The Pitch We Resurrected
Each week, some story ideas make it to air while others die at the Weekend Edition pitch meeting. This week's dead pitch is about three new holidays in Tajikistan.
LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
As we near the close of this hour, it's a good time to take stock of the week. At our editorial meeting this week, the hardworking WEEKEND EDITION staff pitched stories about terrorism and politics and music, stories you heard this morning. And then there were ideas that just...
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WERTHEIMER: ...Died. Here's senior producer Peter Breslow with his dead pitch of the week.
Hi, Peter.
PETER BRESLOW, BYLINE: Hi, Linda.
WERTHEIMER: So what was your pitch?
BRESLOW: My pitch was to acknowledge the recent proposal by the president Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon's idea to have three new holidays for his country - three days in succession.
WERTHEIMER: And the holidays were what?
BRESLOW: Day of wrestlers, day of horse riders and the obvious sequel, day of flowers and planting.
(LAUGHTER)
WERTHEIMER: Now, we just did not have room for a proper longer-than-two-minute treatment of this story. But you can tell us why we ought to have done it.
BRESLOW: Well, it might have been an opportunity to talk about President Rahmon who, I guess, does not have the best human rights record.
WERTHEIMER: Is this guy trying to win back the people of Tajikistan? Is that what he's doing?
BRESLOW: I don't know if that's possible. But really, the reason I pitched this story to you, Linda - because I know you're a bit of a foodie - is that last fall, President Rahmon opened a national teahouse. And the teahouse is in the shape of a giant melon. And I did notice that reaction to the melon building was mixed. According to the BBC, one resident said there is no building in the shape of a melon anywhere. And I can't refute that. Can you?
WERTHEIMER: No, no.
BRESLOW: It's ripe for a deep dive, isn't it?
WERTHEIMER: Yeah (laughter).
BRESLOW: From Dushanbe, the capital.
WERTHEIMER: It's in Hisor. The melon is in Hisor.
(LAUGHTER)
BRESLOW: The melon is in Hisor.
WERTHEIMER: Senior producer Peter Breslow and his pitch - thank you very much.
BRESLOW: Thank you.
WERTHEIMER: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Rachel Martin will be back next week. Our theme music every week is by BJ Leiderman. And I'm Linda Wertheimer.
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