Radio Documentary 2009

 

Making Interracial Marriage Work – Paul Stephens

Paul Stephens talks to his cousin and his cousin's wife about the challenges of an interracial marriage.

 

The Dying School – Kyla Calvert

New York City closes poorly performing schools. They don't close them all at once though - they phase out over time and the students who stay at these schools watch as they are dismantles year by year. Kyla Calvert spent a semester at one of these dying schools, the East Brooklyn Congregations High School for Public Safety and the Law in East New York, which everyone just calls EBC, getting to know its students and teachers.

 

Bipolar Kids – Maura Walz

Until recently, doctors believed that bipolar disorder, or manic depression, emerged only in adults.  But psychiatrists have begun diagnosing the severe mood disorder in young children, sometimes even in toddlers.  It’s a scary and controversial diagnosis, made more so by the fact that it’s still unknown how children respond to many of the medications used to treat the disorder in adults.  Maura Walz looks at how families live with mental illness in kids so young they can’t describe what’s wrong. 

 

The Story of Steve – Jessica Rudis

Steve is a mysterious man who works at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.  Everybody wonders about him, but nobody has ever figured out his life story -- until now.

Figuring Out Fake Jews - Mathew Katz

Mathew Katz never really wanted to be a Jew - it just wasn't all that cool. But now he's found out that there are a bunch of people who actually pretend to be Jewish, but he has no idea why.

 

Stonewall, 40 Years On – Devin Dwyer

40 years ago, riots outside the Stonewall Inn, a bar in Greenwich Village, put the movement for gay rights on the map.
Devin Dwyer takes us back to the Stonewall to meet two men whose lives were changed that last weekend of June 1969.

 

The Strange World of Pet Modeling - Amy B. Wang

If you’ve ever opened a J.Crew catalog or watched a pet food commercial and thought – “Where do those animals come from?” or “Hey, my dog could do that” – then you’re not alone. Amy B Wang takes us into the world of animal modeling, where even Fido needs an agent, where the pay is peanuts – sometimes literally – and where fame doesn’t come easily.

Soulmate Drive-by - Kerry Weber
If you're lucky, you get one chance to meet your soul mate. If you're unlucky, you meet them twice. Kerry Weber explains.

Where do you stand on the God issue? - Jeff Otieno
Two recent studies (Pew Research Institute study on Religion and the American Religious Identification Survey) showed that the number of atheists have doubled in the last decade from 8 percent to about 16 percent. last year. Other studies have also  predicted in the near future the number of atheists might triple as more Americans abandon organized religion. The changing trend has some fearing a real theological polarization of America. Jeff Otieno talked to both believers and non-believers about the two studies.

Students find welfare's workload too much to handle - Dara Miles
New York's work requirements for welfare recipients forces young adults to make a tough choice between welfare and higher education.

A Changing Dad - Tamara Bock
Tamara Bock's father finds a new lease on life when he embraces a new faith.

One bird's end of the world - Eleanor Boudreau
The piping plover is on the endangered species list, and has chosen Rockaway Beach as a mating ground - much to the chagrin of local beach-lovers.

Memories of the Motel - Laura Nahmias
Laura Nahmias explores her relationship with an ex-boyfriend through the Rolling Stone's Memory Motel.