FY 2009 Grant Awards: Arts on Radio and Television

Some details of the projects listed below are subject to change, contingent upon prior Endowment approval.

American Documentary, Inc. (aka P.O.V.)
New York, NY
$250,000
To support the selection, acquisition, packaging, and promotion of films for broadcast on the public television series P.O.V. ("point of view"). As the longest running PBS series devoted exclusively to the art of independent, non-fiction film, P.O.V. brings documentary artworks rarely found in the mainstream media to national audiences.

Art 21, Inc.
New York, NY
$120,000
To support the fifth season of Art: 21- Art in the Twenty-First Century. A public television series about contemporary visual art and artists in the United States, the project will yield four one-hour programs as well as ancillary outreach activities.

Beale Street Caravan, Inc.
Memphis, TN
$10,000
To support the production and national broadcast of the public radio series Beale Street Caravan. Weekly, one-hour programs featuring performances by blues artists will be broadcast on more than 300 public, community, and college radio stations nationwide.

Bowery Arts and Science, Ltd.
New York, NY
$10,000
To support production and completion costs of a documentary film by Robert Levi on NEA Jazz Master Hank Jones. Hank Jones: From the Inside will be a one-hour musical performance film featuring the life and work of one of America's greatest living jazz pianists and arrangers.

Bowery Arts and Science, Ltd.
New York, NY
$10,000
To support post-production costs of a music performance film by Robert Levi. Hidden Music: Billy Strayhorn's Secret Songs will be a one-hour public television program featuring newly discovered jazz and vocal compositions written by the co-composer and arranger for the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Capital Concerts, Inc.
Washington, DC
$25,000
To support staging and related costs for The National Memorial Day Concert and A Capitol Fourth, two patriotic concerts at the United States Capitol to be nationally broadcast live on PBS in 2009. A national television audience of 10 to 12 million watches these 90-minute programs each year.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago, IL
$15,000
To support the BP Chicago Symphony Orchestra Radio Broadcast Series. Carried on 262 stations, the two-hour programs are heard by an estimated weekly audience of 354,300 listeners.

Craft in America, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA
$100,000
To support production and related costs for Craft in America. The two one-hour programs will examine craft from a thematic perspective.

Educational Broadcasting Corporation (aka Thirteen/WNET New York)
New York, NY
$565,000
To support the development and production by Thirteen/WNET New York of the television series American Masters for PBS broadcast. Definitive documentary profiles of major cultural figures will be made available in 2009-2010 to millions of viewers in all 50 states on more than 345 public television stations.

Educational Broadcasting Corporation (aka Thirteen/WNET New York)
New York, NY
$565,000
To support the development and production by Thirteen/WNET New York of performing arts specials for the television series Great Performances and Dance in America for broadcast on PBS. Regardless of geographic or economic limitations, American television audiences in all 50 states will be provided free access to a diverse range of cultural programming in 2010.

ETV Endowment of South Carolina, Inc. (aka Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz)
Spartanburg, SC
$60,000
To support the production of new programs for the weekly radio series Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz. National Public Radio will distribute the programs to listeners on 247 stations in the United States, and to international audiences via NPR's Worldwide Service.

Film Odyssey, Inc.
Washington, DC
$25,000
To support the production costs for a documentary film on the artist James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903). The one-hour film, to be produced by Karen Thomas, is intended for national broadcast on PBS.

Filmmakers Collaborative, Inc.
Waltham, MA
$50,000
To support production and post-production costs for a documentary film about the musician Johnny Cash (1932-2003). Intended for national broadcast on PBS, the 90-minute film will weave together a wide selection of Cash's songs, film clips of his performances, home movies, and interviews with family, friends, and fellow musicians as it traces the story of his life and career.

Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, Inc.
Flat Rock, NC
$25,000
To support post-production costs for a documentary film about writer Carl Sandburg. Intended for PBS's American Masters series, The Day Carl Sandburg Died will examine the life and work of this Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

From the Top, Inc.
Boston, MA
$60,000
To support production of the public radio series From the Top. The weekly, hour-long radio program features performances by young classical musicians ages 8 to 18.

From the Top, Inc.
Boston, MA
$70,000
To support production of the television series From the Top: Live From Carnegie Hall. The series will consist of 13 programs featuring young classical musicians performing for a live audience.

Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, Inc. (aka WETA)
Arlington, VA
$150,000
To support WETA's production of a series of arts news reports. Each six- to ten-minute report will be included on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, which airs five nights a week on PBS.

Independent Television Service, Inc. (aka ITVS)
San Francisco, CA
$175,000
To support the selection, acquisition, and packaging of films for the public television series Independent Lens. This weekly primetime PBS series provides the public with access to innovative, dramatic, animated, and documentary works by independent filmmakers.

L.A. Theatre Works
Venice, CA
$15,000
To support the production and distribution of The Play's the Thing, a radio theater series intended for broadcast on satellite and public radio stations nationwide. The 52-week series will include new radio plays, as well as selections from L.A. Theatre Works' extensive audio theater collection.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.
New York, NY
$150,000
To support the production and broadcast of the television series Live From Lincoln Center. In 2010, the series will be aired on PBS stations in all 50 states, reaching an average of five million viewers per program.

Long Haul Productions Inc
Three Oaks, MI
$10,000
To support the production of a radio series to be produced by Dan Collison. Ranging in length from six-to-eight minutes, each Take Note program will combine documentary storytelling with music and lyrics composed specifically to help narrate the story.

Metropolitan Opera Association, Inc. (aka the Met)
New York, NY
$100,000
To support production and post-production costs associated with the national telecasts of Great Performances at the Met. Captured in high-definition video, the productions will be broadcast on PBS stations around the country, reaching an estimated audience of three million viewers.

Minnesota Public Radio, Inc. (aka American Public Media)
St. Paul, MN
$220,000
To support the production, acquisition, and national radio broadcast of classical music programming. In 2009-2010, programs such as Performance Today, SymphonyCast, St. Paul Sunday (to be renamed), and Pipedreams will reach as many as four million listeners each week.

National Public Radio, Inc. (aka NPR)
Washington, DC
$70,000
To support the production, acquisition, and distribution of music programming. Through its Digital Music Initiative, NPR has created an extensive online Web site as a music resource for public radio stations and the public, and will offer new and archival musical performances to stations for broadcast.

National Public Radio, Inc. (aka NPR)
Washington, DC
$20,000
To support the production and national broadcast of the public radio series World of Opera. Hosted by Lisa Simeone, the series reaches as many as 250,000 weekly listeners on 89 stations.

Newark Public Radio, Inc. (aka WBGO Jazz 88)
Newark, NJ
$55,000
To support the production of JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, a weekly radio series of jazz concerts. The series is produced by WBGO/Newark and distributed by NPR, reaching 149,000 listeners each week throughout the United States.

Pennsylvania Public Radio Associates, Inc. (aka Echoes)
Chester Springs, PA
$20,000
To support the production of concerts and special features for Echoes, a daily radio series of contemporary music. Distributed by Public Radio International, the series will serve a weekly audience of more than 254,000 listeners on 130 stations throughout the United States.

Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc. (aka The New York Philharmonic)
New York, NY
$35,000
To support the production of national radio broadcasts of performances by the New York Philharmonic during its 2009-10 season. Approximately 2.5 million listeners will hear each two-hour program in the 52-week series.

Public Broadcasting Service (aka PBS)
Arlington, VA
$100,000
To support Showcase Online. This interactive initiative will complement Showcase On-Air, a primetime series that will cover a broad range of artistic genres. Showcase Online will feature thematically programmed performances and documentaries hosted by a guest artist.

Public Radio International, Inc. (aka PRI)
Minneapolis, MN
$20,000
To support the production of "The Global Hit" segments on the weekday news and information radio program The World. The daily feature showcases world music for American audiences, offering listeners a unique perspective on other cultures through the medium of music.

Public Radio International, Inc. (aka PRI)
Minneapolis, MN
$60,000
To support the production and distribution of Studio 360. The series of weekly arts and culture radio programs designed to illuminate the role of the arts in society is a co-production of PRI and WNYC-FM.

Riverwalk Jazz
San Antonio, TX
$20,000
To support the weekly public radio jazz series Riverwalk Jazz. Distributed by Public Radio International to 153 stations nationwide, each hour-long program combines live performance with interviews, oral histories, and historical recordings to celebrate important artists and eras in jazz history.

San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco, CA
$125,000
To support a public television series featuring Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. Keeping Score is designed to help a national audience appreciate the relevance of classical music in contemporary life.

San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco, CA
$20,000
To support production and post-production costs for a radio series featuring Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. The programs will be associated with the television series Keeping Score.

Sound Portraits Productions, Inc. (aka StoryCorps)
Brooklyn, NY
$40,000
To support the production of StoryCorps radio segments for weekly broadcast on NPR's Morning Edition. A collaboration between Sound Portraits Productions, the Library of Congress, and public radio stations, StoryCorps is a nationwide project aimed at inspiring Americans to record one another's stories in sound.

Symphony Space, Inc.
New York, NY
$25,000
To support the production of the public radio series Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story, and the distribution of related CDs. The series, which will air on more than 143 NPR stations, will present leading stage and screen actors reading both classic and new short fiction by established and emerging authors of diverse cultures.

Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
$15,000
To support the production and national distribution of the public radio series World Cafe. A contemporary music and interview series hosted by David Dye, the program reaches more than 500,000 listeners each week.

University of New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
$55,000
To support the production and national distribution of American Routes, a weekly radio series devoted to the roots of popular music and popular roots music. Folklorist Nick Spitzer hosts the two-hour, weekend-oriented program, in which he combines recordings of popular, folk, jazz, and classical forms with in-studio performances, field recordings, and interviews.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation, Inc. (aka Mountain Stage)
Charleston, WV
$15,000
To support the production and broadcast of the radio series Mountain Stage. Distributed by Public Radio International to approximately 100 stations throughout the United States, the weekly, two-hour program presents contemporary music and traditional roots performers.

WGBH Educational Foundation (aka WGBH Radio)
Boston, MA
$35,000
To support the production and distribution of short video segments of poetry to public television stations across the country. The Poetry Everywhere interstitials are designed to make poetry available to the public on a regular basis during hourly station breaks between PBS programs.

WHYY, Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
$60,000
To support the production and national broadcast of the radio series Fresh Air with Terry Gross. The award-winning daily journal of contemporary arts and culture is broadcast on 510 NPR stations and is heard by more than 4.5 million people each week.

Window to the World Communications, Inc. (aka 98.7 WFMT Radio/WTTW 11)
Chicago, IL
$45,000
To support the production and national distribution of the radio series Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin. The series consists of weekday one-hour programs focusing on classical music in an informed, educational, and entertaining manner.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
Vienna, VA
$10,000
To support the production and distribution of the radio series Center Stage from Wolf Trap. The series provides national audiences with chamber music performances recorded at the Barns of Wolf Trap near Washington, DC.

Women Make Movies, Inc.
New York, NY
$25,000
To support production and post-production costs for a documentary by Lucille Carra Tachikawa. Glenn Gould: A Three Cornered World will examine the musician's career.

World Music Productions, Inc. (aka Afropop Worldwide)
Brooklyn, NY
$40,000
To support the production and distribution of the weekly public radio program Afropop Worldwide. The series showcases the contemporary musical cultures of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, and is distributed by Public Radio International to more than 113 radio stations in the United States.

ZBS Foundation
Fort Edward, NY
$10,000
To support the production of short radio dramas by Thomas Lopez. 2-Minute Film Noir is a series of two-minute stories based on Film Noir characters.

Number of Grants: 46          Total Amount: $3,690,000

National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506