 |
 Weekend
Edition
Whether revealing events in small-town America or overseas, or profiling
notable personalities, Weekend Edition appreciates the extraordinary details
that make up every story. This two-hour morning newsmagazine covers hard
news, a wide variety of newsmakers, and cultural stories with care, accuracy,
and a wink of humor, courtesy of hosts Scott Simon and Liane Hansen.
Your local host for the weekend is
Spokane Public Radio's Brain Lindsay.
On Saturdays, Simon's award-winning commentaries sum up an idea or event
related to the week's news. Clever, information-packed exchanges with
NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr, sports columnist Ron Rapoport,
gardening guru Ketzel Levine, entertainment critic Elvis Mitchell,
and other commentators contribute to the unique feel
and personality of the show.
On Sundays, Weekend Edition combines the news with colorful arts and
human-interest features, appealing to the curious and eclectic. With a
nod to traditional Sunday habits, the program offers a fix for diehard
crossword addicts-word games and brainteasers with The Puzzlemaster, a.k.a.
Will Shortz, puzzle editor of The New York Times. With Hansen on
the sidelines, a caller plays the latest word game on the air while listeners
compete silently at home. The NPR mailbag is proof that the competition
to go head-to-head with Shortz is rather…vigorous.
Another trademark of Sunday's program is "Voices in the News," a montage
of sound bites from the past week, poignant in its simplicity. Hansen
also engages listeners in her discussions with regular contributors, including
Daniel Schorr and special correspondent Juan Williams, who cover a wide
range of national and international issues.
Q&A with Liane Hansen, Host of Weekend Edition Sunday
Liane Hansen brings to her position as host of Weekend Edition Sunday
an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including more than 25
years of work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host. Before joining
the program in November of 1989, Hansen hosted Performance Today, NPR's
award-winning daily two-hour classical music and arts information program.
In 1988, she was a regular guest host for Fresh Air with Terry Gross and
between 1980 and 1981, she was the host of Weekend All Things Considered
.
 Q:
What strengths do you think you bring to Weekend Edition? What "stamp"
do you put on the show?
A: We take a relaxed approach to the news. I continue to interview writers,
musicians, and other artists, but I'm also interested in talking to scientists
and business people because I think there's an art to science and business.
I think you have to be open to every experience before you can judge whether
that experience is worthwhile. I'm interested in so many different things
that you can't predict who I'll talk with next.
Q: What do you think makes you a good interviewer?
A: A good thing that's happened over the years is that I have lost my
awe of celebrity. That doesn't mean I don't admire certain people for
their work. I just don't let that get in the way of our conversation.
As for interviewing techniques, I never look at the microphone. I always
look my guests in the eye. I find that when I do that, they forget there's
a microphone in front of them. It's not until the end that they remember
they're talking to thousands of people.
Q: Do you enjoy being on the air?
A: I love it. The human voice can convey so many things, and reading intros
is very much like singing. There's often a musical quality to delivery.
I'm also interested in audio moments-in making sure that a piece of music
begins or ends at just the right time, or that we use the right word to
convey a meaning or a moment.
Q: How do you prepare for your show?
A: I read voraciously, and I listen and think. I try to listen to NPR's
other news programs to find out what direction they're taking, who they've
spoken to, and what kind of angle they've reported on. I then try to find
a different approach to the story. Sometimes some of the best information
comes from talking to my colleagues. And I get support from my producer
and my editor. I don't operate in a vacuum but I'm the one who is in there
doing the interview, so I have to understand the story.
Q: What's most challenging about preparing for Weekend Edition?
A: Aside from getting up at 3 a.m. and trying to get to sleep early on
Saturday night, one of my first priorities is to be calm. It's also a
challenge to keep up with all the political and socio-economic changes
going on in the world, and to be prepared to do a story at a moment's
notice.
Q: Has hosting your own show changed your lifestyle?
A: Not really. Granted, my children think it's kind of strange that their
mom has to go to bed before they do on Saturday nights. And my husband
(Neal Conan, host of Talk of the Nation® from NPR News) and I have yet
to find a good date night for ourselves, but we're working on it!
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