Christopher Lydon
Encyclopedia
Christopher Lydon is an American
media personality and author. He is best known for being the original host of The Connection, produced by WBUR
and syndicated to other NPR stations.
and Yale University
.
, and anchored The Ten-O'Clock News
on WGBH
in Boston
, Massachusetts
.
After WGBH cancelled its nightly news program, he moved to WBUR
, where in 1994 he became host of The Connection. In 2001, he and his longtime producer Mary McGrath were fired after a high-profile contract dispute with WBUR. McGrath's and Lydon's claim, rejected by the station, was that they, not WBUR, were the true creators of The Connection - moving it far beyond the initial WBUR template to become the successful, widely syndicated program.
During his tenure on The Connection, Lydon frequently discussed Internet topics, and his Radio Open Source blog
became a launchpad for international broadcasts and other activities.
While a fellow at Harvard Law School
's Berkman Center for Internet & Society
in 2003, Lydon began recording in-depth interviews focused on blogging and politics, posting the downloadable audio files as part of his blog. Bob Doyle (inventor) built an MP3
portable recording studio for Lydon. Dave Winer
, also a Berkman Fellow, created an RSS
enclosure feed for Lydon's MP3 interview files, an event often credited with sparking the growth of podcast
ing. He also launched the political site Bopnews (for "Blogging of the President") during the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign.
On May 30, 2005, Lydon returned to the air on University of Massachusetts Lowell
's radio station WUML
and Boston's WGBH
with a new show called Open Source, syndicated through Public Radio International
. Including a blog and podcast, the program promised to "use blogs to be a show about the world." On October 16, 2006, the Lowell, Massachusetts newspaper The Sun announced that "Radio personality Christopher Lydon's lucrative and controversial contract with UMass Lowell to broadcast an hourlong radio show will not be renewed when it expires in December." Upon notice of the UMass Lowell discontinuance, Lydon began actively seeking new funders for the program. In November 2007, Lydon partnered with Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies
to continue producing Radio Open Source.
. He finished sixth out of eight candidates in the nonpartisan primary.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
media personality and author. He is best known for being the original host of The Connection, produced by WBUR
WBUR
WBUR refers to two radio stations in Massachusetts, WBUR AM and FM, both owned by Boston University. WBUR is the largest of three NPR member stations in Boston, Massachusetts, along with WGBH and WUMB-FM, and the only one to focus exclusively on news and talk...
and syndicated to other NPR stations.
Background
Christopher Lydon is a graduate of Boston's Roxbury Latin SchoolRoxbury Latin School
The Roxbury Latin School is the oldest school in continuous operation in North America. The school was founded in Roxbury, Massachusetts by the Rev. John Eliot under a charter received from King Charles I of England. Since its founding in 1645, it has educated boys on a continuous basis.Located...
and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Journalistic History
Lydon is a former journalist with The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, and anchored The Ten-O'Clock News
The Ten O'Clock News (WGBH)
The Ten O'Clock News was a weeknight local television news show, broadcast from 1976 to 1991 by WGBH, the Boston PBS affiliate. It replaced a pair of earlier news programs: The Reporters and Evening Compass ....
on WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
After WGBH cancelled its nightly news program, he moved to WBUR
WBUR
WBUR refers to two radio stations in Massachusetts, WBUR AM and FM, both owned by Boston University. WBUR is the largest of three NPR member stations in Boston, Massachusetts, along with WGBH and WUMB-FM, and the only one to focus exclusively on news and talk...
, where in 1994 he became host of The Connection. In 2001, he and his longtime producer Mary McGrath were fired after a high-profile contract dispute with WBUR. McGrath's and Lydon's claim, rejected by the station, was that they, not WBUR, were the true creators of The Connection - moving it far beyond the initial WBUR template to become the successful, widely syndicated program.
During his tenure on The Connection, Lydon frequently discussed Internet topics, and his Radio Open Source blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
became a launchpad for international broadcasts and other activities.
While a fellow at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
's Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is a research center at Harvard University that focuses on the study of cyberspace. Founded at Harvard Law School, the center traditionally focused on internet-related legal issues. On May 15, 2008, the Center was elevated to an interfaculty initiative of...
in 2003, Lydon began recording in-depth interviews focused on blogging and politics, posting the downloadable audio files as part of his blog. Bob Doyle (inventor) built an MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
portable recording studio for Lydon. Dave Winer
Dave Winer
Dave Winer is an American software developer, entrepreneur and writer in New York City. Winer is noted for his contributions to outliners, scripting, content management, and web services, as well as blogging and podcasting...
, also a Berkman Fellow, created an RSS
RSS
-Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...
enclosure feed for Lydon's MP3 interview files, an event often credited with sparking the growth of podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
ing. He also launched the political site Bopnews (for "Blogging of the President") during the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign.
On May 30, 2005, Lydon returned to the air on University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
's radio station WUML
WUML
WUML is a non-commercial College radio station licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. The station is owned by University of Massachusetts Lowell.-History:Radio at UMass Lowell was started in 1952 by a student named Ed Bonacci...
and Boston's WGBH
WGBH (FM)
WGBH is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of NPR and PRI. The license-holder is the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV....
with a new show called Open Source, syndicated through Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
. Including a blog and podcast, the program promised to "use blogs to be a show about the world." On October 16, 2006, the Lowell, Massachusetts newspaper The Sun announced that "Radio personality Christopher Lydon's lucrative and controversial contract with UMass Lowell to broadcast an hourlong radio show will not be renewed when it expires in December." Upon notice of the UMass Lowell discontinuance, Lydon began actively seeking new funders for the program. In November 2007, Lydon partnered with Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies
Watson Institute for International Studies
The Watson Institute for International Studies is a center for the analysis of international issues at Brown University, focusing mainly on global security and political economy and society. Its faculty span a wide range of disciplines, including, anthropology, economics, political science, and...
to continue producing Radio Open Source.
Politics
Lydon was a candidate for mayor of Boston in 1993Boston mayoral election, 1993
The Boston mayoral election of 1993 occurred on Tuesday, November 2, 1993 between Acting Mayor Thomas Menino and State Representative James Brett...
. He finished sixth out of eight candidates in the nonpartisan primary.
Cultural references
Lydon is the subject of an eponymous song by the Boston duo The Dresden DollsThe Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...
.
External links
- Radio Open Source
- Christopher Lydon Interviews...
- Christopher Lydon profile, The Boston Phoenix, March 2005