Monday on First Coast Connect we spoke with WJCT President and CEO David McGowan (1:10).
Commentator Jay Solomon spoke about the importance of civics education (28:52).
We heard about the upcoming PBS’s American Experience documentary The Gilded Age with Nell Irving Painter, a Princeton University Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita. (32:28).
Cole Pepper brought us the latest sports news (46:38).
David McGowan
After a number of years working overseas in Europe in media and digital companies, David McGowan was ready to come home to the States.
And to public media, which, like all media, is undergoing rapid change.
David takes the helm of WJCT as the industry sees a stronger push into digital platforms.
He also comes to Jacksonville at an interesting time for the city with big redevelopment plans for downtown - such as the Shipyards - being discussed.
He started just a few weeks ago and is getting to know all of us, and all of you out there on the First Coast.
Jay Solomon
For most of his life, our occasional commentator, Jay Solomon, was a journalist.
In this new edition of Jay’s With All Due Respect, he reminds us of the importance of his old profession- and something else- civics education. Jay is a retired broadcast executive and WJCT volunteer.
The Gilded Age
Thirty years after the Civil War, America had transformed itself into an economic powerhouse and was fast becoming the world’s leading producer of food, coal, oil and steel. But the transformation had created stark new divides in wealth, class and opportunity.
By the end of the 19th century, the richest 4,000 families in the country — less than one percent of all Americans — possessed nearly as much wealth as the other 11 million families combined.
Nell Irving Painter discussed the Gilded Age and offered comparisons to today’s economic inequality in America.
A compelling portrait of an era of glittering wealth contrasted with extreme poverty, The Gilded Age premieres 9 p.m Tuesday on WJCT Television.
Cole Pepper
Cole talked about the Philadelphia Eagles upsetting the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, the election of Raines’ grad and Jacksonville native Brian Dawkins to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, former Jaguar Tony Boselli not making the cut and the latest college basketball news.
Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax.
