Alec Baldwin to Host WNYC Podcast, "Here's the Thing"

ALEC BALDWIN TO HOST WNYC PODCAST, “HERE’S THE THING”

Show to Launch on Monday, October 24
Available at www.heresthething.org

(New York, NY – October 13, 2011) – The award-winning actor ALEC BALDWIN will host a new podcast “HERE’S THE THING,” announced WNYC, the nation’s most listened-to public radio station, today.

The podcast will give Baldwin an opportunity to pursue his passions and interests through conversations with a variety of newsmakers, artists, actors, writers, and public figures who spark his fancy.

“As someone who has been the subject of innumerable interviews, I wanted to conduct my own and do them the way I liked them: emphasizing the positive, the forward-looking,” said BALDWIN. “And I wanted to do that show with WNYC.”

“HERE’S THE THING” will launch on Monday, October 24 with an interview with Academy Award-winning actor MICHAEL DOUGLAS, who speaks with Baldwin from his home about his career, family, and recent bout with cancer.

Other guests in the coming weeks include:

Political consultant ED ROLLINS discussing the upcoming election and his decades of experience offering behind-the-scenes strategy and guidance
KRIS KARDASHIAN JENNER opening up about her family's life in the media fishbowl
Comedian and actor CHRIS ROCK sharing his thoughts on his Broadway debut
KATHLEEN TURNER reflecting on her life and diverse career
ERICA JONG and daughter Molly debating the chasm between second and third wave feminists
DICK CAVETT in his Montauk home remembering his third grade report cards, his friendship with Marlon Brando, and interviewing Laurence Olivier

New podcasts will be released every two weeks. The podcasts can be downloaded at www.heresthething.org or iTunes.

Baldwin already has a presence on the radio scene. Since 2009, he has hosted the national program The New York Philharmonic This Week, which airs in New York on Classical 105.9 FM WQXR; like WNYC, WQXR is part of New York Public Radio. He has also guest-hosted on Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, conducting skillful and entertaining interviews with actress Laura Linney and author Mary Karr.

“Alec Baldwin is the quintessential New Yorker – curious, funny, direct,” said DEAN CAPPELLO, Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President for Programming, New York Public Radio, parent of WNYC. “And that’s what he brings to every conversation in this series. This is a chance to hear the off-stage Alec in conversation with leading thinkers and entertainers. Here’s the Thing will be one of the essential podcasts people download.”

WNYC is known for its distinguished, personality-driven radio and digital content, including Radiolab with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, Freakonomics Radio with Stephen Dubner from WNYC and American Public Media, Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen from WNYC and Public Radio International (PRI), On the Media with Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield, and The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Celeste Headlee, a co-production of WNYC and PRI.

Here’s the Thing is produced by WNYC, by Emily Botein and Kathleen Russo.

Here’s the Thing is supported, in part, by its official sponsor, Stitcher SmartRadio.

For further information, please visit www.heresthething.org.

New York Public Radio is New York’s premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC, WQXR, and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, as well as www.wnyc.org, www.wqxr.org and www.thegreenespace.org. As America’s most listened-to AM/FM news and talk public radio stations, reaching 1.1 million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City’s cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a wide range of daily news, talk, cultural and music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting. Classical 105.9 FM WQXR is New York City’s sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city’s rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC and WQXR produce content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station’s street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. For more information about New York Public Radio, visit www.nypublicradio.org.

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