Up For An Emmy

by Bob Boilen

It's Sunday and I'm on a train heading to New York for a chance to win an Emmy. I've been in radio 19 years, and earlier this year, we won an award for "lighting." A lighting award for an organization that not that long ago had all its eggs in radio's basket.

Now, it's Emmy time. We got the nomination for Project Song, under the category "New Approaches to News & Documentary Programming."

Project Song is a peek at the creative process. We give musicians a few days in a studio, we give them an image and a word to spark their creativity, and then they spend their time on a deadline trying to write and record a song. It's been a blast. We've only done a few: one with Stephin Merritt, another with a band called Georgie James, and then another with Nellie McKay. I'm working on another that we finished a while back with Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla and J. Robbins of Jawbox and Burning Airlines.

The competition is talented and very different. We are up against the New York Times, a couple of pieces produced by Frontline, the Washington Post and the Detroit Free Press.

The awards ceremony is Monday night. I may add to this blog live from the site if there is much that I could convey in a blog.

I'm proud of what we've done with musicians, giving them a place to create and grow. For now, the only Emmy I've ever had was a cat, and she's dead.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Footnote 09/23/08

We didn't win the Emmy, though we were honored to be nominated.
Here is the winner.

Congratulations to the Detroit Free Press.

6:03 PM ET | 09-21-2008 | permalink

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