New World Notes - Comic Satire for Christmas (2013 Edition)

This week on New World Notes: radio program #303, Tuesday, December 24, 2013, from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. (and again on Wednesday from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m.), host Kenneth Dowst presents another seasonal program.

Some brief commentary by K.D., five seasonal satiric songs, and one satiric imitation Broadway "big production number." All take a comic but critical view of American hypocrisies, religiosity, commercialism, militarism, class warfare, and other Christmastime traditions.

I'm especially fond of the pseudo- "big production number": Stan Freberg's 1958 masterpiece, "Green Chri$tma$." It's about the commercialization of Christmas. The audio fidelity is very good even by today's standards; the production is rich and sophisticated; the script is witty; and the message (alas) is still relevant.

Other contributions by Hugh Blumenfeld, Simon and Garfunkel, Anne Feeney, Roy Zimmerman, and Tom Lehrer.

New World Notes reaches California. The show is now carried by nonprofit, community-supported station WGIG-FM 104.9 in Modesto. Broadcast days and times vary.

WHUS 91.7 (Storrs, CT) has changed its program schedule. The station now broadcasts New World Notes on Thursdays at 10 AM. See the complete schedule.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "boardwalk") of WWUH-FM, a community service of the University of Hartford.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. The show is archived at both A-Infos Radio Project and (from #90 onwards) the Internet Archive. Either link should get you a reverse-chronological listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page; each page has links to the recorded audio; and a handy table of contents will quickly find the installment you want.

Series overview: Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want--and what they're trying to make us settle for.

Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern): 

• Sundays, 12:30 to 1:00 PM, WIEC-LP, FM 102.7 (Eau Claire, WI)
• Mondays, Noon to 12:30 PM, WIEC-LP, FM 102.7 (Eau Claire, WI)
• Tuesdays, Noon to 12:30 PM, WWUH FM 91.3 (West Hartford, CT)
• Tuesdays, Noon to 12:30 PM, WAPJ FM 89.9 and 105.1 (Torrington, CT)
• Tuesdays, 8:30 to 9:00 PM, WWUH FM 91.3 (West Hartford, CT)
• Thursdays, 10:00 to 10:30 AM, WHUS FM 91.7 (Storrs, CT)
• Saturdays, 1:00-1:30 PM, KRFP FM 92.5, Radio Free Moscow (Moscow, ID) 

Any time: Listen to or download any installment. Just go to New World Notes and click a link to the audio at the top of the page. (Every installment has a page on the Web site, and every page has links to the audio.)