Minnesota Public Radio Presents The Dinner Party Download; the Show That Helps You Win Your Next Dinner Party

Jul 16, 2010

ST. PAUL, MN (July 16, 2010) Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is excited to announce the addition of The Dinner Party Download, the popular news and culture podcast from American Public Media. Beginning today, MPR News will air an eight-and-a-half minute version of The Dinner Party Download every Friday evening at 6:20pm CDT, immediately following the afternoon newsmagazine All Things Considered.

The Dinner Party Download, co-hosted by Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam, is a fast, funny digest of the week's most interesting news, cuisine, cocktails and culture. Newnam and Gagliano impart unconventional information listeners can use to dazzle friends and family at weekend dinner parties; what they like to call "winning" the dinner party conversation. Public radio listeners may already be familiar with Gagliano and Newnam from their regular appearances on the popular business news program "Marketplace." The guys developed The Dinner Party Download as a 20-minute podcast, and the show quickly established a loyal fan base online at DinnerPartyDownload.org and around the country. It's consistently ranked among the top "Society & Culture" podcasts on iTunes, and was named one of iTunes' Top 20 "Best New Podcasts of 2008." The show has been touted in Nylon Guys magazine and in the online editions of L.A. Weekly, The Village Voice, Apartment Therapy and Dwell -- which raved: "Great show, funny guys, fifteen minutes of smart."

Via MPR, Gagliano and Newnam will bring their energetic and humorous spin on the news to Minnesota listeners every Friday afternoon on the drive home from work, or better yet, on the way to the dinner party. In every episode, the guys will discuss the week's major headlines, relate interesting stories from history, share new cocktail recipes, and chat with celebrity guests like Sebastian Junger and Venus Williams. There's something for everyone, and every dinner party, each week on The Dinner Party Download.

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For more information, photos and interview requests, please contact Jackie Cartier at jcartier@mpr.org or 651.290.1113.