NPR: Pilot #29: The End of the Beginning

Pilot #29: The End of the Beginning

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Listen to the last show before the first show

Credit: Win Rosenfeld/BPP Luke Jacunski (left) and Mami Nagase, who were mugged as he proposed to her in Central Park. The pair was not harmed in the incident, and while some valuables were taken, her engagement ring was saved. Luke is showing off a ring designed by Mami.

It's our last pilot show, friends. We go live on the real radio this Monday, October 1. We'd like to thank you all for your enthusiastic feedback, thoughtful suggestions, encouragement, and especially, brutal excoriation. The process of disregarding your input has been invaluable to us.

That was a joke. We really do love you, and we couldn't have gotten this far without you. In fact, at the end of today's show we'll honor our most frequent poster, Steve Peterson, with the Bryant Park Project Award for Meritorious Blog Commenting, which we'll hand craft from a Microsoft template and mail to him. We'll also tackle the news thusly...

We'll cover Ahmadinejad at Columbia with two students who were there. We'll cover the strike at GM with a journalist in Michigan and an auto worker in Tennessee. (Notice a pattern here? The BPP doesn't just transmit the news, we invite it over for dinner.)

After that, it's a veritable smorgasbord. The biggest cricket event of the year just took place. Who cares? Vivek Agastya, that's who. He'll tell us about the new, faster-paced version of a game that, until recently, could go on for days. We'll learn more about protests by Myanmar monks. We'll ask Republican strategist (and African-American pastor) Joe Watkins whether leading candidates are wrong to skip a debate geared towards black audiences, and we'll learn about what candidates' logos say about them.

We'll also have a recently-engaged couple in the studio. Why? Because as he was proposing to her in Central Park, they got mugged, and the bandits got away with everything...but the ring. He'll explain how he hid it. All that plus new music with our buddy Andy Langer, The Ramble, The Most, and a vintage Mike Pesca piece. Listen!

Dan Pashman

12:03 PM ET | 09-25-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Ouch! My first comment on the B double P blog was harsh. Sorry, Matt and Luke.

Thank for the Bryant Park Project Award for Meritorious Blog Commenting; I'll list it on my CV/resume with pride.

What would Sally Field do if she were me? "You like me, you really like me!" Also, watch my comments of thanks get censored like hers were at the last Emmy Awards.

I'll have to send the Meritorious Blog Commenting certificate to my mommy so that she can hang it on the refrigerator.

Well, I'm still on vacation in Dallas, and relaxing is so much fun. We'll see if I can listen to these last two pilots. If I can't, y'all can know that I would if I were at home.

Sent by Steve Petersen | 12:41 PM ET | 09-25-2007

Good luck on October 1, folks. What's the status of sending the BPP signal further than the digital radio bands?

This has been a hell of a lot of fun. Will the blog continue?

Sweet! Cricket covered on Bryant Park! Now you just need the Rugby World Cup (currently being played) and - with the Champion's League coverage - you've tagged the anglophile sport trifecta.

Sent by Drew | 12:54 PM ET | 09-25-2007

Hey, congrats on wrapping up the Rough Cuts phase. I've been listening since fairly early on, and have definitely enjoyed how some of the breaks have tightened up, while the show still retains that "human, conversational" tone. Unique and highly listenable.

The only thing I can think of by way of suggestion is this: More Pesca!

Thanks. Looking forward to the future.

Sent by matt | 4:49 PM ET | 09-25-2007

Great to hear that you're finally starting up! Where can we find what stations you'll be on?

Sent by Laura | 5:14 PM ET | 09-25-2007

"Thank[s] for the Bryant Park Project Award..."

Yikes! I should probably also win the Bryant Park Project Award for Commenter in Most Need of an Editor.

Sent by Steve Petersen | 6:59 PM ET | 09-25-2007

Congratulations guys! It's been fun. I wish you the best! I feel like a parent that has seen his kid grow up. There has been so much growth/improvement along the way. Can't wait for the "real" show. Thanks for letting us participate. It's good to know my comments were not the only ones censored :-).

Sent by Jim Trenton | 10:50 PM ET | 09-25-2007

Good luck, everybody. The shows have been sounding great. looking forward to the real thing!

Sent by Ben | 1:20 AM ET | 09-26-2007

I'm kind of hoping to find out what Steve thought of his own segment. So meta!

Sent by Maura | 10:18 AM ET | 09-26-2007

Don't worry, folks - the blog isn't going anywhere. :-)

Sent by andy carvin | 11:27 AM ET | 09-26-2007

Maura,

I wish that I had a better broadcast voice. Other than that, I think it was a lot of fun. Alison gave me some courtesy laughs when I tried to say something funny. Further, when asked about how BPP could improve more, I wish that I said that the show should use GRE vocabulary words more since I'm studying for the test. However, true inspiration comes after the fact, eh?

I just feel so bad that the last segment was busted. Hopefully, I didn't cause that by blabbering on...

What else would you like to know?

Sent by Steve Petersen | 11:58 AM ET | 09-26-2007

Steve, you sounded great. You were a fine representative of us listeners/commenters!

Now I want the dirt. Did you hear any behind-the-scenes action? Do Luke and Alison have secret catfights while we can only hear music? Did Matt threaten to break your knees if you were insufficiently entertaining? I bet it's a 24/7 soap opera over there!

Sent by Maura | 12:25 PM ET | 09-26-2007

Matt leaves the knee-breaking to that Pashman character. :-)

Sent by andy carvin | 4:48 PM ET | 09-26-2007

Maura,

I don't know if Tricia has to break up fights between Matt and MJ while the show is on air; if Rachel and Win decide to do their own thing after the daily staff meetings; if Robert Krulwich is uncredited slave labor for the B double P; or if Mike Pesca is coerced (or bribed with mini-marshmallows) into appearing on the show. LOL! I would love to hear some gossip myself. ;)

All that happened was that Dan called my cell phone about 5 minutes ahead to get the land line phone number at my sister's place. Then I got a call from Tricia who was very chipper and nice. She punched me into the phone system, and that's when the engineer (I'm sorry that I forgot your name) asked me what I had for breakfast for a sound check to which I replied "Breakfast? I haven't had breakfast yet." He laughed and said that I sounded fine.

Then I heard Luke and Alison talk with the other Luke and Mami for the last minute or two of their conversation; it seemed so sad.

After that, I heard Alison talk about how at the beginning of the B double P there was just Luke, Matt, and this guy named Steve. Then Luke read my first comment, and I wanted to say, "Ouch! I was harsh." However, by the time Luke asked if I was on the line, it was too late for that. We had our chit chat, which y'all can hear.

Then I stayed on the line for a minute or two after the show. The line went silent, and I hung up. Hopefully, the B double P staff didn't want chat. I waited, but not upset since I knew that they were busy.

BTW, I didn't know that I was getting the award. Dan only e-mailed me the day before to see if I would come on the show. Getting the award was a surprise to me.

Sent by Steve Petersen | 5:03 PM ET | 09-26-2007

i absolutely howled at the line about being disregarded...being regarded creates too much pressure...so, i wish you all good stuff as i hold you all in high regard!!!!!! pressure! pressure?

Sent by jay | 6:10 PM ET | 09-27-2007

Chipper? Nice?! I'm rescinding your award! Seriously, it was great to have you on the show.

Sent by Tricia | 6:59 PM ET | 09-27-2007

I gotta admit I miss Matt. Rachel is a great addition and I'm glad she's on the show, but is there no place on air for Matt anymore? I'm sure there's lots of senior supervising Mattness permeating the show generally, but we've had no updates on his body fat percentages, no celebrity birthdays, etc. I miss the Mattish banter that I used to enjoy.

I want to reiterate that none of this is meant to imply that Rachel's contribution lacks anything. It doesn't. I just want both - that's how I roll.

Sent by Maura | 10:02 AM ET | 09-28-2007

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