For immediate release
December 17, 1997


NPR Plays Ping Pong with Paul Newman
Weekend All Things Considered Broadcasts Discussion with Actor, Philanthropist, and Cultural Icon

On Sunday, December 21, 1997, NPR's Weekend All Things Considered® with Daniel Zwerdling features a special interview with actor, philanthropist, and cultural icon Paul Newman. Zwerdling takes listeners inside the Connecticut headquarters of "Newman's Own," where Newman reflects on his acting career and explores his motives for charitable giving. During the conversation, Zwerdling joins Newman in a salad dressing tasting and gets beaten badly by the actor in a ping pong game. Check with local NPR member stations for broadcast times.

Almost every American knows Newman's name and lines from his films have made their way into the nation's vernacular. Yet many people do not realize that Newman has created one of the country's most unique charitable institutions. Since 1982, "Newman's Own" has been selling spaghetti sauce, salsa, and popcorn in supermarkets around the world, all emblazoned with Newman's picture, and donating 100% of the after tax profits to charitable causes - from schools for the deaf to theaters for low income children - from camps for kids with serious disease to civil rights groups. As of this month, Newman's company has donated more than $90 million and remains the only company in the nation giving away every cent of its profits.

Tapes and transcripts of the discussion will be made available to the media upon request. It also will be available after broadcast through the NPR Web site.

This interview was produced by NPR's Davar Ardalan.

National Public Radio, a membership organization of 595 public radio stations nationwide, produces and distributes the award-winning programs All Things Considered®, Talk of the Nation®, Weekend Edition® and NPR's Performance Today®.



   
   
   
null


Browse Topics

Services

Programs

PBS logo