The open air
Essayists to get spot on WPSU
Centre Daily Times
Jay Allison’s “This I Believe” series, based on the 1950s radio program of the same name, has been a fixture on National Public Radio since April 2005.
In it, listeners share their personal philosophies in short essays that are aired for all to hear.
Now, the popular feature is coming locally, to a new radio program on WPSU-FM and to the Centre Daily Times. We’re partnering in inviting residents to share their values and beliefs in essays that will be aired and printed.
Today we kick this off with two essays by State College Area High School students Saloni Jain and Suzan Yener.
WPSU 91.5 kicks off the entire weekly series at 5:45 p.m. Thursday with Jain’s essay. Writers read their work in the Thursday radio segments, and Yener’s essay will air on April 3.
Tonight, WPSU will present an hour-long documentary at 8 p.m. on the making of the original “This I Believe” with journalist Edward R. Murrow.
In creating “This I Believe” in the 1950s, Murrow said the program sought “to point to the common meeting grounds of beliefs, which is the essence of brotherhood and the floor of our civilization.”
WPSU will share submissions with the Centre Daily Times for occasional publication in the weekend Centre Living sections. What are the guidelines?
An essay — about 450 words — should be statement of personal values and principals that are central to daily life. For details and more guidelines, visit www. wpsu.org/believe. You can submit an essay by clicking a link on the site.
“We believe that this project is a perfect fit for WPSU and its mission to encourage dialogue,” said Greg Petersen, station manager. “Public radio has always been a place for thoughtful discourse and this local ‘This I Believe’ project enhances our role in the community.”
WPSU will share submitted essays with the NPR archive of essays, numbering in the thousands.
The CDT will post essays that it publishes starting this week in a new “This I Believe” page on the Living section of CentreDaily.com.