December 6, 2004

Holiday Specials Coming To Boise State Radio
Christmas and Hanukah Programming Planned

Public Radio listeners can hear specialized programming commemorating the holidays in the coming weeks. Program Director Jim East said the specials are designed to fit within the educational, cultural and audience building mission of Boise State Radio. Classical music listeners on KBSU-FM and KBSW-FM will enjoy “Stocking Stuffers” from Dec. 6-12, with on-air hosts highlighting CDs that they recommend as gifts this holiday season. Every day on The Classical Top 200 at noon, Kimberlea Daggy will preview box sets of favorite pieces heard on the show. Dec. 13-19 will feature pieces written and given as gifts or dedications. These “Musical Gifts” include the story of how Richard Wagner surprised his wife Cosima one Christmas morning with a small orchestra playing Siegfried Idyll on their stairs. Many other equally charming stories tie into the seasonal theme of gift giving. Important pieces reflecting Christmas, Hanukah and winter traditions will be heard throughout the month. In addition, shorter Christmas selections will progressively increase in the music mix until Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve “A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols,” an annual holiday tradition heard ’round the world, will be presented live from the chapel of Kings College in Cambridge England. The broadcast will air at 8 a.m. and will be repeated at 5 p.m. Following Christmas Day, Boise State Radio will welcome 2005 with a musical flourish, “December 31 – The Year in Review.” The past year’s major musical highlights will be aired throughout the day, along with events that affected the arts and music – landmark birthdays and anniversaries, concerts, artist debuts and much more. On NPR News 91, celebrations include “Hanukkah,” an hourlong special airing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7 — the first night of the celebration. Book designer Scott-Martin Kosofsky discovered new facets of Jewish practice and tradition when he adapted a medieval Jewish guidebook called “The Book of Customs.” He discusses what he learned about the meaning of custom, scripture and prayer, as well as his insights into what he calls this “surprising” season of Hanukkah. The special, produced by Speaking of Faith, will be repeated at 11 a.m. and at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12. The following Sunday, Dec. 19, Speaking of Faith will produce a special titled “Children of God.” Maria Montessori, the great 20th century educational pioneer, observed that children have an intuition for religious life at an early age that is matched only by their capacity to acquire language. “Children of God” explores the spiritual wisdom and intelligence of children, including their ability to process the difficult realities of life. “Children of God” airs at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Boise State Radio and its affiliates are services of Boise State University, at http://radio.boisestate.edu. -30-   Contact: Jim East, General Manager Network Programming, Boise State Radio, (208) 947-5659, jeast@boisestate.edu  Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, communications and marketing, (208) 426-3275, kraven@boisestate.edu