To the Best of Our Knowledge

Last updated
To The Best Of Our Knowledge
TTBOOK ColorLogo-01.png
Other namesTTBOOK
GenreInterview
Running time60 minutes (two episodes per week)
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Home stationWisconsin Public Radio
Hosted byAnne Strainchamps
Executive producer(s)Steve Paulson
Website ttbook.org
Podcast feeds.ttbook.org/ttbook

To the Best of Our Knowledge (also known by the acronym TTBOOK) is a weekly public-radio interview program produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed by PRX. [1] It is broadcast on more than 180 public radio stations in the U.S. and it also is available as a podcast. Until his retirement in January 2014, Jim Fleming hosted the program, along with interviewers Steve Paulson and Anne Strainchamps. After Fleming's retirement, Strainchamps took over as host. [2]

Contents

Program format

To the Best of Our Knowledge produces two one-hour programs each week. Each hour has a theme that is explored over the course of the hour, primarily through interviews, although the show also airs commentaries, performance pieces, and occasional reporter pieces. Topics vary widely, from contemporary politics, science, and "big ideas", to pop culture themes such as "Nerds" or "Apocalyptic Fiction".

The program produces at least one five-part series every year that tends to be distributed more widely than the weekly broadcast. "East Meets West", a series on East-West cultural crossroads, included interviews with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, [3] Muslim philosopher Tariq Ramadan, [4] Muslim rapper Lupe Fiasco, [5] Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, [6] and Pakistani rock icon Salman Ahmad. [7] [8] "Electrons to Enlightenment", a five-part series on science and religion, included interviews with intellectual heavyweights E. O. Wilson, Richard Dawkins, Francis Collins, and Karen Armstrong. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

To the Best of Our Knowledge won the 2004 Peabody Award for Programming. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public Radio International</span> Distributor of public radio programming

Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States.

<i>Lasers</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Lupe Fiasco

Lasers is the third studio album by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, released on March 7, 2011 by Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place between 2008 and 2010. Lasers features production by The Audibles, The Neptunes, Needlz, Alex da Kid, Syience, and long-time collaborator Soundtrakk, among others. Trey Songz, John Legend, Skylar Grey, Sway, Matt Mahaffey, MDMA, Eric Turner and Sarah Green contribute vocals to the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBEZ</span> Public radio station in Chicago

WBEZ – branded WBEZ 91.5 – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, and primarily serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It is owned by Chicago Public Media and is financed by listener contributions, corporate underwriting and some government funding. WBEZ is affiliated with both National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Radio Exchange (PRX). It also broadcasts content from American Public Media and the BBC World Service. It produces several nationally syndicated shows for public radio stations, including This American Life and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupe Fiasco</span> American rapper and singer

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco was the chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Touch the Sky (Kanye West song)</span> 2006 single by Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco

"Touch the Sky" is a song recorded by American hip hop artist Kanye West for his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song features Lupe Fiasco on his career debut. It was produced by Just Blaze, standing as the album's only track to not include production from West. The song was released in the United Kingdom as a digital EP through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam on January 1, 2006. On February 14, the aforementioned labels serviced the song to US mainstream radio stations as the album's fourth single. The next month, it was released in various countries for digital download by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam and as a CD single through Universal Music, respectively.

Studio 360 was an American weekly public radio program about the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and Slate in New York City. The program's stated goal was to "Get inside the creative mind" and used arts and culture as a lens to understand the world. The program was created by PRI based on an identified need for programming dedicated and focused on arts and culture journalism in media. While the show featured regular guest interviews with authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Jonathan Lethem, and Miranda July, and musicians as diverse as Laura Veirs, Don Byron, and k.d. lang, it also had several recurring segments. The American Icons series attempted to understand lasting American cultural icons such as The Great Gatsby and Kind of Blue. The hour on Moby-Dick was the recipient of the 2004 Peabody Award. Public Radio International and WNYC co-produced the show from 2000 to 2017, when Slate replaced WNYC. After PRI merged with PRX, PRX continued to syndicate the show until the program's cancellation. The program was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities

<i>Lupe Fiascos Food & Liquor</i> 2006 studio album by Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor is the debut studio album by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, released on September 19, 2006, on 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features production from The Neptunes, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, Craig Kallman, Prolyfic, Needlz, Soundtrakk, and Brandon Howard. Jay-Z, Chill, and Fiasco himself are credited as the executive producers for the album. Songs on the record discuss poverty, Islam, terrorism, racism, and individuality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daydreamin' (Lupe Fiasco song)</span> 2006 single by Lupe Fiasco featuring Jill Scott

"Daydreamin'" is the third single taken from Lupe Fiasco's album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006) and features soul singer Jill Scott. The song won Best Urban/Alternative Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, earning Fiasco his first Grammy and Scott's third. In 2023 the single was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1 million copies.

The Public Radio Exchange (PRX) is a non-profit web-based platform for digital distribution, review, and licensing of radio programs. The organization is the largest on-demand catalogue of public radio programs available for broadcast and internet use.

<i>Lupe Fiascos The Cool</i> 2007 studio album by Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is the second studio album by American rapper Lupe Fiasco. It was released on December 18, 2007, by 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions took place during 2006 to 2007, with Lupe Fiasco himself, alongside Charles Patton (Chilly) serving as the records executive producers. A concept album, The Cool was based upon the song and a title character from his debut album, Food & Liquor (2006). The album features guest appearances from Gemini, Snoop Dogg and Matthew Santos, while the production was provided by Patrick Stump, Soundtrakk and Unkle, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupe Fiasco discography</span>

American rapper Lupe Fiasco has released eight studio albums, six mixtapes, seven soundtrack albums, 38 singles, and 37 music videos.

<i>On Being</i> Spirituality podcast by Krista Tippett

On Being is a podcast and a former public radio program. Hosted by Krista Tippett, it examines what it calls the "animating questions at the center of human life: What does it mean to be human, and how do we want to live?"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Child Rebel Soldier</span> American hip hop supergroup

Child Rebel Soldier, shortened CRS, was an American hip hop supergroup composed of hip hop recording artists and record producers Lupe Fiasco (child), Kanye West (rebel), and Pharrell Williams (soldier).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superstar (Lupe Fiasco song)</span> 2007 single by Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos

"Superstar" is a song performed by rapper Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos. It is the first single off his 2007 album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. iTunes released "Superstar" on September 25, 2007 along with a radio version of "Dumb It Down."

"Us Placers" is the debut song by American supergroup Child Rebel Soldier, a musical collaboration consisting of American hip-hop artists Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams. It was released as the third song on the track-listing of West's 2007 mixtape Can't Tell Me Nothing. The song was produced by Fiasco and samples the 2006 song "The Eraser" by Thom Yorke. On "Us Placers," the trio speak on the entrapments of fame. Having been released on a free mixtape, the song did not enter charts but became an online hit and received strong reviews from music critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demarco Castle</span> American rapper

Demarco Lamonte Castle, also known as Gemstones, is an American singer and rapper from Chicago. He is most well known for his affiliation with fellow Chicago artist Lupe Fiasco.

State of the Re:Union was a nationally aired public radio show created and hosted by playwright and performance artist Al Letson. State of the Re:Union was distributed by the Public Radio Exchange and National Public Radio, airing five seasons and 56 episodes on its networks from 2010 to 2015. The show won the Peabody Award in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Show Goes On (song)</span> 2010 single by Lupe Fiasco

"The Show Goes On" is a song by American recording artist Lupe Fiasco, released on October 26, 2010, as the lead single from his third studio album Lasers. Prominently built on the bassline of Pachelbel's Canon, the song was produced by Kane Beatz, and the melody of the song was based on the 2004 song "Float On" by Modest Mouse. The song features backing vocals from JR Get Money. It was released to iTunes on November 9, 2010, and debuted at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually reaching a peak of No. 9. It was released in the UK on February 20, 2011. The song was a major point of contention for the artist and a reason for the lengthy delay of the album, making the title fitting; as Lupe was told unequivocally by record producers: "If you don't do 'The Show Goes On', your album's not coming out." However, XXL named it 14th Best Song of 2011. The song was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 54th Grammy Awards.

<i>Whats Trending</i> American TV series or program

What's Trending is daily, live, interactive television show hosted by Shira Lazar that appears on YouTube covering the trending videos and personalities on YouTube.

<i>Drogas Wave</i> 2018 hip hop album by Lupe Fiasco

Drogas Wave is the seventh studio album by American hip hop recording artist Lupe Fiasco, released by 1st and 15th Productions and Thirty Tigers on September 21, 2018. This album is a follow-up to his 2017 album, Drogas Light.

References

  1. "PRX will take over distribution of two Wisconsin radio shows". Current. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  2. "To the Best of Our Knowledge Jim Fleming retires". WFSU. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  3. "East Meets West, Part 3: The New Silk Road". To The Best Of Our Knowledge. 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  4. "East Meets West, Part 5: Encountering Islam". To The Best Of Our Knowledge. 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  5. "Lupe Fiasco on Muslim Hip Hop". To the Best of Our Knowledge. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  6. "East Meets West, Part 4: Culture in the Crossroads". To The Best Of Our Knowledge. 2007-11-25. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  7. "East Meets West, Part 1: Clash of Civilizations?". To The Best Of Our Knowledge. 2007-04-11. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  8. "East Meets West, Part 2: Dharma Days, Yoga Nights". To The Best Of Our Knowledge. 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  9. "Electrons to Enlightenment, Part 1: Science vs. Religion". To the Best of Our Knowledge. 2006-11-19. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  10. "Electrons to Enlightenment, Part 2: The Cosmos". To the Best of Our Knowledge. 2006-11-26. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  11. "Electrons to Enlightenment, Part 3: The Brain & Belief". To the Best of Our Knowledge. 2006-12-03. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  12. "Electrons to Enlightenment, Part 4: Debating Darwin". To the Best of Our Knowledge. 2006-12-10. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  13. "Electrons to Enlightenment, Part 5: Awe and Wonder". To the Best of Our Knowledge. 2006-12-17. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  14. "To the Best of Our Knowledge". Peabody Awards. Retrieved 2018-04-19.