90.1 People

The Music Man

Craig Allen is a pretty happy man these days, and who could blame him? He’s young and has a new car. He’s got a year-long adventure in China to look back on the rest of his life. He’s happily married. And if that’s not enough, he’s got a job that a lot of his fellow North Texas State University music graduates would give their collection of One O’Clock Lab Band LPs for, Allen is 90.1’s music director.

Allen, along with station manager Susan Harmon and program director Michael Nitka, is responsible for the evolution in 90.1’s music format from straight classical and jazz to the adventurous and eclectic blend of several musical styles heard today.

As chief architect of 90.1’s new sound, Allen is making the station a leader in a national trend that sees musical walls breaking down as quality of selections takes precedence over the genre of music being played.

The music director took a roundabout path to reach his present spot. Like several of his 90.1 cohorts, including Chris Douridas, Meg Fullwood, and Woody Roberts, Allen did his time at NTSU, graduating with a B.A. in music in 1984. And like the others, he worked at KNTU in Denton, as a volunteer deejay at first, later as music, director and program director, before heading down I-35 to 90.1. He started in the distinctly non-musical position of local announcer on All Things Considered in 1983 and became a daytime classical music announcer the next year.

For two years, that was that. But like most young people, Allen had the urge to do something different. Really different. Most folks, when that urge hits, might take up a hobby, rearrange their furniture, or affect long scarves and French cigarettes.

Allen, on the other hand, quit his job and moved to Zhenjiang, China, to teach English. He made friends he’ll have forever, learned some Chinese, traveled throughout the Orient, developed an ear for Asian music, and met his future wife, a fellow teacher from Canada named Christine Heuring.

After a year in China, Allen moved back to Dallas, rejoined 90.1 as music director in August 1986, started designing a new music format, married Christine, and bought a Hyundai.

You can hear him on 90.1 weekday afternoons from 1 to 4. But anytime there’s music playing on 90.1 you can hear his influence. He hopes you’re happy with what you hear.

Roger Mudd: Man in the Middle

When Roger Mudd moderates The Texas Debates this month on 90.1 and other American Public Radio (APR) stations, it will mark the public radio debut of a journalist who has toiled in the vineyards of political news for three and a half decades.

The two-hour debates, produced by KERA TV for national broadcast on PBS and for simulcast on APR. will pit the Democratic presidential hopefuls against one another and a panel of prominent journalists Thursday, February 18, at 8 p.m., with the Republican contenders appearing at the same time the next night.

Mudd is a former high school teacher and football coach who left it all behind in 1953 to become a cub reporter at the Richmond (Virginia) News Leader. He moved from print to broadcast media that same year when he became news director at a Richmond radio station, and in 1956 stepped before the camera for the first time at WTOP in Washington. D.C-

For twenty years beginning in 1960, Mudd was with CBS News, working in various capacities, including congressional correspondent and national affairs correspondent. He covered every national political convention and national election from 1960 to 1986, and in 1979 received the George Foster Peabody Award for CBS Reports.

Mudd, who joined The MacNeil/Lthrer NewsHour as special correspondent and essayist last spring, came to public television from NBC News, where he was chief Washington correspondent, chief political correspondent, co-anchor of the NBC Nightly News, and co-host of Meet the Press during a seven-year stint with the network.

As moderator of The Texas Debates, Mudd will orchestrate three distinct sections of each night’s questioning. Current plans call for participants to be questioned on national and international topics during the first portion of the debates by a pair of prominent political figures, one from each party. During the second part, college students at more than 600 sites around the country will take part by questioning the presidential hopefuls via satellite. The final section of each program will involve the participants responding 10 questions of regional interest posed by a panel of political journalists.

The Texas Debates on APR and PBS are sponsored by KERA, Texas Monthly, and The Dallas Morning News.

90.1 Meets the Challenge

KERA 90.1 reached its December fund-raising goal thanks to the generous contribution of the Communities Foundation of Texas, The Foundation agreed to increase the pledge drive’s total by $10,000 if 90.1 listeners contributed at least $50,000 during the three-day fund-raiser, including $20,000 between 6 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. [he final day. When the goal was reached at 6:27 on Friday. Foundation president Edward Fjordbak offered to match dollar for dollar any pledges that came in during the final three minutes. Listeners then responded to the new challenge with more than $2,000 in additional pledges, making (he total $65,000.

The Communities Foundation of Texas is one of the largest grant-makers in the South. For more than thirty-five years, the Foundation has created and administered philanthropic funds in cities throughout Texas. The grants made over the years have greatly benefitted thousands of nonprofit organizations. The Foundation has contributed to almost every type of charitable cause or project and distributes moneys from a permanent endowment fund.

This is the second year in a row that the Foundation has helped KERA reach its goals. In 1986 it contributed $10,000 to Channel 13 in unrestricted funds and offered a $10,000 match to 13’s viewers during the June year-end fund-raiser.

KERA appreciates the efforts of this worthwhile Foundation and the impact it has made on (he Dallas community.

90.1 Presidential Primary Coverage

The presidential primary season switches to high gear this month. The Iowa caucuses take place February 8. and New Hampshire voters will conduct their traditional first-in-the-nation primary on February 16. KERA 90.1. National Public Radio, and American Public Radio will follow the action closely.



Tuesday, February 9

Morning Edition, 5-9 a.m., and All Things Considered. 4-6:30 p.m., present in-depth coverage of the results and meaning of the Iowa caucuses.

Saturday, February 13

League of Women Voters debate among Democratic hopefuls in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Time not announced at press time.)

Sunday, February 14

League of Women Voters debate among? Republican hopefuls in Manchester.

Tuesday, February 16

Hourly reports on the New-Hampshire primary will air throughout the evening starting at 7.

Thursday, February 18, 8 p.m.

The “Texas Debates, produced by KERA. The Dallas Morning News, and Texas Monthly, air nationally on American Public Radio and PBS. Democrats are featured in the first session.

Friday, February 19,8 p.m.

Republicans square off in the second session of The Texas Debates.. (See page 152 for more information.)