SCPR is partnering with other stations to explore issues vital to residents, roundtable on the lack of diversity in the newsroom, the initiative to clean up Watts.
How Iowa's contest became such an important political event
Much of America did NOT tune in to Fox's latest GOP presidential debate.
Front-runner Donald Trump refused to show - citing his distaste for Fox moderator Megyn Kelly, and early ratings show that about 12 million viewers tuned in.
That's about half the number who turned on their sets for the last debate Fox hosted in the summer.
Even though he wasn't there, some political wags declared Trump the winner, since most of the candidates turned their fire toward Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who's running neck and neck with Trump in Iowa polls.
But the actual poll in Iowa takes place on Monday, when citizens across the state gather in caucuses. It's a unique, maybe even arcane process that serves as the starting gun for the presidential race.
But how did Iowa's contest become such an important event?
Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University has looked into that question with his Atlantic article "How Jimmy Carter Revolutionized the Iowa Caucuses".
Zelizer says Iowa moved up its date for the Caucuses back in 1972 and that paved the way for a relative unknown politician to make a big run and put The Hawkeye State on the map.
Professor Zelizer spoke with A Martinez earlier, where he explained how and why Iowa ended up as the first contest in the presidential race.
To hear the full interview, press the blue play button above.
Examining the diversity deficit in entertainment news
The media has been flooded with stories castigating Hollywood for its perennial problems with a lack of racial diversity. But what about all the reporters writing those stories?
Many of them are white, too.
Take Two examined the racial diversity (or lack thereof) among entertainment reporters and critics.
Here are a few highlights from the roundtable discussion.
Eric Deggans, TV critic for NPR
I'm going to guess that all of you love what you do ... but we're not seeing a lot of people of color reporting on entertainment. Why do you think that is?
"It seems at every level, journalism organizations are struggling to match the diversity of the communities that they cover ... I think another problem is that a lot of journalism outlets are challenged economically, and so if you're a young person of color and you're smart and you have a lot of options open to you, do you go to work for a newspaper when the newspaper industry is declining? Do you go to work for a website that may not pay you or may pay you very little? I started my career at a time when you could get good paying jobs at newspapers and hone your skills as an arts critic and those pathways ... are almost gone. So, I think part of it is the decline of the media industry, and part of it is the fact that the news industry has always struggled to be diverse."
Alynda Wheat, senior writer at People Magazine
Is entertainment reporting somehow different from other fields of reporting when it comes to diversity?
"Well, in one particular way in that it is much harder to break into. People would ... rather report on Beyonce than they would on the NASDAQ or politics ... It's a fun field to be in and therefore it's incredibly competitive. Eric is right definitely about the economics. I think I am the only parent in my office who doesn't have either a stay-at-home partner or a nanny. That's a real economic challenge and one that's almost impossible for a lot of journalists of color to overcome -- and we are. We're still fighting to prove that we belong in the newsrooms, we're still fighting to get notice from the editors and people who do the hiring and it's a tough barrier."
Tre'vell Anderson, reporter for the LA Times
Tre'vell, you're in the LA Times newsroom. Is there this moment ... that they say, 'OK, here's this big film and it's 'Straight Outta Compton.' Do all eyes turn to you and say, 'Oh, I guess you're going to go,' and how does that make you feel?
"I think there are definitely moments where there seems to be a 'black movie' that's coming out that we think we need to cover and a number of people expect either me to be interested in doing it or they automatically assign it. Now, I will say that I am more -- often than not -- leaning toward and wanting to write about those particular movies. If it's a ... lower budget black film that we may not necessarily always focus on, I do want to give it some shine if I can. But, I will say that it has to be a 'Straight Outta Compton,' it has to be a 'Creed' for the other reporters who are all white to pipe up and say they want to cover it."
Guests:
- , reporter for the Los Angeles Times
- , senior writer at People Magazine
- , TV critic for NPR
Press the blue play button above to hear the round table discussion.
DJDS collaborate with LA on their new album 'Stand Up And Speak'
What do you call yourself when you're two friends, making music, just a stones throw from one of the oldest baseball stadiums in the country?
If you're
and
, you call yourselves DJ Dodger Stadium or DJDS.
The duo spent some time in the studio with Take Two's Alex Cohen to talk about their latest album, "Stand Up And Speak," their creative process and how Los Angeles played a major role in their latest work.
To hear the entire segment click on the audio embedded at the top of this post.
Learning to 'Fly': Ricardo Khan on the bravery and service of the Tuskegee Airmen
In media, finance, politics, education...you name it, westill have a long way to go when it comes to diversity, but in the grand scheme of things, people of color have made great strides in the struggle against racism.
Case in point: The Tuskegee Airmen
For years, African Americans weren't allowed to pilot planes in the military.
But then, in 1940, under pressure from black activists, the press, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the US Army Air Corps decided to finally allow black men into its flight program.
A select group of pilots began training at a field in Alabama, and The Tuskegee Airmen wer born.
During World War II, these men flew more than 15,000 combat missions over Europe.
They earned 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars and 8 Purple Hearts.
A new production opening at the Pasadena Playhouse seeks to honor their service.
It's called Fly. Take Two's Alex Cohen spoke with the show's director Ricardo Khan. He explained what exactly made the Tuskegee Airmen so special.
Those guys ... paved the way for so many things in history. Pre Civil Rights movement; Pre rosa parks and Emmet Till and the Kennedy's. These guys were out there. And they were not using their race or the racist laws of america to hold them back or be an excuse. They said, 'You know what, if we excel at this, we will make a difference in the world.' And that's what they did.
Fly will make its West Coast premier on January 26 and will play until February 21, Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.
Weekends showings will be Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (except for February 7).
Prices: $25.00 to $77.00 plus premium seating at $125.00
Venue: The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena CA 91101
Tickets: Online sales and information: PasadenaPlayhouse.org Phone: 626-356-7529
In Person: On non-performance dates, the Box Office is open Tuesday – Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. On performance dates, the Box Office is open Tuesday – Saturday from 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Sunday
Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas on LAFD's campaign to recruit more women
For decades, the Los Angeles Fire Department's efforts to include more female firefighters in its ranks have come up short.
Despite an overhaul of the department's hiring process in 2014, the percentage of women in the department is still just under 3%.
Now LAFD has launched a new recruiting campaign to find more female and minority candidates, with four upcoming career expos. The first is this weekend in Panorama City.
Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas joined Take Two to discuss LAFD's new approach to recruiting more female firefighters.
To hear the full interview with Chief Terrazas, click the player above.
'It's Our Turn', Maria Shriver's newest endeavor
Maria Shriver has worn many hats in her lifetime: she's worked as a broadcast journalist, she was First lady of California and she has also been a passionate advocate for women's rights.
Tomorrow, Maria Shriver will be appearing with fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, soccer star Abby Wambach and reality T.V. star Nicole Richie at a conference called 'It's Our Turn.
Maria Shriver joined the show to discuss more.