WHRV 89.5FM, STORYCORPS LAUNCH
“NATIONAL DAY OF LISTENING” NOVEMBER 28, 2008
WHRV 89.5FM to join acclaimed oral history project by encouraging Hampton Roads residents to interview a loved one the day after Thanksgiving
WHRV 89.5FM, one of the public radio stations in the WHRO family, will join with StoryCorps, the national oral history project, to launch the first annual National Day of Listening on November 28, 2008 in Hampton Roads.
On Thanksgiving, Americans and their loved ones gather to share a meal, express their gratitude and reminisce. On the day after Thanksgiving, this November 28, WHRV and StoryCorps are asking Hampton Roads to linger a little longer in the Thanksgiving spirit and honor a loved one by conducting an interview about his or her life.
It takes only an hour to participate, using recording equipment readily available in most homes - from video cameras to tape recorders to computers or even pen and paper.
“Looking a loved one in the eyes and asking about his or her life is one of the greatest gifts we can give one another,” says StoryCorps founder and MacArthur “genius” Dave Isay. “The simple act of listening tells them how much they matter, and documenting that conversation for posterity tells them that they won’t be forgotten.”
“With Hampton Roads’ rich culture and diverse population, we know there are wonderful stories to be told,” said Heather Mazzoni, WHRV Director of Programming. “We’re hoping this StoryCorps initiative will inspire our listeners to share these stories with each other.”
StoryCorps encourages Americans to set aside time on November 28th to record a conversation with a grandparent, an aunt, a neighbor, a soldier or a client at a local soup kitchen. The not-for-profit has created a simple tool kit of easy-to-use instructions, pointers, and sample questions at http://www.storycorps.net.
Sample questions from the website’s online Question Generator include: What is your happiest memory? What are you proudest of in your life? What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? How do you want to be remembered?
StoryCorps supplies tips for recording these interviews as well as simple instructions on how to archive and preserve them. For the National Day of Listening, StoryCorps will also recommend ways to upload and share stories online.
Over the past five years, StoryCorps has recorded more than 20,000 interviews with more than 40,000 individuals in fifty states across the nation. Each week, millions of Americans listen to StoryCorps’ award-winning broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Fifty of StoryCorps’ most emblematic stories have been collected in the New York Times bestseller Listening Is an Act of Love, which has just been released as a Penguin paperback.
The Library of Congress and NPR are the partners of this year’s National Day of Listening.
About StoryCorps
StoryCorps is the largest oral history project ever undertaken. Founded in 2003 , StoryCorps gives pairs of participants the opportunity to leave a legacy in sound for future generations. Across the country, everyday people have visited our soundproof booths to record a 40-minute interview with a loved one. One copy of the interview goes home with the participants on a CD, a second copy goes to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps has recorded more than 20,000 audio interviews. Excerpts of select stories are broadcast weekly on NPR's Morning Edition. For its groundbreaking public service, StoryCorps was awarded a special Institutional Peabody Award in 2007.
About WHRV
WHRV is one of the public radio stations of WHRO, a public service media company that promotes education, culture and citizenship to the citizens of Hampton Roads, Virginia through a variety of telecommunications services. Thousands of viewers and listeners tune in to broadcast programming on WHRO's four public television and seven public radio stations every day. Since its founding 45 years ago to support education, WHRO has employed creativity and technology to serve its mission to enrich audiences through content that educates, entertains and promotes understanding. Owned by 18 local school divisions, WHRO delivers educational and new media services to 286,000 students and 25,000 educators per month as well.
About the Library of Congress & The American Folklife Center
The Library of Congress, the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, is the world's preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled integrated resources to Congress and the American people. The American Folklife Center was created by Congress in 1976 and placed at the Library of Congress to "preserve and present American Folklife" through programs of research, documentation, archival preservation, reference service, live performance, exhibition, public programs and training.
About NPR
Since its launch in 1970, NPR has evolved into a leading media company, award-winning news organization, and dominant force in American life. NPR produces and/or distributes more than 1,300 hours of programming weekly, including more than 150 hours of news, information, talk, entertainment, and cultural shows for 860 NPR Member stations, with 26.5 million listeners weekly. With more than 90 podcasts, NPR is the most successful podcaster among American media companies. Visit http://www.NPR.org for extensive original audio, video, photography, and text content, as well as nearly 15 years of NPR programming archives.