About The Promised Land

Vision and leadership — these are the ideas at the heart of the public radio series The Promised Land. Our host, the ever-dynamic, much-acclaimed Majora Carter, visits locations coast to coast and introduces us to passionate men, women, and young people who are changing their communities with innovative thinking and tireless effort. Smart, compelling, and powerful, The Promised Land delivers their stories with a sense of adventure that engages and inspires.

The Promised Land is produced by Launch Productions, Minneapolis, with major production support from American Public Media. It is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

About Launch

Launch represents an extraordinary collaboration in national program development. It consists of Mary Beth Kirchner, Julie Burstein and Marge Ostroushko — three award-winning veteran producers based respectively in Los Angeles, New York, and Minneapolis — who have participated in the creation of many of the public radio system's favorite programs, including PRI's Studio 360, American Routes, Speaking of Faith, A Prairie Home Companion, This American Life, Carnegie Hall Tonight, The Satellite Sisters, Jazz Profiles, Gray Matters, and More by Corwin, to name a few. Launch has years of experience in identifying and cultivating on-air talent and creating successful new public radio programs.

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The Promised Land STAFF

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Majora CarterHost
MAJORA CARTER
is founder of Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), a nonprofit community organization established in 2001 to advance the environmental and economic rebirth of her hometown, one of the poorest areas of the U.S. She is now president of her own economic consulting firm, the Majora Carter Group. A sought-after speaker, Majora was named one of Essence magazine's "25 most influential African-Americans" and one of Newsweek's "25 to Watch." She is co-host of The Green on the Sundance Channel. In 2005, she was awarded the MacArthur "genius" Fellowship in recognition of her revolutionary approaches to persistent social problems. Other honors include New York University's Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, and the Lewis Rudin Award for Public Service. Majora holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.F.A. from New York University.

 

 

Marge OstroushkoExecutive Producer
MARGE OSTROUSHKO
has lent her talents to some of public radio’s most loved shows, including A Prairie Home Companion, This American Life, and Speaking of Faith. In her 25 years in public radio, she has won many honors, including two Peabody Awards, for Mississippi: River of Song and A Prairie Home Companion. Marge is a partner of Launch Productions, a collaboration in national programming development with years of experience in identifying and cultivating on-air talent and creating successful new public radio programs.

 

 

Mary Beth KirchnerProducer
MARY BETH KIRCHNER
spent a decade as the executive producer of American Routes and is now an independent radio producer and national programming consultant. During her 25 years in public radio, she has been honored with more than 50 national and international awards. Mary Beth is a partner of Launch Productions, a collaboration in national programming development.

 

 

Emily BoteinProducer
EMILY BOTEIN
is an independent radio producer, editor, and consultant based in New York. She has helped to launch national shows and series, focusing on documentaries and cultural programming. Her work often brings new voices to radio — as reporters and hosts. Emily has been associated with a range of shows and institutions, including American Routes, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Metropolitan Opera, National Public Radio, The Next Big Thing, Studio 360, and Weekend America.

See what Emily had to say about producing this season of The Promised Land, which took her from a mountain cave in Yosemite to a beach on the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

James Chase

Consultant
JAMES CHASE
started volunteering as Communications Director for Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx) after a decade in NYC’s cable TV and advertising industries. He is now Vice President of Media and Communication for the Majora Carter Group, managing Majora's expanding radio and TV presence.

 

 

Robin WiseTechnical Director
ROBIN WISE
is all about sound. In her studio, Sound Imagery, Robin works as a mix engineer, digital editor, sound recordist, and sound designer. She has mixed/mastered more than  400 radio, music, and multimedia productions, and her projects have won many awards, including a Peabody Award and Columbia duPont Silver Baton. Prior to working in audio, Robin was a music educator and conductor of award-winning ensembles. She taught digital audio at the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley.

Robin talks about recording in the rain and being a conductor of sound. Check out the conversation on our blog.

 

 

Emily TorgrimsonProduction Assistant
EMILY TORGRIMSON
has worked on environmental stories with PRI's Living on Earth and documentaries with American RadioWorks. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Boston University and is working on a master’s in public health. Emily is the founder and organizer of Eat for Equity, which brings people together for monthly benefit shindigs.

Station Carriage Info

AL Montgomery WVAS 90.7
AL Normal/Huntsville WJAB 90.9
AL Troy/Montgomery WTSU 89.9
AL Dothan WRWA 88.7
AL Columbus/Phoenix City WTJB 91.7
AL Huntsville WLRH 89.3
AK Ketchikan KRBD
AK Dillingham KDLG-AM
AK Unalakleet KNSA
AK Wrangell KSTK 101.7
AK Sitka KCAW
AK Anchorage KNBA 90.3
CA San Francisco KQED 88.5
CA Sacramento KQEI 89.3
CA Nevada City KVMR 89.5
CA Sacramento KXJZ 90.9
CA Tahoe City KKTO 90.5
CA Stockton KUOP 91.3
CA Quincy KQNC 88.1
CA San Diego KPBS 89.5
CA San Francisco KALW 91.7
CA Rohnert Park KRCB 91.1
CO Denver KCFR 90.1
CO Boulder KCFC-AM 1490
CO Pueblo KKPC-AM 1230
CO Craig KPYR 88.3
CO Grand Junction KPRN 89.5
CO Montrose KPRH 88.3
CO Vail KPRE 89.9
DC Washington WAMU
FL Gainesville WUFT
FL Fort Myers WGCU 90.1/91.7
FL Melbourne WFIT 89.5
FL Tampa WMNF 88.5
GA Atlanta WABE
GA Athens WUGA
GA Rome WGPB 97.7
GA Columbus/Warm Spgs WJSP 88.1
GA Augusta WACG 90.7
GA Savannah WSVH 91.1
GA Tifton WABR 91.1
GA Macon WMUM 89.7
GA Albany WUNV 91.7
GA Demorest WPPR 88.3
GA Dahlonega WNGU 89.5
GA Brunswick WWIO 88.9
GA Folkston WATY 91.3
GA Waycross WXVS 90.1
GA Valdosta WWET 91.7
GA Carrollton WUWG 90.7
GA Dalton WNGH 98.9
GA Fort Gaines WJWV 90.9
ID Pocatello KISU 91.1
IL Chicago WBEZ 91.5
IL Morris WBEQ 90.7
IL: Urbana WILL
IL Macomb WIUM
IL Warsaw, IL WIUW
IA Sioux City KWIT 90.3
IA Okoboji KOJI 90.7
IA Keokuk, IA WIUW
IA Waterloo KBBG 88.1
KY Morehead WMKY
KY Richmond/Lexington WEKU 88.9
KY Hazard WEKH 90.9
KY Corbin WEKF 88.5
KY Murray WKMS 91.3
ME Bangor WMEH 90.9
ME Calais WMED 89.7
ME Presque Isle WMEM 106.1
ME Waterville WMEW 91.3
ME Portland WMEA 90.1
ME Fort Kent WMEF 106.5
ME Camden WMEP 90.5
MD Baltimore WEAA 88.9
MA Boston WBUR 90.9
MA West Yarmouth WBUR-AM 1240
MA Harwich WCCT 90.3
MA Sandwich WSDH 91.5
MA Nantucket WNAN
MA Martha's Vineyard WCAI
MA Amherst WFCR
MN Saint Paul KNOW 91.1
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MN Brainerd KBPN-FM 88.3
MN Duluth WSCN 105.5
MN La Crescent KXLC-FM 91.1
MN Moorhead/Fargo KCCD-FM 90.3
MN Fergus Falls KNWF 91.5
MN Rochester KZSE-FM 90.7
MN St. Peter KNGA-FM 91.5
MN Collegeville/Olivia KNSR-FM 103.1
MN Thief River Falls KNTN-FM 102.7
MN Virginia/Hibbing WIRN-FM 92.5
MN Worthington KNSW-FM 91.7
MN Appleton KNCM-FM 88.5
MN Grand Marais WLSN-FM 89.7
MN Austin KNSE 90.1
MN Roseau/Warroad KRXW 103.5
MN St. Cloud KNSR 88.9
IA Decorah KLNI 88.7
MI Houghton WGGL 91.1
MN Minneapolis KFAI 90.3
MN St. Paul KFAI 106.7
MS Jackson WJSU 88.5
MO Kansas City KCUR 89.3
MT Billings KEMC
MT Bozeman KBMC
MT Havre KNMC
MT Miles City KYPR
WY Sheridan KPRQ
NH Concord WEVO 89.1
NH Nashua WEVS 88.3
NH Dover WEVO 104.3
NH Nashua WEVO 90.3
NH Hanover WEVH 91.3
NH Keene WEVN 90.7
NH Jackson WEVJ 99.5
NH Gorham WEVC 107.1
NH Littleton WEVO 91.3
NH Plymouth 97.3
NH Portsmouth 103.9
NH Colebrook 105.9
NE Omaha KIOS
NJ South Orange WSOU 89.5
NJ Newark WBGO 88.3
NY New York WNYC-FM 93.9
NY New York WNYC-AM 820
NY Oswego WRVO 89.9
NY Utica WRVN 91.9
NY Watertown WRVJ 91.7
NY Syracuse WRVD 90.3
NY Hamilton WRCU 90.1
NY Cortland WSUC 90.5
NY Binghamton WSKG 89.3
NY Ithaca WSQG 90.9
NY Oneonta/Cooperstown WSQC 91.7
NY Corning/Elmira WSQE 91.1
NY Hornell/Alfred WSQA 88.7
NY Rochester WXXI
NY Canton WSLU 89.5
NY Blue Mntain Lake WXLH
NY Malone WSLO
NY Peru WXLU
NY Saranac Lake WSLL
NY Watertown WSLJ 88.9
NY North Creek WXLG
NY Buffalo WNED-AM
NC Asheville WCQS
NC Franklin WYQS 90.5
NC Durham WNCU
NC Raleigh WSHA
NC Fayetteville WFSS 91.9
ND Fargo KDSU 91.9
ND Williston KPPR 89.5
ND Minot KMPR 88.9
ND Dickinson KDPR 89.9
ND Bismarck KCND 90.5
ND Jamestown KPRJ 91.5
ND Grand Forks KUND 89.3
OH Cincinnati WVXU 91.7
OH Cleveland WCPN 90.3
OH Kent WKSU 89.7
OH Columbus WOSU-AM
OH Yellow Springs WYSO 91.3
OK Tulsa KWGS 89.5
OR Portland KOPB 91.1
OR Bend KOAB 91.3
OR Corvallis KOAC-AM 550
OR Eugene KOPB AM 1600
OR Pendleton KRBM 90.9
OR La Grande KTVR 90.3
OR Baker City KOBK 88.9
OR Tillamook KTMK 91.1
OR Gleneden Beach KOGL 89.3
OR Lakeview KOAP 88.7
OR Eugene KLCC 89.7
PA Philadelphia WHYY
SD Vermillion KUSD 89.7
TX Dallas KERA
TX Austin KUT
TX Austin KUT2
UT Logan KUSU 91.5
UT Logan KUSR 89.5
UT Richfiled KUSL 89.3
WA Everett KSER 90.7
WY Laramie KUWR 91.9
WY Afton KUWA 91.3
WY Buffalo KBUW 90.5
WY Casper KUWC 91.3
WY Cheyenne KUWR 91.9
WY Cody KUWP 90.1
WY Douglas KDUW 91.7
WY Dubois KUWR 91.3
WY Evanston KUWR 93.5
WY Gillette KUWG 90.9
WY Jackson KUWJ 90.3
WY Newcastle KUWN 90.5
WY Pinedale KUWX 90.9
WY Sheridan KSUW 91.3
WY Sundance KUWD 91.5
WY Thermopolis KUWT 91.3
WY Rock Springs KUWZ 90.5
BC Victoria CKMO 900 AM