OAH Cosponsors Talking History Radio Show

At its April meeting, the OAH Executive Board voted to have the OAH cosponsor--along with Creighton University--the weekly public radio program, Talking History.

Talking History has been aired nationally on public radio for three years and has been heard on stations from California to New York, Florida to Nebraska, and points in between. Its host is Bryan Le Beau, professor of history at Creighton University, and it originates from KIOS-FM in Omaha, Nebraska. The show is available to public radio stations free of charge via the Public Radio Satellite System.

Talking History consists of several segments, including "This Week in History," "History in the News," "Historic Site of the Week," and "Coming Attractions," but the principal segments are the weekly interview and op-ed. The weekly interview features leading historians from around the world talking about their latest book or a subject of current interest to listeners. In the op-ed section of the program, historians provide a brief commentary on the history behind a topic in the news.

The show runs for thirty minutes and has musical interludes. It varies between light and more serious topics. It strives in particular to present the latest and best scholarship in an accessible and entertaining manner. Talking History has featured such historians as Jesse Lemisch, James Axtell, Richard Slotkin, Ira Berlin, Douglas Brinkley, David Noble, Lance Banning, Eric Foner, Stanley Kutler, John Hope Franklin, Pauline Maier, John Lewis Gaddis, William Leuchtenburg, Stephen Ambrose, Joseph Ellis, and many more. Please visit the Talking History website at <http://cuwebradio.creighton.edu/history/>.

Talking History is a time-tested, excellent program, to which the OAH is pleased to commit its support. It demonstrates the organization's commitment to historical literacy by extending the expertise of the historical profession to the public. "The program," according to OAH executive director Lee Formwalt, "helps OAH further its mission to promote 'the widest possible access to historical sources and scholarship, and the widest possible discussion of historical questions and controversies.' "

The OAH wants to air Talking History on as many public radio stations as possible. You can help us by contacting your local public radio station and urging them to pick up Talking History, if they have not already done so. Program managers should know how to access the program, but if they need further information, have them contact: Bryan Le Beau, Talking History, c/o Department of History, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178; (402) 280-2652; <blbeau@creighton.edu>.

Members are also urged to visit "Talking History Aural History Productions," a website available at <http://www.talkinghistory.org/>. Based at the University of Albany, State University of New York, this project is an instructional center that provides teachers, students, researchers, and the general public with an outstanding collection of audio documentaries, speeches, debates, oral histories, archival audio sources, and more.

Finally, Bryan Le Beau would like to invite members of the OAH to get involved with Talking History. He is always looking for new ideas for interviews and op-eds, books that would appeal to a general audience, and even contributors who have experience in radio. If you are interested, contact Le Beau at the address above.