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Board Member Highlight: Bradley Scott

Bradley Scott, US Bank and KCPT Board Member, talks about public television, its importance, and why it needs the community's support.

Favorite PBS/KCPT Program:  While I can list my favorites, it is far too difficult to name THE favorite program.  Here they are in no particular order:

  • Downton Abbey – I am a history buff and this series is remarkably accurate, well written and portrayed.  Did I mention that it is also highly entertaining?
  • The Local Show – I always learn something new about what’s going on in Kansas City.
  • FRONTLINE – It is what a news documentary series should be, tough and often controversial but always thought provoking.
  • NOVA – Food for my inner science geek.  NOVA gives me a much deeper dive than other, more commercial programming is able to do.

What do I enjoy most about being involved with KCPT?  I enjoy working with an organization that does so much for the Kansas City Region.  I have worked with many non-for-profit organizations over the years and I have yet to work with a more passionate, devoted and talented staff as what I have found at KCPT.  Their passion for Public Television and the way they weave that mission into the fabric of the Kansas City community is amazing.

Why should someone support KCPT?  In addition to all that was said above, I would like to remind everyone that the quality programming has a cost that is not supported by commercial advertising or cable subscription fees. The only way that we can continue to enjoy the independent high quality national and local programming is for us to vote with our wallets.  It is incumbent upon me, as a viewer, to financially support this programming.  To me, FRONTLINE is a perfect example of a program that began out of the void created when commercial networks began producing “more profitable content” and moved away from revealing, hard-hitting investigative reporting.  Without our support, programming like FRONTLINE would disappear and I believe the public would be less informed because of it.

Click here to join Brad as a proud member of KCPT.

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The Boss & The President: Terence O’Malley on Tom & Harry

Filmmaker Terence O'Malley discusses his latest film Tom & Harry: The Boss and The President.

A new film that documents the relationship between President Harry Truman and Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast opens this weekend at the Glenwood Theater in Overland Park, Screenland-Crown Center, Screenland-Armour and the Pharaoh Theatre in Independence.

Tom and Harry: The Boss and the President is the third Kansas City centered documentary for attorney and filmmaker Terence O’Malley. He also directed Nelly Don: A Stitch in Time and Black Hand Strawman: The History of Organized Crime in Kansas City.

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Brain Power: Greg Graves & George Guastello

Greg Graves and George Guastello discuss the Battle of the Brains competition which had schools across the metro competing to design a new Science City exhibit.

Not everyone has been happy with Science City since it opened at Union Station in 1999.

Earlier this summer the engineering firm of Burns and McDonnell gave more than a million dollars to reinvigorate the family friendly science center.

They also launched Battle of the Brains a chance for area students to design a new permanent exhibit for Science City and with it a $50,000 prize for their school. The winner?

Olathe North High School’s winning entry explores how mechanical power is transformed into energy by running in giant hamster wheels to generate electricity. They call it Unplugged.

Burns & McDonnell CEO Greg Graves and Union Station CEO George Guastello discuss the Battle of the Brains competition which had schools across the metro competing to design the new Science City exhibit.

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Break A Leg: Arts To Do List

The Local Show shares a few clips from the KC Rep’s The Mystery of Irma Vep and the Unicorn Theatre’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson which are currently playing.

Kansas City is a great arts town and there’s a lot going on, particularly on our city’s stages, this weekend.

We leave you this week with scenes from two new productions. First, the fast paced farcical thriller comedy, The Mystery of Irma Vep at the Kansas City Repertory Theater.

Then there’s the political rock n rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Unicorn Theater.

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A Call to Action: National Council on Educating Black Children

The National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) hosted their annual convention in Kansas City, featuring an important panel discussion: “Creating a Sense of Urgency to Increase Black Male Achievement: A Call to Action.”

Last week, the National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) hosted their annual convention at the Westin Crown Center Hotel. The NCEBC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reinstate academic rigor and relevant teaching, improve the assessment of such instruction, and prepare the African-American learner for effective participation in a competitive global society.

Approximately 600 educators from across the United States and over 250 middle and high school students from Greater Kansas City attended the NCEBC Convention. The event featured discussions by both local and national education experts.

The Local Show shares some excerpts from the panel discussion: “Creating a Sense of Urgency to Increase Black Male Achievement: A Call to Action.” Among others, the panel included Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro and the Council of Chief State School Officers Executive Director Gene Wilhoit. The NCEBC also recognized high achieving urban schools and individuals who have made significant contributions to urban education, and amongst the distinguished awardees was University Academy, founded by Tom Bloch, Lynn Brown, and Barnett and Shirley Helzberg.

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Care Before Cuffs: JOCO Mental Health Co-Responder Program

Learn more about Johnson County’s Mental Health Co-Responder Program which strives to reduce numbers of mentally ill from entering the criminal justice system.

The Local Show rides along with the police in Johnson County as part of an innovative project to reduce the number of mentally ill heading to our area jails. It’s called the Mental Health Co-Responder Program and it was developed though a partnership between the Johnson County Sheriff’s office, Johnson County Mental Health and the Olathe Police Department. What happens if a mental health worker were to accompany police on some of their calls? Would the outcomes be different?

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City of Entrepreneurs: Kansas City

The Kauffman Foundation produced this video about Kansas City's entrepreneurial successes and looks to what the future holds for Kansas City as Google reinvents the internet starting right here in KC.

Hallmark, Marion Labs, H&R Block, Cerner and American Century. These are but a few examples of the entrepreneurial successes that began in Kansas City. Now Google has picked Kansas City as the starting point for revolutionizing how we use the internet and for spawning a new generation of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Recently, the UMKC Bloch School earned the highest ranking as the world’s top academic site for innovation management research.

The Local Show will be exploring how Kansas City will be embracing this new technology and examining the innovators.

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CityAge: The New American City

Producer Justin Bond eavesdropped on some of the sights and sounds of the two-day CityAge summit The New American City at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

While we were busy with the KCPT membership drive last week, Kansas City Mayor Sly James was busy saving America’s urban cities.

More than a dozen U.S. Mayors rolled into town along with political and thought leaders from around the country. They were convening at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts for the CityAge Summit on The New American City.

Kansas City is only the third place, and the first U.S. city, where CityAge has held a summit. The first two have been in Canada.

The Kansas City event wound up attracting more than 550 people from 259 organizations and 73 cities. Producer Justin Bond eavesdropped on some of the sights and sounds of the two-day convention that included a nod to Kansas City’s musical heritage.

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Clear for Landing: Mark VanLoh

Nick Haines sits down with Mark VanLoh, Director of Aviation for the Kansas City Aviation Department, to discuss potential changes at the airport and to preview what travelers should expect this holiday.

A recent front page story in the Kansas City Star says momentum now seems unstoppable for a new Kansas City airport to be built four miles south of its current location. The problem, the story reports, is the three terminal design of the current facility which is outmoded, expensive to maintain and requires according to the story just as many security screeners as all of three New York City airports combined

Nick Haines sits down with Mark VanLoh, Director of Aviation for the Kansas City Aviation Department, to discuss potential changes at the airport and to preview what travelers should expect this holiday.

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Cocktail Connoisseur: Ryan Maybee

Ryan Maybee is a restaurateur with expertise in the fields of wine, spirits and mixology. To him, the craft of bartending is more than just making a drink. Rather, he...

Bartender Ryan Maybe mixing a cocktail with bar in backgroundRyan Maybee is a restaurateur with expertise in the fields of wine, spirits and mixology. To him, the craft of bartending is more than just making a drink. Rather, he believes bartending is a true skill akin to the professionalism of chefs and their culinary educations. This belief in bartending as an art form has been the basis for his career and educational pursuits in the beverage industry.

In 2007, Maybee turned his vast knowledge and experience into a comprehensive consulting business. He launched RoundTable Marketing and Consulting, which specializes in wine list and cocktail menu development, staff training, and restaurant and bar consultation. Later that year, RoundTable partnered with beverage industry expert, Doug Frost, to create the Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition. The annual competition showcases some of the most talented bartenders in Kansas City and serves as a benefit for a local charity, the HALO Foundation.

In 2009, he opened Manifesto, a small, speakeasy like bar focusing on classically inspired cocktails using all fresh and homemade ingredients. In a short time, the bar has already received overwhelming local and national attention by being noticed in The New York Times, Esquire, and winning Small Wonder Bar of the Year 2010 by Nightclub & Bar Magazine.

Black and white image of Rieger HotelThe Rieger Hotel opened in 1915 and was home to many travelling salesmen, railroad workers, and passersby during Kansas City’s formative years. The three-story brick building has a long, rich history and much of the décor, including the tile floor and the bathroom fixtures remain original. It was originally owned by Alexander Rieger, the son of Jacob Rieger, who was the founder of J. Rieger & Co. Whiskey. J. Rieger & Co. operated out of Kansas City’s West Bottoms neighborhood, also known as “The Wettest Block in the World”, from 1877 to 1919. The whiskey distribution company became one of the largest in the country before Prohibition and the Volstead Act put an end to their success. But the Rieger name lived on here at the hotel, and in 2010 The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange brought back that classic name and identity. It’s our goal to honor the history of the Rieger name while adding a new and lasting landmark restaurant to Kansas City’s culinary landscape.

Recipe for The Pendergast:

1/2 ounce Bénédictine
3/4 ounce Sweet Vermouth
1 1/2 ounces Bourbon
Couple dashes of Angostura Bitters

Pour over ice. Stir to chill. Pour into glass. Zest with a lemon. Enjoy.

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