PLUS — Radio Newark is the Microsoft Editor’s Pick, AGAIN!

Do you like Science? Me too. That’s why Radio Newark was built.

And why we’re still building!  We are constantly looking for new science radio shows and podcasts.

In the next month we will add TEN NEW SCIENCE RADIO PROGRAMS. Some of these are the biggies you asked for, like Big Picture Science and Pulse of the Planet. Others are the obscure but brilliant science podcasts you expect from Radio Newark. Here’s the full list:

• A Moment of Science, from Indiana Public Media, courtesy of WFIU
• Bytesize Science, from the American Chemical Society
• Techwise Conversations, from IEEE
• Big Picture Science, from the SETI Institute
• Science Profiles, from the National Science Foundation
• Pulse of the Planet, with host Jim Metzner
• Science Elements, from the American Chemical Society
• Two shows from Samuel Hansen — Science Sparring Society (brilliant!) and Strongly Connected Components
• Plus an Asian news broadcast that covers China like no one else

ALERT! For the THIRD TIME THIS YEAR, Radio Newark is Microsoft’s News-Talk EDITOR’S PICK!

Honest to God, I am going to have to some up with a new PUNCTUATION MARK — something like a BOMB, maybe — to put at the end of sentences like that. Somebody in Redmond LOVES US.

And — HEY YOU — You are the one that did it!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I mean that.

And there’s more! This is our new website — the one we’ve been wringing our hands over.  It’s finally up! Well, mostly up. There are still some holes to be filled but I’ll get to them. In the meantime, have a look at the site and TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. Go check it out! (I mean that too. Good or bad — I can take it. What can be better?)

ALERT! Font Genius RAY LARABIE is the nicest man in the world for DONATING his time and expertise to Radio Newark. Ray personally suggested several fonts to us and made it easy for the new website to LOOK SO GOOD.

YOU, listening friend, ARE AWESOME. Like I said — Thank you SO MUCH. Keep on listening and tell a friend!

Stephen Worden, Station Manager

“Science,” to me, is the leading edge of knowledge.  It works on the boundary between the known and the unknown.  I think that’s exciting.  Science also means understanding my world, after all the root word scient means knowledge or to know.

And there is an ever-expanding body of science with which to stay abreast.  How do you manage that?  One of the sources I rely on to keep me up-to-date is EarthSky .

EarthSky has 600+ Global Science Advisors – experts in every field of study – who suggest topics, review content, and provide ongoing help to a radio show that began in 1991.

EarthSky enjoys the support and partnership of thousands of scientists and scientific institutions, including Fast Company, Discovery News, the National Science Foundation, Google, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the USA Science and Engineering Festival, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Research Corporation, Shell, the Edwards Foundation, Advanced MicroDevices, Dow, the Whole Planet Foundation, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Geological Society of America, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Sustainable Brands, the National Space Grant Foundation, The Economist, and, of course, Radio Newark.  (There are many more.)

In short, it is a fabulous group of brilliant people producing excellent summaries of current research, the lastest discoveries, with an analysis of scientific publications and news all wrapped up in a broadcast-quality package, and happily aired to you by way of Radio Newark.  What could be better?!

Truly, it is an honor to be an EarthSky affiliate.  The scientists interviewed are extraordinarily knowledgeable, articulate, and interesting.  The the subject matter is vast — such a broad horizon.  I’m never bored, but always looking forward to the next segment of EarthSky.

You will too.

Steve

Every disaster, from Bhopal to Fukushima, whether man-made or Acts of God, has a price tag.  And Mr. Frank Fortunato, co-founder and CEO of CATEX, The Catastrophe Risk Exchange, Inc., can tell you their exact cost.

Mr. Fortunato is a principal in the reinsurance industry, and it’s reinsurance companies that pay many of the claims resulting from these catastrophies.

Francis Fortunato possesses expertise on a wide range of legal and policy matters relating to property and casualty insurance. Previously, as Assistant Counsel in the New Jersey Governor’s Office, Frank was responsible for drafting key legislation amending the State’s insurance laws, and advising the Governor on diverse insurance-related issues. While on staff of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, he was responsible for numerous investigations and oversight hearings involving insurance and banking matters. Mr. Fortunato holds a JD from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He works personally with all of the major insurance and  reinsurance companies.   He knows their struggles and concerns.

And through that point-of-view Frank shares his interpretation of global news each weekday through his CATEX TV News broadcast, which we are pleased to share with you over Radio Newark.

Mr. Fortunato’s unique background and position as CEO of CATEX make him unusually qualified to offer insight and analysis into the news of the day.  Thank you, Frank, for sharing your expertise and experience with us.

Through our partnerships, affiliations, and rebroadcast agreements Radio Newark offers a wide variety of news.  Each with a unique viewpoint.  The one I enjoy the most is FSN — Feature Story News.  And the one I trust the most is also FSN.  Here’s why —

The reporters (and hence the reports) are excellent.  They are first-hand reporters, witnessing and speaking directly about what they see.  Because they don’t represent a certain country, they don’t have an agenda to push or point-of-view to spin like the VOA, CRI or DW.  (Yes, I know that both DW and VOA have journalistic codes and charters to which they are beholden — that’s not the point.  I believe that both of those broadcasters are truthful and thorough.  The question is, though, “Which stories do they cover?”  It is in the selection of stories that editing quite naturally happens.  Someone makes the decision as to what news will be aired and what will be shelved.)  FSN takes a look at the news from their clients’ point-of-view, asking, “Which stories will my clients want their audiences to know about?”  In other words, FSN is serving the listeners, not their own agenda.  So I trust them more than I do the others.

Why do I enjoy them the most?  I love their style of delivery and the delivery itself.  I like the way each reporter contributes to the broadcast, I like the way the presenters moderate and manage the limited time available for the broadcast (just five minutes for news that covers the globe…!), and I love the accents.  FSN staffers are from all over the world and their English language accents are like choice spices on an already delicious roast.  Yummy!

Also, FSN revises and produces their newscasts around-the-clock so you’re constantly up-to-date on the biggest world stories.  (Except weekend.  Mr. Marks?!)

Nina-Maria Potts, Olly Barrett,  Anya Ardayeva, Kate Moody, and Daniel Ryntjes.  They’re a great crew — I’m tellin’ you!  Listen to what they bring, day-in and day-out, and you’ll be impressed too.

At least I think so.  Feel free to add your thoughts on FSN.

Thanks, FSN!  And thank you, too, Radio Newark listeners.

— Steve Worden