To the Best of Our Knowledge

To the Best of Our Knowledge, also known by its acronym, TTBOOK, is two, one-hour weekly public radio interview programs. Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, it is broadcast on 180+ public radio stations in the U.S. and is also available as a free weekly podcast. The program is hosted by Jim Fleming, along with interviewers Steve Paulson and Anne Strainchamps.

Program format

TTBOOK produces two one-hour programs each week. Each hour has a theme, which is explored over the course of the hour primarily through interviews, although the show also airs commentaries, performance pieces and occasional reporter pieces. Topics vary widely, from contemporary politics, science and "big ideas," to pop culture themes like "Nerds" or "Apocalyptic Fiction".

TTBOOK produces at least one 5-part series every year, which tends to be distributed more widely than the weekly broadcast. "East Meets West", a series on East/West cultural crossroads, included interviews with cellist YoYo Ma, Muslim philosopher Tariq Ramadan, Muslim rapper Lupe Fiasco, Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, and Pakistani rock icon Salman Ahmad. "Electrons to Enlightenment," a series on science and religion, included interviews with intellectual heavyweights E. O. Wilson, Richard Dawkins, Francis Collins and Karen Armstrong.

Here's how TTBOOK's website describes the program's format:

What's up with the themes? Why do you have themes, anyway? Because it lets us produce the show as a radio salon. Inviting a diverse group of people with really different backgrounds to approach one subject can (in our dreams) create a kind of depth and richness that seems beautiful to us. Our goal is to leave you at the end of each hour with a few thoughts or impressions to mull over. The way a poem can kind of reverberate, leaving you to connect the images and find your own meaning—that's how the theme format works, when we get it right. We got a call from a listener once, who said something we still bring up in staff meetings from time to time: "I don't need more information; what I need is some wisdom." The idea behind the theme format is to allow a subject to develop some depth, while at the same time not boring the pants off those of us with really short attention spans.

TTBOOK won the 2004 Peabody Award for Programming.

See also

• Public broadcasting

External links

• Official site