Running time | 2 hours |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Home station | WWNO |
Syndicates | PRX |
Hosted by | Nick Spitzer |
Executive producer(s) | Mary Beth Kirchner |
Recording studio | New Orleans, LA |
Air dates | since 1998 |
Audio format | Stereophonic |
Website | http://americanroutes.wwno.org/ |
American Routes is a weekly two-hour public radio program that presents the breadth and depth of the American musical and cultural landscape. Hosted by Nick Spitzer, American Routes is syndicated by 225 stations, with over half a million listeners. It is produced out of New Orleans and distributed by PRX. American Routes is the most widely heard regular presence for tradition-derived and community-based music on public radio today.
The show was launched in November 1997 on WWOZ in New Orleans. It was created by Nick Spitzer and Mary Beth Kirchner, who had worked together previously producing segments for All Things Considered. By 1998, American Routes was syndicated by American Public Radio for 39 stations.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, production of the show temporarily relocated to KRVS 88.7 FM at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Lafayette, Louisiana. While in Lafayette, Spitzer and his crew produced a series of shows called "After the Storm," which "followed the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast through the stories and songs of its musicians."
Production operations have since returned to New Orleans with studios now at Tulane University. In July 2008, American Routes announced an affiliation with Tulane.
American Routes celebrated its 10th anniversary on January 16, 2009, with a concert at the House of Blues in New Orleans. Performers included Dr. Michael White, Trombone Shorty and Al Johnson. Performances and interviews from the show were included in a program that aired the week of February 18, 2009.
American Routes has more than 300 original shows in its catalog, and a database of over 1000 hours of interviews.