Almanac | |
---|---|
Genre | Public affairs |
Directed by | Jeffrey Weihe |
Presented by |
Eric Eskola Cathy Wurzer |
Theme music composer | Dave Grusin |
Opening theme | "Anthem Internationale" |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Brendan Henehan |
Location(s) | 172 East 4th Street Saint Paul, Minnesota |
Editor(s) | Jerry Lakso |
Camera setup | Multiple-camera |
Running time | 56–57 minutes |
Production company(s) | Twin Cities Public Television |
Distributor | Minnesota Public Television Association |
Release | |
Picture format | 1080i (16:9 HDTV) |
Original release | December 7, 1984 | – present
Chronology | |
Related shows | Almanac: At the Capitol |
External links | |
Website |
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.
A 90-second monologue, typically by a local humorist, was originally presented near the beginning of each edition of the show and 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.