Bill Beckett

Program Director

     Bill became Program Director for Red River Radio in January 2010. He is an honors graduate from Bowling Green State University in Ohio where he was also inducted into the Golden Key National Honor Society. He began his professional career in 1985 as Traffic Manager and Recording Engineer for WGTE-FM in Toledo Ohio, where he later served as Operations Manager. While in Ohio he taught beginning and advanced multi-track recording studio techniques at his Alma Mater, Bowling Green State University. In 1990 Bill accepted the position as Program Director for WUFT-FM in Gainesville Florida, serving there for 19 years. He is a seasoned radio producer of both music and documentaries programs and has been honored with numerous awards over his career from the Ohio Educational Broadcasters, the Florida Associated Press, the National Association of Community Broadcasters, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Council on Contemporary Families, and The Radio and Television News Directors Association. In 2000 he was a co-recipient National Edward R. Murrow Award: Best Documentary for the program Apalachicola Doin’ Time, along with co-producer Donna Green-Townsend and student associate producers Daniel Beasley and Joshua Azriel. He was co-recipient of a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for the documentaries Ground Water Garrison  (2003) and The Long Road  (2007). 
     Bill has a passion for art, music, theatre, literature, and film. He also has a keen interest in history, the sciences, and politics and he brings this broad range of interests and knowledge to his role as Programmer and Producer. 

 

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11:01am

Fri December 14, 2012
10:01 Spotlight

11:01 Spotlight: Victoria Williams

Bill Beckett talks with Victoria Williams who has returned to Shreveport for a concert at Fairfield Studio's this Sunday Night at 7 pm. They recommend you arrive no later than 6:45 with reservation and even earlier without a reservation. Information about the concert and the House Concert Series Available at 318-220-0400 or on line at Shreveport House Concerts Here

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11:00am

Tue December 11, 2012
Carnegie Hall Live

Carnegie Hall Live: Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela

Airs Tuesday, December 11 at 11:00 a.m.  This energetic group of young Venezuelans and its acclaimed conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, were a hit when they made their New York premiere at Carnegie Hall in 2007.  On this program, they perform works by some of Latin America's finest 20th-century composers, including a suite of lusty, wild music by Silvestre Revueltas.

Carlos Chavez: Sinfonía india

Julian Orbon: Tres versiones sinfónicas

Silvestra Revueltas: La noche de los Mayas

12:00pm

Sat December 8, 2012
Metropolitan Opera

Metropolitan Opera: Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera

Airs Saturday, December 8 at 12:00 noon The new season from the Met begins with a live broadcast of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera. The cast is led by three of the Met’s leading Verdi stars: Marcelo Álvarez as King Gustavo; Sondra Radvanovsky as Amelia, the object of his secret passion; and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as his best friend, Amelia’s husband, Count Anckarström. Kathleen Kim sings the coloratura role of Oscar, Gustavo’s page, and Stephanie Blythe is the fortuneteller Madame Ulrica Arvidsson. The new production is conducted by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi and staged by acclaimed opera director David Alden. Un Ballo in Maschera will be heard live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday, December 8. The performance will also be transmitted worldwide as part of The Met: Live in HD series, which now reaches more than 1,900 movie theaters in 64 countries.

10:01am

Tue December 4, 2012
Lake Bistineau

10:01 Spotlight: Christmas in the Park

Bill Beckett talks with Mark Massom, the interpretive ranger at Lake Bistineau State Park about thier Christmas in the Park festivities during the weekend of Dec. 7, for both day-use and overnight visitors. Events will kick off on Friday, when campers can decorate their campsites to welcome Santa to the area. Other activities will include hayrides and holiday outdoor cooking, sponsored by the Bayou Pots, the local chapter of the Louisiana Dutch Oven Society. The Bayou Pots will hold their monthly meeting on Saturday, Dec. 8, with Christmas Dinner cooked Dutch Oven-style.

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8:00pm

Mon December 3, 2012
Life stories

Life Stories: Memory Five stories linked to memory

Airs Sunday, December 17 at 8:00 p.m.  These are public radio stories made over many years, by producer Jay Allison -- working together with Christina Egloff, and friends, colleagues, neighbors, strangers and whoever would take the loan of one of his tape recorders. They are are stories about life as we find it, and record it. Hosted by Alex Chadwick. In this hour: Beginnings - A chorus of artists recalling the moment they began.  Jack Murdurian Sings - The sound of art and memory fused on an audio cassette. How many songs can he sing in 45 minutes without stopping?  Jungles of Memory - A story of war and sanctuary, of beasts and obsession, the story of James McMullen and the Florida Panther. Cypress Knees - The 70-year-old King of the cypress swamp has trouble remembering exactly where he is, even as he scampers barefoot along a single board catwalk suspended above the slough. Ghosts - Even though she's not sure there are, writer Carol Wasserman hopes there are ghosts next door.

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