Adirondack Community Trust (ACT) and North Country Public Radio (NCPR) plans an evening to celebrate, recognize and publicize the work being done by nonprofits across the Adirondack North Country.

On Saturday, April 24, from 8:00-11:00 pm, NCPR will host a live broadcast of music and conversation. About twenty organizations—from a broad spectrum of nonprofit endeavors—are sponsoring events that evening from which they will call into the station to tell listeners a bit about their work. Another twenty organizations will also be highlighted by the program hosts, and contemporary music pieces selected by participating organizations will create the playlist for the evening’s broadcast.

In conjunction with the evening’s broadcast, NCPR will post a complete list of links to participating organizations so that listeners can follow up with groups whose work is of interest to them.

“This is an innovative undertaking designed to bring together cultural, civic and community nonprofits and to bring the work of these groups to the attention of Adirondack North Country residents,” said NCPR Station Manager Ellen Rocco, who will co-host the April 24 broadcast. “We are already getting feedback from community leaders, foundations, and area nonprofits that this could be a ground-breaking event, spotlighting the contribution our nonprofit sector makes to our region. If it goes as well as we expect, we hope to see this develop into an annual event.”

Those who crafted the idea, primarily people involved with ANN, proposed NCPR for this event because the station has the most comprehensive signal reach across the region. In addition, the program can be followed at ncpr.org via the station’s web live stream. For more information about the evening, about participating nonprofits, visit ncpr.org or ACT’s website at generousact.org.

“This event will go a long way toward building a collaborative culture and a common message that benefits the entire nonprofit community, said ACT Executive Director Cali Brooks, who helped to convene regional nonprofits. “It’s further proof that community organizations are key to strengthening our towns, villages and neighbors.” More information.

NCPR Joins the Click and Clack Car Tow Challenge

Canton, NY, Friday, April 09, 2010— North Country Public Radio will be participating in the Click and Clack Car Tow Challenge April 12-25. Listeners and community members will be asked to donate their unwanted cars, trucks or boats to North Country Public Radio via the Car Talk Vehicle Donation Program. Car Talk’s vehicle donation program partner V-DAC will tow the vehicles away free of charge and get the best price at auction. The proceeds benefit North Country Public Radio, and donors receive a tax break for 2010. Participating public radio stations that show the biggest percentage increase in number of vehicles donated will be honored with cash prizes. Find out more about donating your vehicle.

Car Talk is a National Public Radio call-in show that airs each Saturday at 10:00 am on NCPR. For more than two decades, Tom and Ray Magliozzi (aka Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers) have been America's funniest auto mechanics. By making more than 4 million weekly listeners laugh, they have become the defining voices of public radio weekends. Their mixture of honesty, authenticity, knowledge, and humor has won them numerous awards (including a Peabody), accolades from every major national publication, and the loyalty of millions of public radio listeners.

NCPR to Premiere New Locally-Hosted Jazz Program: The Bridge

Canton, NY, March 5, 2010- A new locally hosted Saturday evening jazz program debuts on North Country Public Radio beginning March 13. The Bridge will feature classic recordings, new releases, local jazz musicians and interviews with the people who make jazz such an exciting and enduring art form.

The program, which will air at 9:00 p.m. each Saturday, will be hosted by NCPR's Production Manager Joel Hurd, a longtime jazz fan and musician. "Since I first heard Eric Jackson playing jazz on WGBH-FM in Boston at the age of twelve, jazz has been a huge part of my life and a source of great joy. I'm very excited to share the music I love with NCPR's listeners."

The Bridge is the eleventh locally-hosted music program in the station's lineup and will air just ahead of NCPR's popular Jazz At The Tenspot program hosted by Guy Berard. "Guy is one of the finest jazz hosts I've ever heard and his taste in music is impeccable," says Joel. "My show will lean a little bit more contemporary than Tenspot, but I think listeners will find that there is a lot of common ground between the two programs."

Stories, Food, Life Wins Tabasco Community Cookbook Award

Canton, NY, Wednesday, February 10, 2010-The Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards were announced last week and North Country Public Radio's book, Stories, Food, Life, has been named the winner of the Mid-Atlantic Regional award. The Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards were created to recognize the best of the thousands of cookbooks published annually to generate funds for charitable causes while preserving America's rich culinary history. This is the 20th and final year of the competition.

"This is an honor for North Country Public Radio and our community," said Station Manager Ellen Rocco.

Stories, Food, Life, published by Adirondack Life, and edited by Station Manager Ellen Rocco, is a collection of food stories, recipes, photographs, and cooking and preserving tips. Chef George Arnold of SUNY Potsdam served as food editor. The book paints a portrait of family and community, food traditions and celebrations. Also included is a CD audio sampler of food and cooking stories from NCPR's archives. More than 150 recipes are included along with dozens of photographs from renowned photographer Nancie Battaglia. The book has also been honored with a first place award from the Adirondack Center for Writing as well as a gold medal from Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Stories, Food, Life is available at local bookstores or by calling NCPR at 1-877-388-6277.

New Friday Night Music Line-up

North Country Public Radio has a new Friday night lineup and new music shows, beginning Friday, February 5, 2010:

  • New: Cutaway, Fridays from 7 to 8, is a fresh mix of folk, blues, acoustic and roots sounds, hosted by Jonathan Brown. Cutaway page.
    To make room for Cutaway, The Folk Show with Mike Alzo has moved to a new time and day, Mondays at 8 pm.

  • World Café, an eclectic blend of contemporary blues, rock, world, folk, and alternative country expands on Fridays to two hours, 8 to 10 pm. The NPR program is hosted by Philadelphia radio personality and music enthusiast David Dye, and airs on 165 stations across the U.S. World Cafe website

  • New: At 10 pm Friday, listen to The Latin Alternative, a new music program featuring modern and alternative sounds for both Latino and non-Latino listeners. The hosts are two of the genre’s leading experts, Josh Norek, co-founder of the Latin Alternative Music Conference, and Ernesto Lechner, contributing writer for Rolling Stone, and author of the book Rock en Español: The Latin Alternative Rock Explosion. The program will focus on Latin rock, electronic, funk and hip-hop artists. It’s produced by Albany-area station WEXT. North Country Public Radio is one of the first stations in the country to air the program. The Latin Alternative website

  • At 11 pm Fridays, you’ll hear PRI’s award-winning weekly world music and culture program Afropop Worldwide, hosted by Georges Collinet. Born in Cameroon, Collinet is one of the best-known and best-loved broadcasters on the African continent. His music programs have attracted millions of listeners around the world. Afropop Worldwide website.

We’re excited to be trying out these new Friday night music shows to welcome in the weekend. You can send your feedback to radio@ncpr.org.

North Country Public Radio Receives Grant to Improve Service

North Country Public Radio is the recipient of a grant from the Northern New York Community Foundation's Jackson Fund. The $45,000 award will be used to fund a new transmitter facility for the Gouverneur area and the southwestern part of St. Lawrence County.

According to station manager Ellen Rocco, “This grant will make it possible for us to move forward with our plans to improve reception and bring our public radio signal to more people and more homes in St. Lawrence County. We are most grateful to the Northern New York Community Foundation for stepping forward to fill this need and help make this project a reality.” The station plans to construct the new facility in summer 2010.

North Country Public Radio to Air 23rd Congressional District Candidates Forum

North Country Public Radio will broadcast a public forum featuring candidates for the 23rd Congressional District seat this Wednesday evening, October 28, at 7pm. The event takes place at Giltz Auditorium on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus at 5pm, but will air on North Country Public Radio at 7 pm that evening. The station will also rebroadcast the candidate forum Friday, October 30 at 11 am, and again Sunday, November 1 at 1 pm. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.

North Country Public Radio’s Brian Mann will co-moderate the debate in Plattsburgh, and station News Director Martha Foley will anchor the broadcast from Canton. It will air on all of the station’s 32 frequencies in the region, as well as on the website as a live stream. In addition, it will be available for on-demand online listening on ncpr.org beginning October 29.

The forum will be hosted by the SUNY Plattsburgh’s Chapter of United University Professions and its Student Association, as well as the League of Women Voters of the Plattsburgh Area. The Forum is also scheduled to air on Mountain-Lake Public Television.

NCPR Launches New Tupper Lake Station at 88.3 fm

North Country Public Radio has signed on a new, more powerful transmitter to serve listeners in Tupper Lake and southern Franklin County. The new station, at 88.3 fm, will bring a stronger, clearer signal to Tupper Lake and the surrounding region. Currently NCPR also operates a low power 10-watt station for Tupper Lake at 91.7.

"Our new 110-watt station at 88.3 will mean better reception for listeners across a wider area," according to NCPR Chief Engineer Bob Sauter. “Eventually we will turn off the old 91.7 signal, so we encourage our Tupper Lake area listeners to get in the habit now of tuning to our new station at 88.3.”

Funding for the new facility came from a grant from the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program for public broadcasters, administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and from North Country Public Radio listeners.

NCPR to Feature Music of
Dr. Arthur Frackenpohl on October 18

Canton, NY, Friday, October 9, 2009. On Sunday, October 18th at 4 pm. North Country Public Radio will broadcast a concert of music by Crane School of Music Professor Emeritus Dr. Arthur Frackenpohl. The concert was recorded in the Snell Music Theatre at SUNY Potsdam on May 2, 2009 to celebrate Dr. Frackenpohl's 85th birthday.

The concert features performances by Crane School of Music faculty and students as well as the choir from the First Presbyterian Church of Potsdam. The featured compositions cover 61 years of Dr. Frackenpohl's career, from a 1948 work for clarinet and piano to a 2009 piece written for brass quintet.

Dr. Arthur Frackenpohl joined the Crane School of Music faculty in 1949 and remained with the school until his retirement in 1985. He has composed and arranged more than 250 works which have been performed throughout the world.

North Country Public Radio and Indian Lake Theater Present the Gibson Brothers in Concert Friday, August 21 at 7 pm

Canton, NY, Monday, August 17, 2009- Acclaimed bluegrass band The Gibson Brothers will perform Friday, August 21st at 7pm at the historic Indian Lake Theater, in Indian Lake, NY. This live concert and radio broadcast celebrates the 10th anniversary of North Country Public Radio's Adirondack News Bureau. Barb Heller, host of NCPR's String Fever, will emcee the event.

The Gibson's will perform cuts from their new release Ring the Bell-described as one of their most joyful, hard-driving bluegrass albums with a bigger sound than they have ever had.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and include a wine and cheese reception following the concert. For reservations contact the station at 1-877-388-6277 or email kelly@ncpr.org.

"We can't think of a better way to celebrate 10 years of on-the-ground service to the communities of the Adirondacks than hosting a concert in a beautifully restored landmark theater featuring the extraordinary Gibson Brothers-top-shelf, home-grown talent," said Station Manager Ellen Rocco.

Eric and Leigh Gibson grew up on a dairy farm outside of Ellenburg Depot, in the shadow of the Adirondack Mountains. Eric learned to play the banjo, and Leigh, guitar. By the time they were in their early 20's, the brothers couldn't deny the lure of the requests that were coming in for them to play shows and festivals. In 1998 they won the IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year award. In 2005, they signed with Sugar Hill and subsequently released four albums: Bona Fide (which went to #1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited chart), Long Way Back Home, Red Letter Day, and 2008's Iron and Diamonds.

Their new release is called Ring the Bell (Compass Records.) "It makes me think of being young and growing up in our small farming community in New York," explains Leigh. "It evokes memories of fellowship with the men who knew my Grandfather Gibson at church on Sunday mornings. We'd see folks at the hardware store or the bank during the week and then see them all again at church each Sunday."

"There is a lot of joy in the music," explains Eric. "I think you can tell in listening that we poured our hearts out."

North Country Public Radio launches Common Wealth, Common Wisdom project

Canton, NY, Monday, July 23, 2009—North Country Public Radio has launched an innovative new multimedia project that brings teenagers and older people together to share experiences and stories about surviving tough economic times.

Common Wealth, Common Wisdom connects young people and Depression-era elders with each other so they can tell their stories and preserve them through recorded interviews, video projects, photo essays, blog entries and essays. The project is sponsored by North Country Public Radio, and is a community collaboration with the St. Lawrence County Youth Bureau and the Office for the Aging, and local historical associations, with funds from the Public Media Innovation Fund Program of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

During the summer phase of the project, participants are working with award-winning producers and educators, Laura Starecheski, and Gregory Warner. Teen members of the project are Brenna Rice; Chelsea Ross, Jennifer Sibert, and Kolby Weaver. Senior members are Ruth Garner, Mickey Williams, Bill Cullen, and Anne and Roger Huntley. Michael Sauter is project assistant.

To learn more about the project, and to see participant photos, writings and more, visit the Common Wealth, Common Wisdom page.

NCPR Honored with two National Edward R. Murrow Awards

Canton, NY, Monday, June 29, 2009—North Country Public Radio’s news team was honored with two 2009 National Edward R. Murrow Awards this week by The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). NCPR’s series The Impact of War at Home won in the continuing coverage category and Native Americans in Baseball’s Present and Past won for best sports reporting. Both entries received regional Murrow awards this past April as well as top honors from Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (PRNDI) in June.

“We were especially honored to know that we were awarded two of only 12 national Murrow awards earned by small radio stations—both public and commercial—in the country,” said News Director Martha Foley.

The Impact of War at Home was an extended effort by the station’s news team, Martha Foley, Brian Mann, Todd Moe, Jonathan Brown and David Sommerstein. The series chronicles the impact of war on those who remain at home. It includes conversations with families at Fort Drum, as well as coverage of health care issues for returning veterans and how the war in Iraq is reported in American media. The Impact of War was a collaborative project with National Public Radio. Several of NCPR’s stories also aired during NPR’s newsmagazines, Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

Native Americans in Baseball’s Present and Past was produced by reporter David Sommerstein, and highlights baseball traditions among the Iroquois and other native peoples from the past to contemporary major league players. This is David’s second national Murrow award win.

“Needless to say, we are thrilled to have our news team recognized with this top honor in the broadcast industry,” said Station Manager Ellen Rocco. “David Sommerstein's piece on the history of Native Americans in baseball and our news team's extensive work on the impact of war at home both deal with subject matter that is quintessentially a part of the North Country—but in both, the NCPR reporters made those stories relevant for listeners across the country. We are very proud of our news staff.”

RTNDA has honored outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Since 2005, NCPR has been honored with five national and 13 regional Murrow awards.

NCPR Receives $6000 Grant from Corning


Corning plant manager Joseph W. Neubert, flanked by Ellen Rocco (left) and Sandy Demarest.

Canton, NY, Monday, May 18, 2009-Corning Canton Plant Manager Joseph W. Neubert presented North Country Public Radio Station Manager Ellen Rocco with a $6,000 check today representing Corning Incorporated Foundation's annual grant in support of North Country Public Radio's local and national news coverage and Readers & Writers on the Air literature series. NCPR has been the grateful recipient of Corning support since 1982.

"The Corning Incorporated Foundation has invested in and encouraged the work of North Country Public Radio for many years. That support has played a tangible role in the station's development of an award-winning regional news service and on-going cultural programming. We are deeply grateful for this generosity to the station and the people who live in the North Country," said Ellen Rocco.

NCPR presents New Garrison Keillor Film

Canton, NY, Wednesday, May 13, 2009—A new film about American author, humorist and public radio host Garrison Keillor will be shown at three locations in the North Country next month. Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes profiles the well-known host of A Prairie Home Companion, which is heard every Saturday from 6 to 8pm on North Country Public Radio.

Produced and directed by award-winning documentary maker Peter Rosen, the 90 minute film goes behind the scenes of America’s most popular radio show and inside the imagination of the man who created it. The film follows Keillor as he takes his skits, music and stories across the country in his traveling radio show, mingling fact and fiction to create one of America’s favorite places, Lake Wobegon.

North Country Public Radio will present three screenings of this new film on Sunday, June 14. Tickets are $10 each. Screening times, locations, and box office phone numbers are as follows:

  • 3 pm: Lake Placid Film Forum, Lake Placid Center for the Arts
    518-523-2512

  • 5 pm: Clayton Opera House
    315-686-2200

  • 5 pm: Gulick Theatre, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY
    877-388-6277

In the best tradition of Will Rogers and Mark Twain, Keillor mixes storytelling and humor to give us a light hearted but deeply felt reflection of ourselves. His down-home commentary and love of the authentically American, have made him into an “everyman philosopher.” A prolific author with more than 20 books to his credit and a weekly column, he is also a highly sought after speaker and lecturer. He is credited with reviving the virtually lost art of live radio entertainment in America; his weekly radio show, started in 1974, has more than 4 million listeners and is broadcast on 558 stations. Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes has received accolades at screenings at film festivals across the country, and will be shown on PBS this summer as part of the American Masters series.

NCPR'S Stories, Food Life Wins 2009 Independent Publisher Regional Book Award

Canton, NY, Monday, May 11, 2009-The results of the 2009 Independent Publisher Regional Book Awards (IPPYs) were announced today. North Country Public Radio's Stories, Food, Life, edited by station manager Ellen Rocco, is the recipient of a Gold Medal for Best Regional Non-fiction.

The IPPYs spotlight the best regional titles throughout North America. Over 700 entries were received from across the U.S. and Canada. Books were judged alongside books for and about their regions only, based on their quality and regional significance.

Stories, Food, Life is a collection of evocative food memoirs, recipes, and photographs. The book paints a portrait of family and community, food traditions and celebrations. More than 150 recipes are included along with dozens of photographs from renowned photographer Nancie Battaglia. Also included is a CD audio sampler of food and harvest stories from NCPR's archives. The book was published by Adirondack Life and designed by Steve Keetle of Keetle and Company.

"Oh, this is lovely. Like a fabulous potluck dinner, this book came together because so many people cooked up their favorite story or recipe or photograph. So much talent, so much community spirit, so much gusto! We are delighted about this recognition and grateful to everyone who contributed to the book.," said editor and NCPR station manager, Ellen Rocco.

Stories, Food, Life was released in December 08 and received excellent reviews:

"StoryCorps has worked with hundreds of public radio stations across the country-none has the soul and spirit of North Country Public Radio. NCPR is a national treasure-and now the warmth, intimacy and humanity that make NCPR glow like a beacon of hope on your radio dial come alive in Stories, Food, Life. This book is a feast of recipes, memories and stories that remind us--as does NCPR each day--just how lucky we are to be alive."
-Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps

"Around The Kitchen Sisters we have a saying, "it's all within ten feet." Whatever you are looking for is often closer and easier to find than you think. And often what we're looking for is a good story, some good music, and a good meal with good people. It's all here in this book and on North Country Public Radio, the radio station that brought the voices in this book together. It comes from the memories and the kitchens of your community. Radio that cooks."
-Davia Nelson, The Kitchen Sisters

"Our curiosity about food and the idea that food isn't just what happens when we stand at the stove reveals who we are. What's happening in the United States now is the concept of supporting local economies through what we eat-the slow food movement, community supported agriculture, anything that keeps a viable farm alive. In the long run, it all comes back to you-and trying to keep your money from going to some huge mega-whatever that has headquarters on the moon. If it stays in your community, it keeps on recycling. North Country Public Radio, through its programs and projects like this book, keeps the local alive and helps build community."
-Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of The Splendid Table, food writer

"North Country fare at its best: local food from garden and orchard, stories from the heart."
-Susan Westmoreland, Food Editor, Good Housekeeping Magazine

Stories, Food, Life includes a foreward by Bill McKibben and afterword by Michael Pollan. It is available in bookstores throughout New York and Vermont including Borders Books and Music, Red Fox Books of Glens Falls, Fact & Fiction Bookshop of Saranac Lake, Brewer Bookstore in Canton, Brown Dog Books and Gifts of Hinesburg, VT, TAUNY Folkstore and more. The book is also available online at amazon.com and ncpr.org.

More information:
Editor: Ellen Rocco
Food Editor: George Arnold
Photography: Nancie Battaglia
Design: Steve Keetle
Publisher: Adirondack Life
Publication Date: December 5, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-922595-37-2
Hardcase: $24.95
192 Pages, 7x10, Finch Paper

North Country Public Radio to Launch A Year of Hard Choices on March 23

Canton, NY, Thursday, March 12, 2009—North Country Public Radio begins special continuing coverage of the effects of the economic recession in the region on Monday, March 23. The series, called A Year of Hard Choices, will bring the big story of the global recession home, through the eyes and voices of people here in the North Country.

People from across the North Country—from business owners, farmers, and householders, to artists and executives—have volunteered to help, by telling their own stories, on air and on line, in a web journal at the station’s website. They represent both sides of the equation: employers and employees… people who may need help, and people with helping agencies.

News Director Martha Foley said, "We're very excited to be working with so many people, from so many parts of the North Country. We're finding stories of real challenges people are facing in these hard times, but also stories of hope and strength."

Listeners will hear the first stories beginning March 23; NCPR’s award-winning news team will check back, as the stories of how they and their communities cope with the challenges of the next several months. Listeners will be able to follow their progress online, via the Year of Hard Choices blog also launching March 23.

For more information, contact: radio@ncpr.org or call Martha Foley or David Sommerstein, at 1-877-388-6277.

A Way with Words Debuts on North Country Public Radio

Canton, New York, 2/20/09--North Country Public Radio will air a new weekly program Mondays at 1 pm, beginning February 23. A Way with Words is a lively hour-long public radio show about language, grammar, old sayings, word origins, pronunciation, regional dialects, family expressions, and speaking and writing styles. Co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett take calls from listeners, and offer quizzes and challenging word puzzles.

"We are delighted to be bringing this new show to our program schedule," said station program director Jackie Sauter. "It's intriguing, informative, and just plain fun, and is sure to become a favorite with listeners." More information is available at www.waywordradio.org.

Grant Barrett is a writer and language authority specializing in slang and new words. Whether he's scouring obscure corners of the internet, mining electronic databases, or digging through the library stacks, he ferrets out new and surprising terms that make language colorful. He is the compiler and editor of numerous dictionaries including the Official Dictionary of Unofficial English and of the Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang, and is well-known for his award-winning online Double-Tongued Dictionary. He is a member of the Dictionary Society of North America and the Linguistic Society of America.

Martha Barnette has a background in Latin and ancient Greek. She is the author of three books on word origins, including Ladyfingers & Nun's Tummies: A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names, which was chosen by the Los Angeles Times for its "100 Best Books of the Year" list. She has worked as a reporter for the Washington Post, an editorial writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal, and as a medical reporter for the Louisville Times. Her first book, The Bill Schroeder Story, chronicled the ordeal of the world's longest-living artificial heart patient. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, from the New York Times to The Bark.

Press Release archive

NCPR Launches New Radio Service in Boonville (2/10/09)
NCPR Launches New Radio Service in Bristol (1/30/09)
Storycosrps National Day of Listening: November 28 (11/28/08)
NCPR's UpNorth Music Concert Series at Tannery Pond Community Center November 23 (11/10/08)
NCPR's to host Vinyl Cafe Christmas Show (9/26/08)
NCPR's UpNorth Music Concert Series in Glens Falls September 20 (9/1/08)
NCPR's UpNorth Music Concert Series at the Asgaard Farm in Jay August 16 (8/1/08)
NCPR's UpNorth Music Concert Series at the Clayton Opera House July 13 (6/25/08)
NCPR Takes Top Honors in the NYS Associated Press Broadcasters Award Competition (6/9/08)
NCPR Hosts StoryCorps, the National Oral History Project, in Saranac Lake and Glens Falls (5/15/08)
“The Adirondacks” Film Features NCPR Journalist (5/13/08)
NCPR Celebrates its 40th Anniversary Year with 40K/20K Run/Walk at Paul Smith's Visitor Interpretive Center (5/10/08)
NCPR Honored with Five 2008 Regional Murrow Awards (4/17/08)
NCPR Releases Music Heard UpNorth 3-CD Set (2/8/08)
NCPR Presents First UpNorth Music Concert January 25 (1/10/08)
NCPR Celebrates its 40th Anniversary Year with 40K/20K Run/Walk at Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center (1/10/08)
Public Radio Neighbors Agree on Lake Placid Service (12/20/07)
NCPR's 21-Year Service in Lake Placid Threatened by Albany Public Station (12/13/07)
NCPR’s Sauter Elected to National Board (11/5/07)
NCPR Receives Second Round of Funding from New York State Music Fund for UpNorth Music (8/23/07)
NCPR Premieres Fair Game with Faith Salie (6/28/07)
NCPR News Staff Honored with National and Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards (6/18/07)
NCPR Passes Half-way Mark on Year-Long Recording Tour of North Country (6/11/07)
NPR Series Crossing the Divide features audio diary by NCPR's Brian Mann (1/23/07)
NCPR reporter honored for agricultural writing (1/17/07)
North Country Public Radio’s UpNorth Music Invites Akwesasne Musicians to Apply for Free February Recording Sessions (1/12/07)
North Country Public Radio's UpNorth Music Comes to Malone in December (11/2/06)
NCPR Launches UpNorth Music with Recording Session in Sackets Harbor (10/20/06)
NCPR's Readers & Writers on the Air will be broadcast live before a Studio Audience Thursday September 7 (8/28/06)
Ellen Rocco, NCPR General Manager, Elected to National Public Radio Board for Second Term (8/7/06)
North Country Public Radio Receives Grant from New York State Music Fund (7/20/06)
Public Radio's StoryCorps Leaves Canton; Moves to Watertown (7/14/06)
The Adirondack Museum Honors North Country Public Radio with 2006 Harold K. Hochschild Award (7/06/06)
Reservations Open Soon for StoryCorps Visit to Northern New York (6/30/06)
NCPR Frequency Changes in Speculator and Peru (6/20/06)
NCPR to Host the National Oral History Project StoryCorps (5/25/06)
NCPR Celebrates Creativity in the North Country with Open Studio (4/18/06)
North Country Public Radio's News Department Wins Again (4/11/06)
North Country Public Radio's Keene Frequency Moves to 90.1 fm (12/15/05)
1906 Murder Revisited North Country Public Radio in December (11/25/05)
Katrina Relief Efforts on North Country Public Radio (9/9/05)
North Country Public Radio Broadcasts in Jay NY at 102.1 fm (8/5/05)
North Country Public Radio Announces New Mid-morning Program (8/1/05)
Carthage and Cape Vincent Added to the NCPR Service Area (7/29/05)
North Country Public Radio Increases Service Area to Keene Valley and St. Huberts (7/21/05)
Nick Spitzer, Host of American Routes, to Visit Old Forge (7/11/05)
North Country Public Radio Facing Huge Federal Budget Cuts (6/16/05)
NCPR News Department Recognized with Two National Awards (6/14/05)
National Guard Chaplain Honored for "Radio Diaries" Series on North Country Public Radio (5/25/05)
North Country Public Radio to Focus on Global Issues (5/13/05)
NCPR Launches Disability Matters Series in Partnership with North Country Centers for Independent Living (4/18/05)
National Public Radio Ombudsman Visits the North Country (3/23/05)
Music of North Country composer Robert Washburn to be Featured on NCPR (2/10/05)
Greg Warner Joins NCPR Staff (1/31/05)
Sommerstein Wins 2004 “Cap” Creal Journalism Award (1/25/05)
NCPR Expands Service to Lake George with 93.5 fm Transmitter (12/22/04)
North Country Public Radio Begins Fall On-Air Campaign (10/14/04)
North Country Public Radio Concludes Successful Fall Fund Drive (10/28/03)
North Country Public Radio Features Outdoor Recreation (7/16/03)
American Mavericks premieres on North Country Public Radio (7/3/03)
NCPR Takes First Place Honors at Associated Press Awards (6/26/03)
Conversations from the World Café Premieres on North Country Public Radio (6/6/03)
Potsdam Office of Smith Barney Purchases Equipment for NCPR Reading Service (5/29/03)
Public Radio Program Searching for Young North Country Musicians (5/21/03)
New Weekend Programs on NCPR (5/9/03)
Christopher Lydon to Host North Country Public Radio Call-in (4/30/03)
Voices from the Home Front: A Special Documentary & Call-in Program from North Country Public Radio (4/17/03)
Public Radio Call-in Program Broadcasts from Baghdad (4/11/03)
NCPR Begins 35th Anniversary Celebration with Web Monday (2/25/034)
Pearsall Foundation Supports Natural Selections (11/22/02)
NCPR Exceeds Fall Fundraiser Goal (11/07/02)
Public Radio Has Special 9/11 Coverage (9/5/02)
NCPR Airs Award-Winning Series (7/22/02)
NCPR Reporter Wins Native Media Award (7/18/02)
Public Radio Seeks Teens for Youth Website Project Retreat (5/22/02)
Study Reveals Beneficial Link Between Public Radio Stations and University Licensees (5/13/02)
Verizon Supports Public Radio Youth Website Project (5/7/02)
North Country Public Radio Honored (5/1/02)
NCPR Staff Travels to Boonville (4/12/02)
NCPR Announces 2001 Volunteers of the Year (2/22/02)
NCPR Reporter Goes to Kosovo (2/13/02)
NCPR Adds Another Service Area (1/18/02)
NCPR Explores Literacy in Week Long Series (1/7/02)