Reporter’s Blog

BLOG: The National Conventions According to Google

Ann Romney stole the show, Tuesday night, at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.  That’s not just this reporter’s opinion from watching hours of live C-Span coverage; that’s what the folks at Google tell me.  Abbi Tatton with the Google Elections Team says Ann Romney apparently succeeded in showing off the warmer, softer side of […]

Christman Blog: Controversial T-Shirts at the Student Book Store

Okay, so it’s no secret that some people are upset with the NCAA for the sanctions handed down to Penn State University for its handling (or lack thereof) of the the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal. Some think the NCAA overreached in fining the school $60 million, taking away scholarships, banning the Nittany Lions from […]

Could You Be Impartial?

The Herculean task of finding 12 men and/or women to sit on Jerry Sandusky’s jury is underway at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte. The former Penn State football Defensive Coordinator is charged with more than 50 counts connected to the alleged molestations of at least 10 young boys over a 15 year period. The […]

Christman Blog – Joe Paterno: Legend, Icon…Human

    It was November 9th, 2011 and the Penn State Board of Trustees had just announced the firing of Joe Paterno. My first thoughts were not of the countless Saturdays I spent watching JoePa prowl the sidelines, or of the 409 wins that will probably stand as a Division I record forever. These were ingrained […]

Christman Blog: Cutting Through Cynicism with Facts

(Brad Christman is the News Director for Radio PA and Co-Host of our monthly “Ask the Governor” series on PAMatters.com. He can be reached at brad_christman@radiopa.com)     Ask any journalist and they’ll tell you that one of the fascinating aspects of our business involves the letters and comments we receive from people who are certain that they know […]

Christman Blog: The Cut & Paste Campaign of 2011

“On what legal, moral and/or ethical basis has the administration decided not to provide pay raises for approximately 13,000 non-union State Employees for going on 4-years while providing approximately 14% in pay increases for Unionized State Workers, Legislators, and some Non-Unionized (on ST Pay Schedules) over this same time period?”     The wording has been […]

Thank you, Pennsylvania and Keep Those Emails Coming!

    This week, we wrapped up our second “Ask the Governor” taping with more fabulous questions from our Radio PA listeners and followers of PAMatters.com. First off, THANK YOU! We launched “Ask the Gov” to provide a conduit between you and your state government and the response has been fantastic. We should also thank Governor Tom […]

Two-and-a-Half Cheers for Larry Farnese

    The old saying is supposed to start out “THREE cheers for (insert man-of-the-hour here).” Sadly, I have to withhold the final half-cheer, although on the state Senate floor last night, Philadelphia Democrat Lawrence Farnese gave one of the best 3-minute speeches the chamber has seen in some time.     As I watched the Senate […]

Sate Capitol View from Commonwealth Ave.

“Ask the Governor” Leaves the Launch Pad

    It had been 16 years since I last sat across the broadcast studio from Tom Corbett. Back in 1995, he was the newly-appointed Attorney General and I was just entering my 2nd year as an anchor & reporter at Radio PA. Flash forward to June 9th, 2011. He’s now the governor and I’m the […]

National Drivers Test

Are You Fit to Drive? I am

Cleaning out my inbox the other day, I spotted a news release slugged, “Nearly 1 in 5 American Drivers Unfit for the Road,” and it was just too tempting not to follow up.  It turns out GMAC Insurance has been conducting a National Drivers Test for seven years now, and 18% of American drivers failed […]