Dialogue with Marcia Franklin

Host Marcia Franklin talks with ABC Chief White House correspondent Martha Raddatz about national politics and the war in Iraq. Although Raddatz could stay inside the Beltway to do her job, she's made it a priority to go to Iraq, a total of 17 times at this date. She talks with Franklin about why she takes that risk, whether she's seeing any progress in that country, and about her book, "The Long Road Home," which chronicles a battle in Sadr City. The two also talk about her thoughts on the growing violence in Pakistan, a country Raddatz has reported from many times.

Prior to joining ABC in 1999, Raddatz covered the Pentagon for National Public Radio for six years. Public Television viewers will recognize her as well for her regular appearances on Washington Week with Gwen Ifill.

The recipient of numerous honors, including a Peabody Award and three national Emmy awards, Ms. Raddatz was in Boise as the distinguished speaker for the Idaho Humanities Council's annual event.

Originally aired: 11/13/2008

In this interview from 1996, Marcia Franklin talks with Pulitzer Prize winning author N. Scott Momaday about his role in commentating on Native American culture in the recently released Ken Burns documentary 'The West.' Momaday also talks about how to find your voice as an author and the relationship between Native Americans and American society.

Originally aired: 09/25/1996

Marcia Franklin continues her conversation with Michael Kirk, a producer and director for FRONTLINE on PBS since its inception in 1983. The two discuss Kirk's career, including his start in Idaho at KUID, the public television station in Moscow. They also talk about how he chooses the subjects for his documentaries.

Kirk discusses his upcoming work, "United States of Secrets," which will look at secrecy in the Obama administration. He also reflects on the current state of broadcast media.

Originally aired: 11/17/2013

Marcia Franklin talks with FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk about his latest documentary for the series, League of Denial. The program looks at what the NFL knew about the serious and long-lasting effects of concussions on its players. The two discuss why Kirk wanted to produce the film, what he learned, and the future of football. They also talk about the beginning of his career, which was in Idaho. Originally aired: 11/15/2013

Host Marcia Franklin talks with Frontline co-founder and producer Mike Kirk. Kirk discusses his upcoming program, "The Choice," which profiles presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. For 20 years, Frontline has been profiling the major candidates for the American presidency, giving voters a behind-the-scenes look at their backgrounds, values and life decisions.

Kirk also talks about his work on ten documentaries about the "war on terror," including "Bush's War," "Cheney's Law," and "The Torture Question." The producer of more than 200 national documentaries, Kirk has spent much of the past seven years documenting the political intrigue behind the decision to go to war in Iraq and the consequences of that decision.

An Idaho native, Kirk's public television career started at KUID-TV in Moscow. Originally aired: 10/09/2008

In a special one-hour Dialogue, Marcia Franklin interviews Boise singer/songwriter Eilen Jewell.

Jewell, known colloquially as the 'Queen of the Minor Key,' has attracted international kudos and fans for her Americana-style music. She talks with Franklin about why she moved back to Idaho; where she grew up; how she defines and crafts her music; and what's next for her and The Eilen Jewell Band, which also includes her husband, drummer Jason Beek.

The couple just welcomed baby daughter Mavis, named after the gospel singer Mavis Staples. Eilen and Jason are also in a gospel band, The Sacred Shakers. Jewell talks with Franklin about why she's attracted to gospel music and performs a song she wrote for her new daughter.

This program was taped at AudioLab Recording Studios in Garden City and includes footage of Jewell and her band performing at the Sapphire Room at the Riverside Hotel, also in Garden City. One of the songs, "My Hometown," is about Boise.

Originally aired: 12/26/2014

Marcia Franklin interviews award-winning author and New York Times columnist Tim Egan. Egan, who was part of a team of New York Times reporters that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001, has covered the American West for more than 20 years. He talks with Franklin about how the region is changing socially and politically. He also discusses the struggles of the Dust Bowl survivors of the 1930s, whose stories he chronicles in The Worst Hard Time. That work won a National Book Award in 2006.

Originally aired: 11/23/2012

Author Terry Tempest Williams talks about her latest series of essays, The Open Space of Democracy, which describe the nexus between the environment and democracy and encourage Americans to become involved in civic life.

Originally aired: 12/28/2006

Marcia Franklin talks with playwright Samuel Hunter, a native of Moscow, ID. Hunter was the recipient of an Obie Award, the equivalent of a Tony Award for off-Broadway works, for his play "A Bright New Boise." Hunter was in Boise to work with actors at the Boise Contemporary Theater who were premiering his play, "A Permanent Image." He talks with Franklin about the themes of his works, his style of writing and the influence of Idaho in his plays.

Originally aired: 5/17/2012

Host Marcia Franklin interviews Pete Earley, a former Washington Post reporter who has also become a mental health advocate. Earley, who has penned numerous "true crime" books, found one of his most difficult books to write to be Crazy. The book is a memoir about his son, who has a mental illness.

Crazy, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, describes Earley's harrowing attempts to get help for his son, as well as major problems in mental health systems around the country.

Franklin and Earley discuss why he wanted to write the book, how he researched it, and what he views as solutions for the current gaps in mental health policy in America.

Earley was in Boise to speak to the Idaho chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Originally aired: 10/10/2014