EH.N: ANN: New History Radio Show

[Tony Field]

A new U.S. history-themed weekly radio program is in development at the 
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities in Charlottesville, Virginia, and 
will be launching on selected public radio stations in late spring. 
Hosted by U.S. historians Brian Balogh, Peter Onuf, and Ed Ayers, the 
program will go where few journalists dare to go: into the past.

Each week, the American History Guys will tear a topic from the 
headlines, and proceed to plumb its historical depths. Over the course 
of a show, the
hosts will be joined by fellow historians, people in the news, and 
callers who want to explore the roots of what’s going on today. 
Together, they will drill down to colonial times and earlier, revealing 
the connections (and disconnections) between past and present. With its 
passionate, intelligent, and irreverent approach, the program will 
target specialists and non-specialists alike, and attempt to make 
history part of the national conversation again.

We think that one of our inaugural shows may be of interest to 
recipients of this listserv. It concerns the history of debt in American 
life. Here's our working description of the show:

"Consumer confidence is often touted as a measure of our economy's
health. If people spend more than they save, we're in good shape; if
they don't, we're in trouble. But 200 years ago, thrift was prized, and
debt was considered not simply an economic failing, but a /moral/
one. It could even land you in prison! When did our attitudes about
debt change so dramatically? How did debt become a way of life for us?
Does the American Dream's promise of new beginnings conflict with
values of fiscal responsibility?"

A significant portion of the program will be devoted to listener calls. 
But because the show is still in development, we are relying on 
word-of-mouth to attract people interested in being callers. Please 
consider sending us your thoughts, observations, and especially 
questions related to the topic. If we think they work well for our 
purposes, we'll invite you to share them "on the air."

Also -- please pass this announcement along to colleagues, students, and 
anybody else you think might be interested. We are just as interested -- 
if not more so -- in getting calls from non-experts as we are in getting 
calls from specialists. Our goal is to make the subject interesting and 
relevant for people without any prior exposure to the scholarly field.

We will be recording this episode of the show this Saturday, March, 8th. 
If you're interested in participating, please email us with your 
thoughts/questions by this Friday morning at the latest.

Thank you very much...and stay tuned!


Tony Field
Radio Producer
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
tfield at virginia.edu
434-924-8922