Greg Petersen

An archive recording of the WPSU Jazz Show (from home edition) as broadcast on May 15, 2020, and hosted by Greg Petersen.

In the first hour, hear performances by Sheryl Crow, Allen Toussaint, Ray Charles & Bill Joel, Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Count Basie & Orchestra, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Kevin Mahogany, and more.

In the second hour, hear Louis Armstrong, Mulgrew Miller, Paquito D’Rivera, Patricia Barber, Ray Brown Trio with James Morrison, The Manhattan Transfer, Miles Davis, Norah Jones, and more. 

An archive recording of the WPSU Jazz Show as broadcast on April 17, 2020, and hosted by Greg Petersen. This week, tributes to jazz greats Ellis Marsalis, Wallace Roney, and Bucky Pizzarelli. All three passed away in the past two weeks due to the COVID-19 virus.

In the first hour, hear performances by Marsalis, Roney and Pizzarelli, along with tracks from Blood Sweat & Tears, Al Grey, Andrew Distel, Eddie Henderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Green, The Oscar Peterson Trio and more.

An archive recording of the WPSU Jazz Show as broadcast on March 27, 2020, and hosted by Greg Petersen. This week, the debut album by Rachael & Vilray is featured. An NPR interview with the duo can be found here. 

In the first hour, hear tracks from Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Joshua Redman, Lena Horne, Maceo Parker, Rachael & Vilray, The Very Tall Band, The Monty Alexander Trio, McCoy Tyner, and more.

An archive recording of the WPSU Jazz Show as broadcast on March 13, 2020, and hosted by Greg Petersen. This week, musical tributes to local jazz artist Arthur Goldstein and jazz great McCoy Tyner, both of whom passed away this past week. 

In the first hour, hear tracks from McCoy Tyner, Modern Jazz Quartet, Arthur Goldstein Quartet, The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Band, Cleo Laine, Grover Washington Jr., and more.

This is my second This I Believe essay. The first was in 2008 when I extolled the virtues of the Chicago Cubs as a metaphor for the game of life. You may have setbacks, but like the Cubs you have to persevere. Now that my Cubbies have reached the pinnacle of baseball, it’s time to set new sights.

I’ve just retired from a 45-year career in public broadcasting and to say I believe in pubic media, would be an understatement. Besides having a mission to inform, educate and even entertain, public media’s role in today’s society is more essential than ever. 

Michael Black has been borough resident since 1991 and is a local business owner. He earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Springfield College and his master’s degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He served as a student affairs professional at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and pursued a doctorate degree at Penn State in higher education. He is a graduate of the of the Leadership Centre County program. Black was once a volunteer on-air host for WPSU. 

Janet Engeman was elected to the State College Borough Council in 2015. She is a graduate of State College High and Lock Haven University with a degree in economics. Engeman left the area for many years after high school before returning with her husband in 1995. Engeman was a labor market analyst for the New Jersey Department of Labor, and worked on multiple projects with Applied Data Research, Mathematica Policy Research, and Computer Associates.

Don Hahn is a Centre County native, and graduated from State College High and Penn State. He holds a law degree from Villanova University, and is currently an attorney at Stover-McGlaughin Law firm in State College. Hahn has held numerous public service positions including member and president of the State College Borough Council, a member of Centre Region Council of Governments and has served on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Municipal League, and the State College Community Land Trust. 

Are Pennsylvania’s minimum wage earners likely to see a pay increase? What of Governor Tom Wolf’s current budget will make it through the Pennsylvania House—what won’t?   WPSU’s Greg Petersen talks about the next state budget with Democrat Mike Hanna, the house minority whip who represents Pennsylvania’s 76th district.    

WPSU’s Greg Petersen talks with Republican Pennsylvania Senator Jake Corman about Governor Tom Wolf’s just-released state budget.  Corman represents the 34th Senatorial District, which includes all of Centre, Mifflin, and Juniata Counties and part of Huntingdon County.  Senator Corman serves as the majority leader in the State Senate.   

Few issues in contemporary democracy are so important as the future of public education. Democracy, our founding fathers believed, can thrive only if the citizens who consent to be governed are educated and engaged, and are capable of understanding the challenges that we all face together. When education fails, so does democracy. 

WPSU’s Greg Petersen interviewers Pennsylvania State Senator and Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre County) who talks about the prospects for an on-time budget, pension reform, state liquor reform, his support for a higher minimum wage in the Commonwealth, and work to close a tax loophole that currently allows hundreds of Marcellus Shale companies to avoid taxes by registering in Delaware.
 

In August, Terrell Jones, Penn State’s Vice Provost for Educational Equity and a well-known expert on diversity issues, passed away after a bout with cancer. Marcus Whitehurst, who worked with Jones for many years, was appointed the Acting Vice Provost for Educational Equity. We talked with Whitehurst about the legacy that Jones left behind for Penn State, diversity and equity issues, and Terrell Jones as a mentor. For the second half of our show, we talked to Penn State Senior Vice President for Finance and Business David Gray about Penn State health care.

Walter Terrell Jones (know as just "Terrell" to everyone) was the vice provost for Educational Equity at Penn State and was instrumental in diversity initiatives and equity for faculty, staff and students at Penn State.  He passed away in August after a bout with cancer at age 64.  He began his Penn State career in 1980 as a residence hall coordinator.

A service was held on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at the Frank and Sylvia Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the University Park campus of Penn State.

Political satirist Mark Russell will be performing at the State Theater on Sunday, July 27.   WPSU's Greg Petersen talks with Russell about his career and today's audiences.