Hibblen Radio


 

 

Watch the full episode. See more Arkansas Week.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Panelist On AETN's Arkansas Week

I'm a regular on the week in review program that airs on public television stations in Arkansas, hosted by Steve Barnes. This week I joined Jeff Hankins from Arkansas Business and columnist Ernie Dumas to discuss no bid contracts on college campuses, one of which led to the resignation of the president of the University of Central Arkansas, Little Rock voters approving an increase in their sales tax and the continued rise of unemployment in Arkansas.

 

 

Friday, August 19, 2011

The West Memphis Three, who were convicted in the gruesome 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys, were set free in an extraordinary turn of events. With the possibility of a new trial for the men, who have been behind bars for 18 years, prosecutors agreed to a deal in which the three pleaded guilty to lesser charges, while still maintaining their innocence.

 

 

Watch the full episode. See more Arkansas Week.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Appearing On AETN's Arkansas Week

I'm a regular panelist on the week in review program, hosted by Steve Barnes, that airs on the six stations of the Arkansas Educational Television Network. This time I joined political science professor Jay Barth and veteran journalist Ernie Dumas. One of the most challenging topics to discuss was predicting what was going to happen in a court hearing for the West Memphis Three. The show is recorded mid-morning on Fridays, but airs at 8 pm that evening. The hearing was scheduled for 11 am that day, so we knew whatever we said would be outdated by the time the show was broadcast. But what was leaked out by family members, saying that a deal was in the works to allow the three, who were convicted in the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys, to go free turned out to be correct. We also discussed the spending of stimulus dollars and new data showing one in four kids in Arkansas lives in poverty.

 

 

Watch the full episode. See more Arkansas Week.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Appearing On AETN's Arkansas Week

I'm a reguar panelist on the week in review program aired on the six stations of the Arkansas Educational Television Network. On this weekend's show I joined Lance Turner of Arkansas Business and political science professor Jay Barth from Hendrix College. Among the key topics were how Arkansas is weathering the nation's economic troubles, the Green Party of Arkansas losing its appeal challenging the rules for getting candidates on the ballot and the defection of a Democratic state House member to the Republican Party. I mispoke at one point during the show, accidentally calling Governor Beebe Governor Bush. Opps. I guess all those years of covering Governor Jeb Bush in Florida left a bit of an imprint. You can catch me again on the next Arkansas Week, airing Friday, August 19 at 8 pm on AETN.

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

With the end of a federal program that provided money to help local police departments dispose of dangerous chemicals found in Meth Labs, an analysis finds a 33-percent drop in the number of labs raided in Arkansas, with some police saying production and demand for the drug is flourishing, but they just don't have the resources now to take care of the chemicals after a bust. But Arkansas State Police hope to step in with assistance.

 

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Green Party of Arkansas lost its appeal of a federal judge's decision, with a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals essentially saying the hurtles third parties must overcome to get candidates on the ballot are not unconstitutional. That means the party will need to collect 10,000 signatures of voters if it wants candidates on the 2012 ballot.

 

 

Rosanne Cash at the rehearsal for the concert -- Click to enlargeSaturday, August 6, 2011

Restoring Johnny Cash's Boyhood Home

Eight years after the death of Johnny Cash, four generations of his family, including daughter Rosanne Cash and son John Carter Cash, came together with many of his longtime friends like Kris Kristofferson and George Jones for a tribute concert that raised money to restore Cash's boyhood home in the east Arkansas town of Dyess. The town was created in 1934 as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal program. Johnny Cash's father was one of 500 farmers who got a small piece of land. I covered the concert August 4th at Arkansas State University, which raised $310,000 for the project. You can read my account of the show on KUAR's website or listen to my report below.

AUDIO: My feature on the concert, including some of the music and comments from performers, runs 8:34. Download as MP3.

 

UPDATE: One sad note to pass along related to the Johnny Cash tribute show. Three days after the concert, Cash's longtime bass player Marshall Grant died at a Jonesboro hospital. He had been with Cash at the beginning, playing the upright bass in the Tennessee Two starting in 1954 and was pivotal in helping create Cash's distinctive "boom-chicka-boom" sound that was present on the early recordings for Sun Records in Memphis. He spent decades playing and recording with Cash before leaving the band in 1980. Grant lived in Hernando, Mississippi and was in Jonesboro for the fundraiser to restore Cash's boyhood home. Grant was in the audience at a news conference the day before the show and was pointed out by Rodney Crowell, who noted his accomplishments and said "Marshall it's good to see you." "Thank you, I appreciate that," Grant replied. He apparently became ill during rehearsals and was hospitalized before the show. Marshall Grant died Sunday, August 7, 2011. He was 83-years-old.

 

 

Friday, July 8, 2011

Hundreds turned out for the dedication of a new $5.3 million pedestrian and bicycle Bridge that crosses the Little Maumelle River just west of the I-430 bridge in Little Rock. It will allow bicyclists to ride from the Arkansas River Trial to Two Rivers Park and and access an extensive network of trails beyond that.

 

 

Watch the full episode. See more Arkansas Week.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Appearing On AETN's Arkansas Week

I always enjoy serving as a panelist on "Arkansas Week," which airs on six public television stations. On June 17th I joined host Steve Barnes, newspaper editor Doug Thompson and political science professor Price Dooley to discuss a pending decision by the state education commissioner on whether to dissolve the Pulaski County Special School District's board amid extensive problems. That was in addition to an order by a judge to end nearly $70 million in state desegregation funding for the three central Arkansas school districts. We also discussed the very political process of redrawing legislative districts in the state and efforts by a group of Arkansas Republicans to get Texas governor Rick Perry into the race for President, saying they weren't excited about the current crop of candidates.

 

 

Thursday, June 16, 2011

An Opera based on the Arkansas childhood of Bill Clinton is debuting in New York City. It's a day in the life of a then 14-year-old who would become President. It's called Billy Blythe, which is the name Clinton went by until adopting his step-father's surname in high school. The opera was created by musician Bonnie Montgomery who says she was struck by events detailed in his autobiography.

 

Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is looking into allegations that four guards at Arkansas Nuclear One near Russellville were Sleeping on the job. Photos reportedly captured them while on duty at the nuclear reactor with their eyes closed and one with a cap pulled over his eyes. Click on the link to read my report for KUAR.

 

 

Watch the full episode. See more Arkansas Week.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Panelist On AETN's Arkansas Week

On Friday, May 20th I again appeared on the week in review program "Arkansas Week," which is aired on six public television stations in the state. I joined host Steve Barnes and fellow panelists Brenda Blagg with the Northwest Arkansas News and Andrew DeMillo of the Associated Press to discuss a pivotal decision in the legal fight over school desegregation funding. We also talked about efforts by the Libertarian Party to get on the ballot in Arkansas in 2012, legal action by Sheffield Nelson, the former director of the state Game and Fish Commission, and the decision by former Governor Mike Huckabee, despite good poll numbers, not to run for President.

 

Friday, May 20, 2011

There was outrage in Clinton, Arkansas after Barrels labeled as having contained dangerous chemicals used for natural gas drilling were found in a creek that supplies the north Arkansas town's drinking water. As boats were pulling the containers from the water, the mayor told me information from the labels would be used to trace where they came from and that he wanted whoever was responsible to be prosecuted.

 

Friday, May 13, 2011

U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin of Arkansas was among lawmakers shown graphic Photos of Osama bin Laden after the terrorist leader was shot in the head by U.S. forces. The Republican describes the images, which will not be made public, as "gruesome," but clearly identifiable as bin Laden. He also says he agrees with President Obama's decision not to release the photos. You can read my story and listen to the interview with Griffin at the link above.

 

Watch the full episode. See more Arkansas Week.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Appearing on AETN's "Arkansas Week"

I periodically get invited to take part in Arkansas Week, a program which is aired on six public television stations in the state. It's always a treat to sit down with host Steve Barnes and two other guests to discuss politics and issues facing the state. On May 6, 2011 I went on the show along with Hendrix College professor Jay Barth and University of Central Arkansas professor Price Dooley to discuss widespread flooding and the impact that was having on the state. Damage to agriculture is expected to at least be in the range of a half-billion dollars. We also talked about the approval by the federal government for Arkansas to consider reforms to Medicaid, renewed calls by members of the state's congressional delegation to expand oil drilling and better than expected state revenues.

 

 

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Playing Alternative Country On KUAR's Not Necessarily Nashville

What pleasure I had being able to sit back and play some of my favorite music on the radio. While I started out in the business as DJ, I made the transition to news 18 years ago and don't usually get the chance to play music any more. But Flap Jones, host of KUAR's weekly alternative country show Not Necessarily Nashville asked if I wanted to fill in for her for two weeks while she was in North Carolina to attend Merlefest, an incredible four-day festival held each year featuring some of the best of the genre. Flap and I have pretty similar tastes. I had filled in for her a few times long ago when she was still on KABF and jumped at the chance to do it again. You can hear both full episodes below.

 

AUDIO: On April 30th I played some of the artists performing at Merlefest like the Del McCoury Band and Doc Watson and called Flap to find out how this year's festival was going. Audio runs 59:02. Download as MP3.

 

AUDIO: On May 7th I had new music from Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris and Ryan Bingham. I also played a song James McMurtry had done when I interviewed him in 2010. Runs 1:00:14. Download as MP3.

 

 

Tuesday, May 5, 2011

The swollen Mississippi River has kept waterways in east Arkansas from draining adequately, causing widespread flooding. Standing water from the White River forced the closure of I-40 for several days, with traffic having to take long detours. In the northeast Arkansas town of Pocahontas, flooding of the Black River left much of that area underwater.

 

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

There was a celebration when, after two days of searching, a group of Boy Scouts were found safe in a flooded national park in southwest Arkansas, in the same area where 20 people died in flash flooding a year before. They were found by a National Guard helicopter after getting trapped by the rising waters of the Little Missouri River and area creeks.

 

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

KUAR Transmitter Set On Fire

KUAR LogoFederal investigators say arson was likely the cause of a fire at the transmitter for KUAR-FM 89.1, where I work as afternoon news anchor. The blaze was discovered at the tower site on Shenall Mountain, just west of Little Rock, after the station abruptly went off the air on Saturday, April 2nd. Our engineer went out to the tower, finding smoke coming from the transmitter building. He discovered that a padlock to the building had been cut and replaced with another lock, keeping him from immediately getting into the building.

The Little Rock Fire Department responded, using bolt cutters to get inside and extinguish the fire. Given the circumstances, the fire was immediately called suspicious. As local authorities looked into it, federal investigators from the ATF were also called in on Monday, April 4th. A specially-trained dog was brought to the tower site and immediately hit on two locations where it's believed an accelerant was used to ignite the blaze. On the air that afternoon I took a detailed look at the circumstances of the fire.

 

AUDIO: Talking on the air about the KUAR transmitter fire with the head of the Arkansas ATF office, our engineer Tom Rusk and station general manager Ben Fry. Audio runs 9:25. Download as MP3.

 

It's unclear what the motivation could have been. KUAR runs NPR programming, which has been under fire by conservatives lately who wanted to cut funding for public broadcasting. Just a few days before our fire, Texarkana NPR station KTXK was knocked off the air by gunfire, which put a hole in cables inside its tower. As I reported on the air, federal authorities were looking at the possibility of a link. A small amount of copper was also stolen from our tower, which also presents the possibility that it was simply a theft and that the fire was set as some kind of diversion.

 

Thursday, March 31, 2011

As lawmakers were trying to wrap up the 2011 session of the Arkansas Legislature, two contentious issues were holding things up. One was the redrawing of the state's congressional districts, which can be key in determining the power of each party. The other was the budget for the state insurance department, because part of it included establishing the state framework for the federal government health insurance overhaul.

 

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The End Of Beaker Street?

45 years after the legendary progressive rock radio program Beaker Street began on Little Rock powerhouse KAAY, which at that time could be heard in much of the U.S. and other countries, the show is being canceled by it's current station. KKPT, The Point 94.1 notified host Clyde Clifford that February 6th will be his last program. Clifford, whose real name is Dale Seidenschwarz, hopes to find a new home for Beaker Street. On January 16th I visited with him as he did his show at The Point for a story for KUAR about the history of Beaker Street. You can read my story and hear my report on Beaker Street on KUAR's web site. I put together a short video clip including one break and some of the interview. You can also download an MP3 of the full Interview with Clyde Clifford, which runs 18:02 (16.9 mb).

 
 

Watch the full episode. See more Arkansas Week.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Appearing on AETN's "Arkansas Week"

In recent weeks I've appeared twice on the public television week in review program, aired on six stations in Arkansas. During the most recent broadcast we discussed the second attempt to fire the director of the Arkansas Lottery, a decision to require companies drilling for natural gas in Arkansas to disclose what chemicals are used in a process known as hydraulic fracturing and a colorful judge quoting country singer Ernest Tubb as he recused himself from a lawsuit involving a massive coal-fired power plant under construction in southwest Arkansas. You can watch the program by clicking on the image to the left. It's fun going on the program, which is hosted by veteran newsman Steve Barnes, who I literally grew up watching on television.

 

Friday, December 3, 2010

Judges order a stop to the shredding of court documents

A rather unusual battle had to be resolved by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Pulaski County circuit clerk Pat O'Brien, whose duties involve the keeping of court records, had set a goal when he came into office of digitizing all court records and moving toward a paperless operation at the county courthouse. After years of scanning, O'Brien recently began shredding court files as his term in office nears its end. He said the county was running out of storage space and that maintaining the records was unnecessary and expensive.

But 17 judges, alarmed that the digital system was not always reliable and that needed files couldn't be accessed, issued an order that the destruction of the documents stop. O'Brien appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, saying in his filing that the judges "overstepped their authority and breached the separation-of-powers doctrine." O'Brien joined me during a local segment on KUAR on November 30th to explain his argument, which you can listen to at the link above (MP3 runs 4:19). Within a couple of days the Arkansas Supreme Court issued a three sentence ruling declining to overturn the ruling, meaning the shredding had to stop. I then spoke with Pulaski County circuit Judge Ellen Brantley, who was one of the 17 who issued the ruling for her reaction. You can also hear a brief interview I recorded with Judge Brantley (MP3 runs 2:29).

 

Watch the full episode. See more Election 2010: The Debates.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Lively Debate for Secretary of State

In advance of their election, the candidates for Arkansas Secretary of State took part in a debate October 14th on the Arkansas Educational Television Network. I was one of three reporters who questioned Republican Mark Martin and Democrat Pat O'Brien. While races for the state office don't typically generate much excitement, this one was exceptionally interesting because of the level of hostility between the two. Columnist John Brummett with Stephens Media wrote that he stumbled onto the televised debate and became transfixed. "It could have been an old SNL skit, a pretty funny one, with the late Chris Farley playing overwrought and over-emotive Republican candidate Mark Martin and Kevin Nealon portraying smug Democratic candidate Pat O'Brien." UPDATE: Martin went on to win the November election.

 

The Little Rock Nine pose in front of Central High School in November 2009Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Jefferson Thomas of the Little Rock Nine dies

Jefferson Thomas, who was one of the nine black students who integrated Little Rock's Central High School in 1957, died Sunday, Sept. 5. The 67-year-old had been suffering from pancreatic cancer. I interviewed he and the other members of the Little Rock Nine last November as part of an assignment for the New Yorker, which had a photo shoot of the group in front of the school for a series on civil rights icons. It turned out to be the last time all nine would reunite. The image to the right is a simple shot that I took with my phone as they lined up for the New Yorker's photographer, who took a series of incredible shots and portraits. Thomas is the one on the far left.

In 1957 the nation's attention focused on Little Rock as angry white mobs filled the streets and Governor Orval Faubus bought out the Arkansas National Guard to physically block the students from entering what had been an all-white school. The teenagers and anyone associated with them were threatened, as were reporters and photographers covering the crisis. President Eisenhower responded by sending members of the U.S. Army to safely escort the nine inside the school. 53-years later, with the news of the death of Jefferson Thomas, I spoke with fellow Little Rock Nine members Minnijean Brown-Trickey and Terrence Roberts and paid a visit to the visitors center across from Central High, which is operated by the National Parks Service. I've put together a montage of my reports for KUAR and NPR News on the Little Rock Nine, which you can download as an MP3. It runs 11:04 (10.1 mb) and includes reports on their final full reunion in November 2009 and the death of Jefferson Thomas the following September.

 

Thursday, August 19, 2010

KABF in trouble?

It sure seems that way. The Little Rock, Arkansas community radio station, where I hosted a show for about five years starting in 1988 when I was in high school, is being audited by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. There's also a bit of a power struggle right now within its board of directors. The troubles have the potential to rip KABF apart, or perhaps give new life and direction to the station. KABF has a special place in my heart and I'm hoping for the best. But internal emails, which I've detailed below, show the troubles it faces.

KABF Button from the late 1980sThe CPB's interest comes from the financial funding it has given to the station in recent years. The CPB is an entity that provides critical support for public broadcasting, but those receiving its funding must meet strict standards. I was surprised after moving back to Little Rock to hear in its top of the hour legal ID that KABF, which has always been a little sloppy with details, was funded in part by the CPB. Even KASU, a more formal NPR station owned by Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, lost its CPB funding for a time for not meeting the standards.

Some of KABF's problems stem from the disintegration of the community action group ACORN, which it had always been closely aligned with. While technically, KABF was run by the Arkansas Broadcasting Foundation, it was essentially operated by ACORN. Since going on the air in 1984, KABF has always shared office space with ACORN in Little Rock. Also, many of the KABF board members have concurrently been ACORN board members. But with the national scandal that ACORN found itself in after undercover videos were recorded, which it was later learned were highly manipulated to give a misleading impression, the two entities began being pulled apart. At one board meeting, an ACORN representative even stood up to say that KABF owed the group 25 years of back rent. The Little Rock chapter has since formed a new group and it appears KABF won't have it to fall back on for support.

A key aspect that is being investigated is that CPB money was apparently not going directly to KABF, but rather to an entity in New Orleans with ACORN connections, who I understand paid KABF's bills and salaries. And it's suggested in emails from KABF board member Pat Jansen that there may have been some improprieties. On August 8, Jansen wrote to station staff, volunteers and supporters that an independent audit is being conducted of the last several years and "there is NO TELLING what those audits will uncover, or what might be necessary to remedy the resulting complaints, or what portion of those grants might need to be repaid," Jansen wrote. "However, the corrective actions we're about to make now can also be applied to some of these eventual CPB concerns." He says the chief fear is that KABF "could be cut off completely due to the irresponsible nature of previous business conduct." Jansen indicated that the Office of Inspector General for the CPB has said that necessary for continued funding would be a complete "separation from ACORN.” He also wrote that “Since we have interlocked board members with obvious links to the former ACORN and various ACORN affiliates, this could be a huge problem."

That's where the power struggle comes in. A few days before those comments, on August 4, Jansen demanded in an email that board members Columbus Higgins, Evelyn Parker, Maxine Nelson, Johnnie Pugh and Donna Massey need to step down, and made some pretty pointed accusations. "I am hereby asking for the resignations of these five board members because of their willful neglect of the needs of the station, because of past mismanagement and lack of proper oversight, and because of inappropriate connections and conflicts of interest which are preventing the flow of station funds and hindering positive change."

Jansen says he has been in direct contact with representatives of the CPB in Washington for their guidance in what can be done to continue its funding, which is the primary source of KABF's operating budget. In emails, Jansen has also encouraged everyone involved to stay positive, especially since the story is being reported on by other media. That prompted this written reply from Deb Moser: "I understand the 'let's not be negative,' BUT the reality is that this is a negative issue and I am not so worried about the media. The more info that gets out, the better. I think it is perfectly fine to let folks know about the board and the board members who are refusing to do anything. In fact, I think the more that their names are associated with their sinking ship, the better."

Internal conflicts have torn apart many great community radio stations over the years. It takes a lot of people to keep a mostly volunteer radio station on the air and there are a lot of different opinions and personalities. I don't know who is right and who is wrong in this fight, again I'm just hoping KABF survives. In a board meeting August 17, an Arkansas Times reporter says things were more civil and no one mentioned Jansen's call for the five members to resign. But systemic problems still haven't been addressed.

 

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

James McMurtry stops by KUAR

In advance of a show in Little Rock by the alt-country singer on July 20th, James McMurtry joined me to talk about his music and play a couple of songs. He has been one of my favorites for several years now with his dark, often politically charged songs, many about people living on the fringes of society. I asked him about the kind of songs he writes, politics and about the influence of his father, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry. You can download an MP3 of the interview and performance with James McMurtry, which runs 21:44 (a pretty big file at 30.55 mb) and which includes the songs "Down Across The Delaware" and the great, rambling "Choctaw Bingo." He later explained a bit of what has happened to the many place he names in the later song, saying that it may be time to add another verse to it. I really enjoyed talking with him.

James McMurtry publicity photo
 
Wednesday, June 8, 2010
 

Incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln fights for re-election

With the race getting a lot of attention as a test of voter temperament, this has dominated much of my reporting. Senator Lincoln's seat had already been considered vulnerable in the general election, when she got a last minute challenge for the Democratic nomination by Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. On May 18, as the primary election was being held, I started my day with a 6:15 AM live shot on the public radio program The Takeaway, which originates from WNYC and is heard on about 50 stations across the country. On the link above you can listen to that segment. Then I ran out to cover Lincoln and Halter as they cast their votes. The photo to the left shows me as part of a large mob of reporters talking with her. I also filed several times throughout the day for NPR and CBS and covered Halter's watch party that night. I've posted an MP3 of one report for NPR on the Primary that aired in its 6 PM hourly newscast. With no candidate getting more than 50-percent of the vote, it went into a runoff three weeks later, which Lincoln ended up winning. I again went on The Takeaway the following morning to report on Lincoln's victory. Now she faces what is expected to be a tough challenge from Republican John Boozman in November.

 
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
 

Counting down the hits -- Hibby's Top 10

I periodically check the stats to see what is getting traffic on my web site, especially what MP3 files people are downloading. Some files, which are mostly old airchecks or news reports of mine, will occasionally spike for no reason that I can immediately determine. I can see when people make links to my pages or files and I can see when people come across my site after searching for items. I thought you might find it interesting to see what people are listening to, so here are the top 10 MP3 downloads from March. My reporting on the 2005 suicide of indicted Miami City Commissioner Art Teele in the lobby of the Miami Herald tops the list by a strong margin. I can only assume a recent documentary on Teele is responsible for the resurgence in interest about him. Other items are typically popular from month to month, especially segments of my 1994 interview with beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who died in 1997. He especially generates a lot of traffic from Europe and those files have always been popular.

  1. Art Teele suicide, July 2005, WLRN-Miami Herald News (595 downloads)
  2. Plane crash kills R&B singer Aaliyah, Aug. 2001, CBS Radio News (338)
  3. Allen Ginsberg on the Beat Generation, Nov. 5, 1994, KABF/ Little Rock (323)
  4. Allen Ginsberg on Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, Nov. 5, 1994, KABF/Little Rock (287)
  5. Allen Ginsberg on a retrospective boxed set, Nov. 5, 1994, KABF/Little Rock (281)
  6. Allen Ginsberg voicing a promo for KABF, Nov. 5, 1994, KABF/ Little Rock (271)
  7. In 2006 I was a guest on my old friend Pat Lynch's radio show on a state network called STAN, Aug. 8, 2006 (263)
  8. Aircheck of a shift of mine on Jonesboro, Ark. station KJBR, Power 102, June, 1992 (260)
  9. The Pat Lynch Show on KARN/ Little Rock, May 4, 1995 (255)
  10. Newscast of mine for Richmond, Virginia news station WRVA, Aug. 29, 1997 (235)
 
Album cover for American VI: Ain't No Grave

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Like a lot of people, I had been eagerly awaiting the release of the final Johnny Cash album with producer Rick Rubin. American VI: Ain't No Grave finally came out February 23rd, and I wasn't disappointed. It, like many of the other recordings Cash made in the final years of his life, has a lot to do with death. But it's also quite a celebration of life. It was released three days before what would have been the Arkansas-native's 78th birthday. On the day of the album's release, I played a sampling of its music on KUAR. Click on the link above to listen to that segment. The songs were recorded by Rubin in 2003 in the months between the death of Cash's wife June Carter Cash and his own death. His incredible voice is frail, but the heart is there. I also think Cash's voice sounds stronger than on the previous album, American V: A Hundred Highways. He clearly has the introspection of someone who knows he's at the end of his life. As he sings on For The Good Times: "Don't look so sad, I know it's over. But life goes on and this old world will keep on turning. Let's just be glad we had some time to spend together. There's no need to watch the bridges that we're burning." I think this posthumous release will give fans a solid final collection from Cash to enjoy.
 

Thursday, January 14, 2010

 
A buddy of mine, Jerry Colburn, just got back from six weeks of roaming around Europe. Upon his retirement, the North Little Rock, Arkansas resident decided he needed to see more of the world, so he filled a backpack with three changes of clothes and spent a month and a half sleeping on the couches of people he met on the internet or in hostels. For the most part it turned out pretty good. I recorded an interview with Jerry about his adventures, which you can download as five MP3 files. He also sent me a few photos of his travels, which I've also posted. Good times.
 

Saturday, October 31, 2009

I revised my page looking at the time I spent working at KUAR in Little Rock between June 1995 and August 1996. It struck me recently that KUAR is the only place I've gone back to work at a second time, today serving as the local host/anchor during the afternoon show All Things Considered. I expanded on my time there a bit and added one additional MP3 of a half-hour interview program I had done in July 1995 looking at the debate over the proposed River Project, which voters were going to have to decide whether to support later that year. It's interesting listening to the show 14 years later because today the area that was being discussed for development is the busy River Market area, which is full of shops, restaurants and clubs, anchored by the Clinton Presidential Center. But at that time it was a mostly industrial area full of empty warehouses. I also added a video that I posed on You Tube showing KUAR's facilities at that time.

 
Click to read about my time with WLRN-Miami Herald News

Saturday, October 17, 2009

For quite a while I’ve been working on a page summing up the nearly six years I spent working in the Miami Herald’s radio department. By clicking on the logo to the left you can see photos, download MP3 files of some of the bigger stories I covered and read many of the articles I wrote for the paper.

 
I'm still working on the page by adding or revising some items, but wanted to go ahead and finally put it out there. The Miami Herald was a fascinating place to work that gave me a lot of good opportunities. But there came a time when, after a total of 12 years in Miami, I felt it was finally time to return home to Little Rock, Arkansas. I had lots of mixed emotions when I left and know that I’ll miss the warm weather during the cold winter days that are ahead in Arkansas. But I am happy to be back on my old station KUAR-FM 89.1 in Little Rock and to still be heard on an NPR station.
 

Saturday, October 3, 2009

It was a lot of fun last month when my old pal Flap Jones, who hosts Not Necessarily Nashville on KABF, asked if I wanted to fill in for her one week while she was out of town. It gave me a chance to play some of my favorite alternative country music. But it was also kind of nostalgic since it was the first time in nearly 15 years that I had been on the air at KABF, which was the first station I would ever broadcast on. I've uploaded two MP3 files that you can listen to. The week before she left I joined her on the air so that she could show me the equipment, which if you listen you'll realize didn't work very well. But we had a good time. Download that show show from August 28, 2009, runs 18:58 (17.4 mb). Or you can download the show from a week later when I filled in for her on September 4, 2009, runs 23:29 (21.5 mb). There is a little clipping of the audio at the beginning of the second show because I had the volume on my recorder set too high. Both airchecks are scoped, meaning they're mostly when we were talking on the air without the entire songs.

KABF button from the late 1980s
 
 

Thursday, October 1, 2009

I'm glad I finally got this old videotape converted into a digital file and posted on YouTube. In 1990 the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw did a profile of KABF, a community radio station in Little Rock where I was then hosting a weekly alternative rock show. NBC was apparently inspired to do the report after seeing a profile the Arkansas Times had written about the station earlier that year. The network sent reporter Bob Dotson who spent a week at the station filming hours and hours worth of footage. I wasn't included in the report, but lots of my favorite people from KABF are. The piece focused on Flap Jones, the host of Not Necessarily Nashville. After I got this posted to YouTube, I put a link on Facebook, which Flap saw. She later marveled to me about seeing this for the first time in years, especially noting how young her daughters were. This was after all nearly 20 years ago. The piece also features the late Mr. Lee, who hosted an extremely popular blues show. Station Manager John Cain is also shown briefly, although it's while he's getting feedback, with the reporter saying "few of them had experience in radio before." I was there for the tail end while they were filming Nothing But A House Party, which came on before my show. But I think the funniest part is seeing a much younger looking Tom Brokaw introduce the piece.

 

 

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