Neal Conan and Ken Rudin
The "Political Junkie" segment that was a favorite among NPR's "Talk of the Nation" listeners hit the road for the 2014 election season and was presented on campus during Homecoming and Family Weekend. "Talk of the Nation" host Neal Conan and "Political Junkie" Ken Rudin brought the "Political Junkie Road Show" to HWS on Saturday, Sept. 27, as part of the President's Forum Series. The Road Show is presented in conjunction with WXXI Public Broadcasting.
"Talk of the Nation" was NPR's midday call-in program that explored politics, pop culture, education, religion, books, health, family and music, and invites listeners to join the conversation. The show concluded in 2013.
Hosted by veteran political journalist Rudin, "Ken Rudin's Political Junkie" is currently a weekly show covering the personalities, issues and elections in national, state and local politics. It was a weekly segment of "Talk of the Nation" from 2006 until the show's conclusion. "Political Junkie" launched as an independent production in October 2013.
The unique chemistry between Rudin and Conin that made "Political Junkie" such a hit on the radio is a fresh, funny, fast- paced review on stage. The show includes politicians, players and some of the best political reporters around the country along with trademark trivia quizzes and Rudin's infamous ScuttleButton puzzles. The combination of incisive analysis, top guests, infectious enthusiasm and irreverent wit will make it an unforgettable night that is as smart as it is funny.
Conan has covered many local, statewide and national elections, among them Mario Cuomo's first bid for Governor of New York and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's challenge to President Jimmy Carter in 1980. He also served four years as NPR's correspondent in London, covering European politics. As a reporter, editor or producer, he's been involved in NPR's coverage of every U.S. election for more than two decades. He is the author of "Play by Play: Baseball, Radio and Life in the Last Chance League."
Rudin is one of America's foremost experts in politics and campaign history. He has focused on all aspects of politics and analyzed every congressional race in the nation since 1984. For most of the past 20 years, Rudin served as NPR political editor and "Political Junkie." His weekly column first appeared online with The Washington Post before coming to NPR.org, and also premiered his iconic ScuttleButton contest. Rudin also spent three years as managing editor of Hotline, a daily political newsletter. While at NPR, he helped create the "It's All Politics" podcast that ran for seven years, and was a key member of the NPR team that won the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Silver Baton award for excellence in broadcast journalism in 2002 and again in 2012. He has also served as deputy political director and off-air Capitol Hill reporter covering the House for ABC News, and wrote the "Political Graffiti" column for The Hill, a newspaper covering Capitol Hill.
More information about "Political Junkie" is available online.
This information is accurate for the time period that this person(s) spoke at Hobart and William Smith.