Tag Archives: NPR

Soledad O’Brien Named to Peabody Board of Directors

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Soledad O’Brien is on board…

In an effort to advance the organization’s commitment to storytelling, Peabody has appointed six new members to its bicoastal board of directors, including the 53-year-old half-Afro-Cuban American journalist.

Soledad O'Brien

Joining O’Brien, a presenter on HBO’s Real Sportsand host of Hearst Television’s Matter Of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, on the board are Chris McCarthy, ViacomCBS’ newly appointed president of entertainment and youth brands, and ESPN’s executive vice president of content, Connor Schell.

NPReditorial director Nancy Barnesand UnivisionCommunications’ executive vice president of government and corporate affairs Jessica Herrera-Flaniganhave also joined the board.

The five executives will serve on Peabody’s East Coast board, with the sixth new arrival, CAApartner Steven Lafferty, joining the organization’s West Coast board.

The bicoastal boards are distinct from the traditional board of jurors, which hands out the Peabody Awards. Existing board members include Vicechief Nancy Dubuc, PBS CEO Paula Kergerand Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

Peabody executive director Jeffrey Jonessaid: “The intellectual capital and energy our boards bring is unparalleled, and we are excited to welcome these new members as they help us extend our reach through new partnerships and public engagements.”

Lau Noah Enchants During NPR “Tiny Desk Concert”

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Lau Noah is having a Tiny moment…

The Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist, among a new wave of Spanish artists making their mark globally, is the latest act to give a Tiny Desk Concert at the National Public Radio offices.

Lau Noah

Noah, who is enchanting music lovers one song at a time, flaunted her poetic lyrics and magical flamencoguitar riffs in a nearly 16-minute set that included five songs, wrapping with “La Realidad.”

According to NPR, she speaks and sings in Catalan, Spanish, English and sometimes Hebrew. She played the piano growing up and left Spain for New York City five years ago while still a teen.

“There’s a language we speak in the Northeast of Spain called Catalan in a region called Catalonia, this is where I come from,” she said during her performance before delivering her song “L’Adéu.” “And for many years I only sang in English because I was too scared of what they would say if I sang in my mother language. I’m not anymore. I’m really happy to share a song in Catalan with you.”

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/08/692656041/lau-noah-tiny-desk-concert?jwsource=cl

Café Tacvba Performs Four Original Songs at the NPR Music Tiny Desk Stage

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Café Tacvba doesn’t need a large stage to make an impact…

The five-piece Mexican band brightened the NPR Music Tiny Desk stage with four original songs in a performance released on Friday.

Café Tacvba 

Café Tacvba brought an arsenal of instruments into the cozy space, including ukuleles, guitars, drums, a bass and a melodica.

They opened with the lively “Olita del Altamar,” with singer Rubén Ortega, donning a blue kimono and two top knots, hopping around the setup centered behind a desk in a book-filled office during the song as he joyfully sang in his signature ragged voice.

The group followed with the noticeably more relaxed “Diente de León,” during which Ortega closed his eyes and raised his hands, getting lost in the gentle guitar strumming and warm drum beats.

“Las Flores” flipped the script with an energetic tempo, which inspired the whole room to clap along to the fun ska groove. The band closed their set with “Que No,” an easygoing ballad about love and moving on.

Cooking Channel Renews Rocca’s “My Grandmother’s Ravioli” for Third Season

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Get ready to spend Mo (Rocca) time in the kitchen…

The Cooking Channel has ordered another season of the 44-year-old half-Colombian comedian and journalist’s series My Grandmother’s Ravioli.

Mo Rocca

The Rocca-created and -hosted show will return for 13 more episodes in late 2014, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The series, inspired by the Sunday family dinners Rocca grew up enjoying at his grandmother’s house, follows him as he visits grandparents across North America who introduce him to their most treasured family recipes.

“Mo Rocca is a deft storyteller, and though he shouldn’t necessarily be left to his own devices in the kitchen, under the watchful eye of America’s grandparents, it makes for a delicious recipe for television,” said Cooking Channel’s general manager and senior vice president Michael Smith.

Rocca, a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, says viewers can expect more diverse dishes, locations and couples in the coming season. After featuring several “sweet, warm grandparents” on the series, Rocca is ready to spice up the cast. “We want cranky, crusty grandparents who will really ride me,” he quipped to THR.

So which grandparents who he most like to spend time with in the kitchen? The stoic farmer couple in the painting “American Gothic.”

“The best grandparents are the ones who probably have never seen the show and are definitely not interested in being on a reality show,” Rocca tells THR. “Usually volunteered by their kids and their grandkids, they’re people who just kind of do their own thing, spend time with their families and cook.”

Casting for season three has just begun, and grandparents can be nominated here.

With three episodes remaining in season two, the show will feature its first gay couple on January 8. The series currently airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

Rocca is also a panelist on NPR‘s Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me! and host of Cooking Channel’s Food(ography).

Maria Hinojosa Wins John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism

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She’s used to reporting the news… But this time around, Maria Hinojosa is making headlines for her noted journalism career.

The 51-year-old Mexican-born journalist has been named the winner of the 2012 John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism, announced Columbia University‘s Graduate School of Journalism on Wednesday.

Maria Hinojosa

Hinojosa, who has already won three Emmys for her work in television news, is a prominent member of the Hispanic journalistic community in the United States, after her work on CNN and her current work for PBS and National Public Radio.

The award was created in honor of long-time NBC News anchor John Chancellor.

Hinojosa was chosen “in recognition of the courage and independence she has shown over the course of her career reporting on those whose stories might not otherwise make it into the mainstream media,” the journalism school said.

Born in Mexico City and raised in Chicago, Hinojosa hosts the programs Latino USA on NPR and Need to Know on PBS.

Among the subjects Hinojosa has covered are immigrants’ jobs in New Orleans after the passage of Hurricane Katrina; rape in the U.S. Armed Forces; the lives of poor people and youth violence in immigrant communities.

The prize, which comes with a cash stipend of $25,000, will be presented at a November 14 ceremony at Columbia‘s Low Library in New York.