Almanac (American TV series)

Almanac
Genre	Public affairs
Presented by	Eric Eskola Cathy Wurzer
Theme music composer	Dave Grusin
Opening theme	"Anthem Internationale"
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Brendan Henehan
Production locations	172 East 4th Street Saint Paul, Minnesota
Editor	Jerry Lakso
Camera setup	Multiple-camera
Running time	56–57 minutes
Production company	Twin Cities Public Television
Original release
Release	December 7, 1984 (1984-12-07) – present
Related
Almanac: At the Capitol

Almanac is a weekly public affairs television program produced by Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and distributed to other channels around the state via the Minnesota Public Television Association. It has aired weekly on Friday nights since December 7, 1984.

Origins

Attempting to breathe life into the "boring and obligatory" Public Affairs TV genre, TPT asked Executive Producer Bill Hanley to "take big swings" in the redesign of a long-standing 30-minute Friday night series.   Following months of difficult negotiations with station management, Hanley and Producer Brendan Henehan unveiled a truly unique 60-minute blend of Minnesota politics, public policy, arts, history and humor; a format that eventually became a true "Minnesota Institution" and Minnesota's longest running primetime television series.

Format

Almanac being recorded at the Minnesota State Fair

A 90-second monologue, typically by a local humorist, was originally presented near the beginning of each edition of the show. It now occurs in the middle of the program. Some monologists who have made many appearances include Dr. Mark DePaolis, James Lileks, Jim Ragsdale, Dominic Papatola, Roy Finden, Kevyn Berger, Carol Falkowski, and J.G. Preston (an employee of the show until his departure in 2005).

Members of the leadership in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate frequently appear during their tenures. Guest political analysts include educators, lobbyists, and former legislators. Frequent panelists of recent years include David Strom from the Minnesota Free Market Institute, former Minnesota State Senator Fritz Knaak, Republican lobbyist Sarah Janecek, former press secretary for former U.S. senator Norm Coleman Andy Brehm, DFL lobbyist-turned-educator Wy Spano, former DFL legislator Ember Reichgott Junge, and University of Minnesota professors Hy Berman (history), Kathryn Pearson, and Larry Jacobs (political science).

The end of the show features an "Index File" trivia question, though it sometimes gets cut if the show runs long. Credits run over show-ending music, sometimes live but often pulled from TPT's library of musical recordings dating back to the 1970s.

A live broadcast to celebrate the series's 20th anniversary in April 2005 was transmitted in HDTV. TPT claimed it was the first live high-definition broadcast in the area.

Since the show's inception, its theme song has been "Anthem Internationale" from Dave Grusin's 1982 album Out of the Shadows.

Presenters

Longtime hosts Eric Eskola and Cathy Wurzer were married for many years, but have divorced. They have also spent time at other area stations: Eskola contributed political reports to WCCO radio until being laid off in May 2010, and Wurzer hosts the regional portion of Morning Edition at Minnesota Public Radio. Eskola is noted for his fondness for scarves, wearing a different one each week during the cold months.

Mary Lahammer provides political reports from the Minnesota State Capitol when the legislature is in session. David Gillette creates illustrated essays and hosts Almanac's online bonus show, "The Wrap." Lahammer and Gillette also appear on Almanac: At the Capitol during the legislative session.

See also

• Twin Cities Public Television

External links

• Almanac official website