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Press Releases | |
December 16, 2002
"The Song is You" with Bonnie Grice Goes Bicoastal!Locally Produced Radio Program to be Syndicated
Contact:
Patricia Conway
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081
"I'm so excited about this opportunity for the show to be heard on two coasts - and especially in my old 'stomping ground' of Southern California. While it's a tiptoe perhaps into the waters of national syndication, KCLU's airing of the show is a thrill and a dream come true!" said Grice.
Airing locally on WLIU 88.3 FM and WCWP 88.1 FM Friday evenings at 6 p.m. and again on Saturdays at noon, "The Song Is You" is an inventive music/talk program featuring guests that range from artists, writers, and politicians to regular folk -- like the fireman whose company was among the first to answer the 9/11 call to the World Trade Center. Bonnie invites these known and not so well known individuals to share their personal stories through musical memories and their own CD collections.
The success of the show lies in Bonnie's easy style and inquisitive mind. Betsy Carter, founding editor of New York Woman and former editor of Esquire, Harpers Bazaar, and Newsweek commented that Bonnie Grice "understands the art of interviewing better than anyone I've ever met."
The combination of her encyclopedic knowledge of music with her curiosity and genuine love of people puts her guests at ease, allowing them to tell their story in their own words and with their own unique musical choices. When Poet Laureate Billy Collins joined Bonnie on the show, he featured well-known artists doing "covers." Stand by your Man, with Elton John, Stevie Ray Vaughn's version of Mary Had a Little Lamb, and My Way by Sid Vicious, were among his selections. Playwright Terrence McNally began his hour with those whom he entitled the "queen" and the "king" -- Maria Callas and Elvis Presley, back to back. k.d. Lang asked where else could she play her music alongside Shostakovich? James Lipton, from Bravo's Inside the Actor's Studio, paid homage to his dear friend Mel Torme, and confided that Billy Joel's New York State of Mind is one of the best songs written about the Big Apple. Other notable guests have included pianist and composer Lalo Schifrin, author Dava Sobel, essayist Roger Rosenblatt, fol k singer Arlo Guthrie, and ABC news correspondent Lynn Sherr.
"Music is such a great medium for getting to know people. Nothing can replace the human voice expressing emotion through sound - whether it's the guest's own telling or through a favorite song. Ultimately, this show reminds us that music is a connective thread between us all," notes Grice.
The genesis of the program was at KUSC in Los Angeles; Bonnie conceived the idea for a program that invited guests to share the importance and influence of music in their lives. That idea became the foundation for the launch of "The Song Is You" at WLIU in Southampton, which has aired weekly since 1999, when the station was broadcasting from its basement studio on the campus of Southampton College.
Long Island University, the station's licensor, laid the groundwork for the station's growth when it constructed new, state-of-the-art studios, and made WLIU the anchor of the Long Island University Public Radio Network. "It was and continues to be the University's mission to create a broadcast facility that serves the millions of people on Long Island and beyond. 'The Song Is You' is merely one example of the kind of product that we can produce for local and national distribution with the support of not only the University, and our listeners as well," said General Manager Wallace Smith.
"The Song Is You" will debut in the Thousand Oaks/Santa Barbara market with a special segment featuring the veritable jazz icon Marian McPartland on Sunday, December 22nd at 9 p.m.