A year ago Saturday was the last broadcast of The Bryant Park Project. It was a day that we met with sadness, grief, and no small bit of anger – we’ve since edited out the most egregious parts.
And on July 14, we saw the first anniversary of the words:
Maybe you heard the news; it is by turns troubling and dispiriting, but yes, amid a crackdown in the food sector in Bangladesh, the government has cancelled the license of over 1900 delinquent rice mills across the country. Any cancellation of rice mills always has the official explanation. In this case, it was the, you know, public procurement drives, there was some non-cooperation.
That’s what they say in public, but of course you have to wonder if the rice mills simply didn’t fit into the overall culture of the food grain collection and monitoring committees.
So this awesome, metaphorical tirade, questioning the wisdom of canceling the Bryant Park Project, continues longer than I have patience to transcribe, but the point is that this is what sealed Radio Sweethearts’ love for Mike Pesca – that, and the fact that he used any excuse he could find to then play “Chocolate Rain,” which rounds out the segment linked to above.
How the hell, you ask, is this relevant to this week’s “On the Media?” Because Brooke Gladstone is still out, writing her book, while Bob Garfield is out for reasons we’re unaware of. And they lured Pesca into hosting in their absence.
Very little could have made us happier. We debated doing a team recap, but time didn’t permit. We had a potluck at our house tonight, we had to do laundry, and frankly – we’re not even sure what a team recap would end up looking like.
One thing that I love about Pesca hosting “On the Media” is that I think he’s a talented reporter/interviewer. I feel like this talent is a little limited in his usual gig as a sports reporter for NPR. Granted, he’s one of few sports reporters who are capable of making me truly care about sports.
Which, by the way, Mike, if you ever want to cover the Memphis Roller Derby – and why wouldn’t you – we have a place for you to crash.
It’s clear from his interview style that he’s learned a lot from Bob and Brooke. He asks questions as insightful and incisive as Brooke’s, with the directness – and weakness for a bad joke – of Bob’s.
It makes for a one-man show that is as lively and varied as the best of Brooke and Bob’s tag-team shows.
For the best example of this, there’s a story about a pretty messed-up bit of spin on the Canadian health care system and how the right wing is spinning the stats quite strangely, while the media didn’t even bother fact-checking.
So while Kerry and I sit here pouring one out for our fallen homies, I highly recommend this episode for an hour that will feel like only 45 minutes. Or something. At any rate:
This week’s “On the Media” highlights reel was written by Matthew and edited by cary who didn’t notice this misspelling or that stray space, because NEWSPApsers have been leighing off copyeditors, which is a grave mistake.
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