March 20th, 2010

Liz Carpenter passed away earlier today at the age of 89. Evan Smith interviewed her for Texas Monthly Talks in 2005. Here is a clip from that interview.

Political Writer & Humorist Liz Carpenter from Texas Monthly Talks on Vimeo.

March 17th, 2010

On February 25, KLRU and United Way Capital Area screened Frontline “Inside the Meltdown” at the Alamo Drafthouse South as part of the Live United Film Series. Here are some highlights from the evening.

Attend the next Live United Film Series event focusing on health care and the Hispanic community on March 25 at the Alamo Drafthouse South. RSVP today

March 11th, 2010

March 11th, 2010

Join KLRU, United Way Capital Area and the Alamo Drafthouse for a special film screening and discussion on Thursday, March 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Alamo Drafthouse South, 1120 South Lamar. RSVP here

Meet Hector Cardenas. He worked his whole life. Then he lost his job, his health insurance … and his infected foot to diabetes. Now he lives in a hotel and struggles to pay the medical bills. Critical Condition “Hector’s Story” captures the harrowing struggles of critically ill Americans who discover that an illness can cost them their jobs, health, home, savings, even their lives.

Hector’s battle with diabetes is one that many Latinos know very well. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Mexican Americans are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanics to be diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. Stay after the screening to hear panelists discuss the film and the issues Hispanics other Americans without health insurance live with every day. Jacqueline L. Angel, Professor of Public Affairs and Sociology at the LBJ School of Public Affairs - University of Texas, will serve as moderator for the discussion. RSVP here

March 10th, 2010

Thanks to the almost 1,000 people who attended KLRU’s Open House throughout the day on Saturday, March 6. Here are a few photos from the event, which featured Miss Rosa from PBS Kids and Clifford the Big Red Dog.

March 5th, 2010

The new version of klru.org launches today. This redesign has taken several years and many members of the community have participated by testing the site. The redesign was sparked by a need to make klru.org more flexible so  the user experience would be a great one.

Here are some highlights of the changes:

• The new site reorganizes all the content on klru.org so that you can reach any page from the top navigation bar.
• We have a new drop down schedule that shows the next three hours of programming on all three channels.
• Content is constantly being fed to the footer section from all our blogs so you can get the latest news at a glance.
• We have a new video site with new and old KLRU programs as well as your other favorite PBS shows. New content to appear weekly, so keep checking back.

KLRU will be redesigning the schedule section of the site shortly. If you would like to be included in the beta group for this project, either in person or over the internet, contact Libby Peterek, Director of Web Services, at lpeterek@klru.org

March 4th, 2010

On March 13th, a cast of celebrated Texas musicians including Raul Malo, Augie Myers, Shawn Sahm and more will join together for the broadcast of Texas Music Extravaganza. Against the backdrop of the famous the Austin City Limits studio, these musicians will play for the studio and broadcast audiences. RSVP here

Our studio audience will be featured as part of this live broadcast to all KLRU viewers. Those in the studio will also have the opportunity to get signed copies of the CDs and books available as membership thank you gifts. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the live broadcast event begins at 7 p.m. We ask that all studio audience members be in their seats by 6:45 p.m. RSVP here

About Texas Music Extravaganza:
The extraordinary impact of some of South Texas’ most celebrated musicians is the focus of this documentary musical journey. Filmed in High Definition, the Texas Music Extravaganza includes performances from a pivotal concert on Aug. 27, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas that featured alumni of the Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados with Augie Meyers, Flaco Jimenez, Shawn Sahm, Jack Barber, Ernie Durawa and others.

March 3rd, 2010

Thanks to everyone who attended the KLRU Community Screening on Texas independent film and the broadcast premier of Independent Lens “Eyes of Me.” Get web exclusive video from the film and find out more about the students at the Independent Lens web site pbs.org/independentlens

March 1st, 2010

Join Evan Smith and KLRU’s Texas Monthly Talks for a conversation with political journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin on Friday, March 5, at 10:15 a.m.  RSVP now

Halperin and Heilemann know as much about American politics as anyone. And they share their insights and inside knowledge with a wide audience through Heilemann’s work for New York magazine and Halperin’s with Time and the political blog, The Page. They’ve co-authored the bestselling book, Game Change, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 presidential election.

RSVP now Taping starts promptly at 10:15 a.m. Doors open at 9:45 a.m.

February 26th, 2010

Photos from the Feb. 25 Live United Film Series featuring a community discussion moderated by Suzi Sosa and featuring Ann Baddour and Margo Weisz.

Suzi Sosa
As Chief of Staff of MPOWER Labs, Ms. Sosa is responsible for special projects and policy development for the MPOWER Group. She acts as one of the primary advisors to the CEO and is involved in a number of strategic initiatives, including creation and deployment of the group’s social impact measures and global advocacy for expanding financial access to the underserved. She leads the group’s key policy partnerships, including those with the Clinton Global Initiative and the World Economic Forum.

Ann Baddour
Ann Baddour is the director of Texas Appleseed’s projects aimed at bringing low-income and immigrant consumers into the financial mainstream. She oversees financial education initiatives, efforts to build transparency and consumer protections into remittance markets, and reform of regulations governing small dollar loans. Ann has a Master of Public Affairs Degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs and a Masters Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. Baddour is a Fulbright Scholar and a nationally recognized expert in financial policy affecting immigrant and low-income communities.

Margo Weisz
Margo has served as the Executive Director of PeopleFund since its infancy in 1995. Margo also serves as a consultant on a variety of projects, including organizational assessments, trainings, and research on small and minority business development. Margo has received wide recognition for her work. In 2006, she was chosen as a Profiles in Power winner from the Austin Business Journal. In 2004, she received the Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and in 2003 she was chosen as Austinite of the Year at the Austin Under 40 Awards. She was also chosen as a 2003 Marshall Fellow and, in that role, traveled to Europe to discuss transatlantic relations.