Syracuse Press Club Awards

WAER is pleased to announce that it took home 6 awards for its original programming at this year's annual Syracuse Press Club Awards dinner!

WAER's awards, specific programs, and program hosts were as follows:

First Radio News Feature:
"Adirondack Voters"
Brad Horn

Adirondack Voters was a special program which took place prior to the Presidential election. This piece included a variety of expert, and everyday people's opinions of Obama and McCain. The story maintained a road-trip quality, and captured some fantastic personalities along the way.

First Radio Sports Story:
"True Hero Lacrosse Player"
Steve Gelbs

This WAER special was about a star lacrosse player who put away his stick for a while in order to defend his country at war. This true story detailed his journey from field to field.

First Radio Sports Show:
"Countdown to Kickoff"
Dan Wolfgang and WAER Sports Staff

This program was the pre-game to the Syracuse vs. Penn State game. Along with highlights on both teams, this radio tailgate also included information about the premiere of the new movie "The Express," at its rightful home in Syracuse, and general information about Ernie Davis; his story, and the impact that he made on Syracuse University, CNY, and the nation at large.

Second Radio Sports Show:
"WAER Sportsnight: Express Premier"
Eric Rothman & Chris McManus

This show, part of popular program "WAER Sportsnight," was a special which highlighted the few days during which Downtown Syracuse was like Hollywood - because of the premiere for "The Express." The show featured some of the more memorable moments from the premiere itself, and also many interviews with Jim Brown and Dennis Quaid.

First Radio Local Newscast
"Election Day 2008"
Scott Willis

This newscast covered everything happening during the Presidential and local governmental election day here in Central New York. It included interviews and eyewitness reports from local candidates as they were making their final rounds on voting day, voters reacting to the historic Presidential election, and reviews on some of the issues relevant to voters as they made their final decisions for both Presidential and local offices.

Second Radio Public Affairs Program:
"Voting for the Future: The War"
Chris Bolt

This particular show marked the last of the WAER special series "Voting for the Future," in which WAER News and Public Affairs Director Chris Bolt hosted hour-long discussions on issues relevant to the Presidential candidates, with a strong emphasis on how these issues affect Central New York. This last edition, "The War," covered decisions lying ahead for the President-to-be regarding the war in Iraq, and military actions in Afghanistan. Questions and topics covered ranged from: "How long would it take to bring the troops in Iraq home, if that decision is made?" to "What impacts from the war are we feeling here at home, both economically, and with the challenges of caring for veterans upon their return?"

WAER works hard to bring you the best original programming relevant to Central New York; and we are proud to generously accept acknowledgement in the form of Syracuse Press Club Awards for our efforts to bring you the best content possible!

For more information on the Syracuse Press Club, and to see a listing of all of the award winners in every category, please CLICK HERE.

Cora Thomas Night at the Syracuse Stage

WAER's own, Cora Thomas, Office Manager and host of WAER original "Sunday Morning Gospel," brings her craft to the stage on "Cora Thomas Night," which is a fundraiser in honor of Cora's mother, including a play right here in Syracuse.

The play which will take place on Cora Thomas Night is "CROWNS;" a play with "hattitude," depicting the various hats or "Crowns" worn by women of the church. A jubilant hit at theatres across the country, Crowns embodies the soul, faith and style of African-American women and their fabulous hats. When a Brooklyn teenager moves south to escape a family tragedy, she is introduced by her grandmother to the "hat queens," and so begins a musical journey of healing, humor and heart, filled with gospel music and colorful dress.

"CROWNS" is a play by Regina Taylor, adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. To learn more about "CROWNS," listen to the 18 minute NPR Story on the play by clicking on the picture below:



Cora Thomas Night; this Sunday, May 17th, kicks off at 5:00 PM, with dessert refreshments and live entertainment from 5-6:30 PM. The performance itself, "CROWNS," begins at 7:00 PM.

Today (Friday, May 15) is the deadline to RSVP, so for more information, or to reserve your spot for the show, contact Syracuse Stage's Carol Charles at (315) 443-8603 now!

For more information on Crowns, visit the Syracuse Stage website: CLICK HERE.

Cora Thomas

Cora has been a radio personality for more than 20 years, and has created and produced her own gospel show for the last 19 years. A Syracuse native, Cora has been working at Syracuse University since 1988. She is truly dedicated to the city, to WAER, and to her craft as a gospel radio personality.

To hear Cora live, in action, on WAER, tune in to Sunday Morning Gospel every Sunday from 5:00 - 7:45 AM.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers Wins Coveted "Lenon Award"

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

The host/producer of the Words & Music Songwriters Showcase (a WAER community partner) recently won the prestigious "Lennon Award" in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. "Fly," a song by musician, author, and NPR contributor Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, won the 2008 Lennon Award in the country category.

The annual Lennon Award, determined through an online vote, follows the grand prize awarded to "Fly" last fall by a panel of music industry veterans and recording artists such as Bob Weir, John Legend, and Natasha Bedingfield. The Lennon Award victory puts "Fly" in the running for Song of the Year--which comes with a $20,000 prize. The Lennon contest is one of today's most esteemed international songwriting competitions.

The Lennon Award news continues a remarkable journey for a homespun song recorded in Rodgers' basement, with a rhythm section anchored by a cajón (wooden box) and a plastic toy tambourine. The track, featuring country-pop singer Lisa Gentile (host of Music Mavericks) on the duet vocal and Joe Cleveland on five-string banjo, can be heard on the Lennon contest site: CLICK HERE. To learn more about Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, and the Words & Music Songwriter Showcase, CLICK HERE.

Hearts of Space - "Contemplative Music, Broadly Defined"

If you're sick of hearing the same old top 40 songs on constant rotation, and you've been looking for something different, you can count on WAER as your home for diverse music. In our quest to bring you the best alternative music, we have included "Hearts of Space" in our music lineup. Tune in to 88.3 FM every Sunday at 10 AM to listen to Hearts of Space on WAER, where music matters.

Hearts of Space grew out of former architect Stephen Hill's fascination with space-creating, ambient and contemplative music. Beginning in the early 1970s, Hill hosted a weekly late-night radio program on a local station in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1983, after ten years' evolution as a local program, Hearts of Space began national syndication on NPR.

Producer Stephen Hill

From the beginning, the program's success has come from consistently high production quality and sensitive, knowledgeable music programming. The program has defined its own niche: a mix of ambient, electronic, world, new age, classical and experimental music.

After a brief intro., each one hour show is an uninterrupted musical journey, designed to create a relaxed but concentrated ambience. Slow-paced, space-creating music from many cultures: ancient bell meditations, classical adagios, creative space jazz, and the latest electronic and acoustic ambient music are woven into a seamless sequence unified by sound, emotion, and spatial imagery.

Hearts of Space Featured Albums

The ancient resonances of drums, bells, and flutes, the exotic tones of gongs and gamelans, the digital sounds of the Ambient frontier; in its third decade, Hearts of Space continues to deliver the best of the contemplative sound experience, with spacemusic from near and far out.

To learn more about Hearts of Space, CLICK HERE.

To continue to expand your own musical horizons, tune in to WAER at 88.3 FM to listen to Hearts of Space Sundays at 10 AM.