WEBVTT 00:00.100 --> 00:03.300 align:start Entergy is proud to support programing on LPB 00:03.300 --> 00:06.400 align:start and greener practices that preserve Louisiana. 00:07.200 --> 00:10.000 align:start The goal of our environmental and sustainability initiatives 00:10.000 --> 00:14.300 align:start really is to ensure that our kids and future generations can be left 00:14.300 --> 00:17.000 align:start with a cleaner planet. 00:27.700 --> 00:29.800 align:start Additional support provided by the Fred B. 00:29.800 --> 00:31.400 align:start and Ruth B. Zigler Foundation 00:31.400 --> 00:34.600 align:start and the Zigler Art Museum located in Jennings City Hall. 00:34.900 --> 00:37.800 align:start The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists 00:38.000 --> 00:41.400 align:start and is an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana. 00:42.800 --> 00:46.300 align:start And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting 00:46.500 --> 00:48.500 align:start with support from viewers like you. 01:03.400 --> 01:05.599 align:start I wanted my children and my students to learn from it, 01:05.700 --> 01:07.200 align:start not make the same mistakes that I did. 01:07.200 --> 01:09.300 align:start A political memoir with a message. 01:09.700 --> 01:12.800 align:start It's really a paradigm shift, if you will. 01:13.000 --> 01:15.200 align:start Pandemic induced car shopping. 01:15.200 --> 01:17.200 align:start I do want this word to get out. 01:17.200 --> 01:21.000 align:start I wanted to save as many lives as possible. A grandmother's 01:21.000 --> 01:24.400 align:start plea for more vaccinations if these walls could talk. 01:24.400 --> 01:26.600 align:start If these walls could talk, I wonder what they were saying. 01:26.700 --> 01:28.500 align:start They'd have a hell of a story to tell. 01:28.500 --> 01:31.300 align:start Taking you back in time to one of the most popular 01:31.300 --> 01:33.100 align:start clubs in the 1940s. 01:34.300 --> 01:36.500 align:start Hi, I'm Kara St. Cyr, and I'm Andre Moreau. 01:36.700 --> 01:40.400 align:start Forty six percent of Louisiana's population is fully vaccinated. 01:40.600 --> 01:43.800 align:start But new data shows despite a slow increase in demand, 01:44.100 --> 01:46.400 align:start about two hundred and twenty four thousand doses 01:46.600 --> 01:49.300 align:start have been thrown away at vaccine sites around the state. 01:49.600 --> 01:52.300 align:start We're projected to lose another 50000 doses 01:52.500 --> 01:54.100 align:start by the end of this month. 01:54.100 --> 01:57.500 align:start It's a simple matter of too much supply for very little demand. 01:58.200 --> 02:01.200 align:start In other Covid news, LSU Health Shreveport is the first 02:01.300 --> 02:04.100 align:start sequencing lab to discover a new variant in the state. 02:04.400 --> 02:07.700 align:start The samples of the new variant came from two people in Baton Rouge. 02:07.700 --> 02:10.000 align:start It's called B one six three zero. 02:10.100 --> 02:11.400 align:start But there's no evidence right now 02:11.400 --> 02:13.699 align:start that this strain is more dangerous than the Delta variant. 02:14.000 --> 02:16.700 align:start LSU is also taking measures to track Covid cases 02:16.700 --> 02:20.200 align:start and exposure on campus with a new app go ptrace. 02:20.200 --> 02:24.300 align:start That's a UCCS. Trace uses Bluetooth to gauge the distance 02:24.300 --> 02:25.600 align:start between cell phones. 02:25.600 --> 02:27.800 align:start Now, if someone comes close to another person 02:28.000 --> 02:30.200 align:start who has recently tested positive for Covid, 02:30.400 --> 02:33.000 align:start the app will notify you with an alert. 02:33.500 --> 02:36.200 align:start And now let's check on other news headlines from across the state. 02:37.100 --> 02:39.800 align:start Ascension Parish is the site of a planned four point 02:39.800 --> 02:42.700 align:start five billion dollar clean energy facility. 02:43.100 --> 02:46.600 align:start Industrial gas supplier air products will produce blue 02:46.700 --> 02:50.500 align:start hydrogen. It uses natural gas to make an alternative fuel 02:50.700 --> 02:54.100 align:start with the carbon dioxide emissions captured and stored underground. 02:54.500 --> 02:55.900 align:start The company says it will create 02:55.900 --> 02:59.800 align:start almost 200 permanent jobs and thousands of construction jobs. 03:00.100 --> 03:03.000 align:start The plant should be up and running by 2026. 03:03.800 --> 03:07.200 align:start New Orleans is a site for a new video game development project. 03:07.600 --> 03:12.400 align:start Possibility Space will create 75 new jobs with an average salary 03:12.400 --> 03:16.100 align:start of one hundred thousand dollars and add to the state's portfolio. 03:16.300 --> 03:18.900 align:start A video game development 03:18.900 --> 03:21.500 align:start Senator Bill Cassidy pitched the infrastructure bill 03:21.500 --> 03:24.000 align:start to central Louisiana's Regional Chamber of Commerce 03:24.200 --> 03:26.000 align:start in Alexandria this week. 03:26.000 --> 03:29.300 align:start Among the benefits is the construction of Interstate 14, 03:29.500 --> 03:30.700 align:start which would run from Texas 03:30.700 --> 03:33.900 align:start to Georgia and through Leesville and Alexandria. 03:34.400 --> 03:38.100 align:start The bill would also pour money into the region for flood mitigation 03:38.200 --> 03:40.200 align:start and high speed broadband internet. 03:41.100 --> 03:44.300 align:start The average act score for the state's high school seniors 03:44.300 --> 03:45.900 align:start fell for a fourth year 03:45.900 --> 03:48.800 align:start in a row and remains among the nation's lowest. 03:49.100 --> 03:52.200 align:start Our composite scores went down from eighteen point seven 03:52.500 --> 03:54.900 align:start to eighteen point four percent this last year. 03:55.300 --> 03:59.000 align:start The national average also fell from twenty point six to twenty point 03:59.000 --> 04:02.100 align:start three out of a possible score of thirty six. 04:03.000 --> 04:04.300 align:start Letter grades for public 04:04.300 --> 04:06.200 align:start schools will likely be shelved 04:06.200 --> 04:08.800 align:start this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. 04:09.300 --> 04:12.400 align:start Bessey, the board of Elementary and Secondary Education, 04:12.600 --> 04:14.200 align:start signed off on the change. 04:14.200 --> 04:17.600 align:start At least 45 other states have already won federal approval 04:17.899 --> 04:20.300 align:start to cancel school reading procedures. 04:21.000 --> 04:23.300 align:start FEMA money could help pay for the reburial of 04:23.300 --> 04:26.899 align:start aboveground cemeteries damaged by Hurricane Ida. 04:27.300 --> 04:30.200 align:start There are twenty five parishes in southeast Louisiana 04:30.400 --> 04:31.900 align:start designated for the help. 04:31.900 --> 04:34.100 align:start As long as certain criteria is met. 04:47.200 --> 04:48.200 align:start Since the first weeks of 04:48.200 --> 04:51.400 align:start Covid, the way we buy cars has dramatically changed. 04:51.600 --> 04:55.700 align:start Inventory is low at dealerships and prices for new and used cars. 04:55.900 --> 04:57.400 align:start Well, they're at record highs. 04:57.400 --> 05:00.600 align:start A new start up claims to be a cut above in the online 05:00.600 --> 05:02.100 align:start shopping marketplace. 05:02.100 --> 05:05.500 align:start But how I got in touch with the CEO of Road Oakum 05:05.700 --> 05:07.900 align:start to find out their sales pitch. 05:07.900 --> 05:12.100 align:start Ro-Ro offers a an end to end transaction. 05:12.700 --> 05:15.800 align:start So instead of a consumer going into a local car 05:15.800 --> 05:18.400 align:start dealership or going to multiple car dealerships, 05:19.400 --> 05:24.100 align:start they can shop for and place an order for a new car 05:24.100 --> 05:27.700 align:start completely online on Roto Dot or on the Roto app. 05:28.200 --> 05:30.500 align:start And the car gets delivered to them. 05:30.500 --> 05:35.500 align:start And it's it's really a paradigm shift, if you will, from other 05:35.500 --> 05:38.400 align:start online platforms of the last 20 years or so. 05:38.600 --> 05:42.200 align:start Other online platforms traditionally are listing sites. 05:42.300 --> 05:46.100 align:start You know, they show pictures of vehicles with Masaaki, 05:46.100 --> 05:48.400 align:start you know, the manufacturer's suggested retail price. 05:48.900 --> 05:51.900 align:start And ultimately, it's a lead to the dealership. 05:52.000 --> 05:54.400 align:start The dealer wants you to come into the store, 05:55.000 --> 05:57.100 align:start quote unquote, with roto. 05:57.100 --> 05:58.800 align:start We want to do the exact opposite. 05:58.800 --> 06:02.400 align:start We still want dealers to be showing their inventory, 06:02.800 --> 06:06.100 align:start but we want the transaction to happen completely online. 06:06.300 --> 06:12.200 align:start And we do that by showing consumers actual prices or payments 06:13.100 --> 06:15.200 align:start and then the actual ability 06:15.200 --> 06:18.000 align:start to place an order and complete the transaction. 06:18.800 --> 06:21.900 align:start How were you able to do that differently than the others do it? 06:22.400 --> 06:27.400 align:start Sure. So it's it's technological advancement, the ability to. 06:27.400 --> 06:29.100 align:start Well, that's one part of it. 06:29.100 --> 06:30.800 align:start There are a few others. 06:30.800 --> 06:34.000 align:start So the first is we built an engine 06:34.600 --> 06:37.000 align:start that is capable of pricing 06:37.600 --> 06:41.400 align:start new and used cars, every single make model 06:41.400 --> 06:44.900 align:start and trim in every region, everywhere in the country. 06:45.500 --> 06:49.700 align:start And for a specific consumer, a specific dealer, 06:50.100 --> 06:53.200 align:start including all of the discounts, 06:53.400 --> 06:57.400 align:start rebates, incentives, taxes, et cetera, 06:57.800 --> 07:01.200 align:start and we get all of this data, we put it into this machine. 07:01.600 --> 07:04.700 align:start So when you come on to Rhode Island, you see a Toyota Camry 07:05.100 --> 07:06.000 align:start for one hundred and ninety 07:06.000 --> 07:09.000 align:start nine dollars a month. Two thousand dollars due at signing. 07:09.500 --> 07:10.700 align:start That's what it is. 07:10.700 --> 07:12.800 align:start It's not an advertised price. 07:13.200 --> 07:16.400 align:start And then when you come into the dealership, they tell you, well, 07:16.400 --> 07:20.300 align:start it's subject to this subject to that you don't qualify for this. 07:20.500 --> 07:22.600 align:start We already know everything you qualify for. 07:22.600 --> 07:24.800 align:start We know everything that needs 07:25.000 --> 07:28.600 align:start that is needed for the consumer to see a transactional version. 07:29.400 --> 07:33.400 align:start And if for a lot of people, it's hard to even fathom not going in 07:33.400 --> 07:34.500 align:start and looking at touching 07:34.500 --> 07:38.000 align:start and feeling and driving a car that you're going to buy. 07:38.300 --> 07:41.700 align:start But there has been a significant shift in the way 07:41.700 --> 07:45.600 align:start people are buying cars, and it's gradually 07:45.600 --> 07:49.900 align:start moving more toward this an online platform. 07:50.900 --> 07:53.200 align:start Indeed, I think it's a confluence 07:53.200 --> 07:57.300 align:start of a bunch of factors, and Covid certainly helped. 07:57.700 --> 08:01.600 align:start In fact, there were many states, including New York, where we are 08:01.600 --> 08:02.900 align:start based, where if you 08:02.900 --> 08:06.000 align:start needed a vehicle in the first four months of Covid, 08:06.700 --> 08:09.900 align:start the state mandated, the only way you were able to get 08:09.900 --> 08:12.200 align:start it was through a digital platform 08:12.200 --> 08:14.600 align:start to avoid the interaction at the dealership. 08:14.900 --> 08:15.900 align:start So, you know, that 08:15.900 --> 08:18.900 align:start obviously immediately moved the industry forward 08:18.900 --> 08:19.900 align:start in some of the larger 08:19.900 --> 08:22.500 align:start states in the country where the most vehicles are sold. 08:23.000 --> 08:28.300 align:start In addition to that, it's this overall enhancement 08:28.300 --> 08:32.200 align:start of e commerce, whereas up until five or six years ago, 08:32.500 --> 08:35.100 align:start consumers were comfortable buying small things online, 08:35.500 --> 08:37.700 align:start you know, for reasonable dollars. 08:38.299 --> 08:42.299 align:start And then the fintech revolution really started to take hold. 08:42.299 --> 08:47.600 align:start The real estate tech industry really started to to gain traction. 08:47.600 --> 08:51.299 align:start And people were more comfortable renting space online and Airbnb 08:51.299 --> 08:54.900 align:start and other platforms, which cost in some cases thousands of dollars 08:55.200 --> 08:58.400 align:start that people got comfortable buying homes or apartments. 08:58.700 --> 09:00.700 align:start And then came the auto transaction. 09:00.700 --> 09:04.300 align:start So by the time we came along, consumers were comfortable 09:04.700 --> 09:07.200 align:start in doing this large transaction online. 09:07.200 --> 09:12.200 align:start And finally, where we are today, where there's limited new car 09:12.200 --> 09:15.600 align:start inventory, used vehicle pricing 09:16.000 --> 09:18.300 align:start has increased, as has new. 09:18.900 --> 09:22.500 align:start So in online marketplace, that can offer consumers 09:22.500 --> 09:25.100 align:start broad inventory inventory. 09:25.100 --> 09:28.300 align:start That's more than what their local dealers may have. 09:28.400 --> 09:32.200 align:start But maybe a dealer 200 or 300 miles away and competitive 09:32.200 --> 09:35.800 align:start pricing and home delivery is where we find ourselves today. 09:52.800 --> 09:55.600 align:start He grew up the son of a preacher in Texas, in Beaumont, 09:55.600 --> 09:57.600 align:start but was fascinated by politics 09:57.600 --> 09:59.700 align:start and read everything about politics he could. 10:00.000 --> 10:02.800 align:start Robert Manne holds the massive chair of journalism 10:02.800 --> 10:05.100 align:start at Lisieux School of Mass Communications 10:05.100 --> 10:07.900 align:start and is here to discuss the subject you love and your latest 10:07.900 --> 10:11.000 align:start book, Backrooms and Values My Life in Louisiana Politics. 10:11.100 --> 10:14.600 align:start So Louisiana politics that you've observed versus 10:14.600 --> 10:18.100 align:start generations ago, what would you say? Well, it was 10:19.400 --> 10:23.300 align:start it was less partizan, maybe certainly less partizan. 10:23.300 --> 10:27.400 align:start And today different because in the you know, in the 30s and 40s, 10:27.400 --> 10:28.700 align:start it was long versus a.. 10:28.700 --> 10:32.500 align:start Long, which was the politics that really characterized the state 10:32.500 --> 10:33.900 align:start for generations. Yeah. 10:33.900 --> 10:34.900 align:start By the time I got involved 10:34.900 --> 10:37.500 align:start in politics, working for Russell Long and John Breaux 10:37.900 --> 10:40.300 align:start and Kathleen Blanco, it was more Republican 10:40.300 --> 10:42.900 align:start and Democrat, more conservative, liberal. 10:44.100 --> 10:45.700 align:start And toward the end of my 10:45.700 --> 10:47.800 align:start time in politics, it was much more partizan, 10:47.800 --> 10:50.100 align:start you know, much more personal than it was when I started out. 10:50.200 --> 10:51.400 align:start This is something you couldn't have 10:51.400 --> 10:53.400 align:start imagined probably doing when you were a kid, 10:53.400 --> 10:55.300 align:start but is what you wanted to do. 10:55.300 --> 10:58.200 align:start And there you found yourself in Washington with Senator 10:58.200 --> 11:00.400 align:start Russell Long. Yeah, I dreamed of working in politics, 11:00.400 --> 11:01.700 align:start but I never thought I would be something 11:01.700 --> 11:04.200 align:start I could do or work at the politics at that level. 11:04.200 --> 11:05.800 align:start And then I find myself 11:05.800 --> 11:08.500 align:start in Washington working as press secretary to Russell Long. 11:08.500 --> 11:09.500 align:start And the first thing that I'm doing 11:09.500 --> 11:11.000 align:start for him really is helping him 11:11.000 --> 11:14.000 align:start write the speech that he gave in the Senate on the fiftieth 11:14.000 --> 11:16.500 align:start anniversary of his father, Ulong, the assassination. 11:16.500 --> 11:19.000 align:start So I get they're paying me to spend 11:19.000 --> 11:21.400 align:start hours and hours and hours talking with Russell Long about 11:21.400 --> 11:22.400 align:start about Huey Long. 11:22.400 --> 11:24.600 align:start And it was just a dream come true. And I never told them, 11:24.600 --> 11:26.400 align:start but I would have paid them to let me do it 11:27.600 --> 11:30.900 align:start from from Mr Long to John Breaux. 11:31.200 --> 11:32.900 align:start And what was the difference between them? 11:32.900 --> 11:33.800 align:start Well, when I was working, 11:33.800 --> 11:35.800 align:start you know, I spent the last two years of Long's 11:35.800 --> 11:37.400 align:start service in the Senate working for him , 11:37.400 --> 11:40.300 align:start and it was really, really kind of closing down a Senate office. 11:40.300 --> 11:42.300 align:start I mean, this had been senator almost 40 years, 11:42.300 --> 11:43.900 align:start and we were kind of shutting things down. 11:43.900 --> 11:46.000 align:start It was kind of like going out of business sale. 11:46.000 --> 11:47.400 align:start Breaux is a start up. 11:47.400 --> 11:50.500 align:start You know, he was a young guy really ready to go take on the world. 11:50.500 --> 11:53.300 align:start He was, you know, he would do any and everything. 11:54.000 --> 11:56.700 align:start It was very busy time for me because there was no reporter 11:56.700 --> 11:57.800 align:start that he wouldn't talk to. 11:57.800 --> 12:00.800 align:start And I was as his press secretary, I really had to up 12:00.800 --> 12:04.700 align:start my game a lot because he expected to be on every show. 12:04.700 --> 12:07.600 align:start And luly and everybody was there. And he did. He really did. 12:07.900 --> 12:09.200 align:start So you did your job, apparently? 12:09.200 --> 12:11.100 align:start Yeah. You know, I worked for him for 17 years. 12:11.100 --> 12:13.600 align:start He was the he was the best boss because he was just 12:13.900 --> 12:16.000 align:start he'd been a staffer like me. 12:16.000 --> 12:17.600 align:start He knew what it was like to work. 12:17.600 --> 12:19.200 align:start You know, he'd work for Edwin Edwards. 12:19.200 --> 12:21.800 align:start So he knew what it was like to work for a demanding boss. 12:21.800 --> 12:24.900 align:start And he I think he resolved not to be that kind of person, not 12:24.900 --> 12:28.800 align:start that Edwards was a bad boss necessarily, but he never asked us 12:28.800 --> 12:30.000 align:start to do anything improper. 12:30.000 --> 12:32.200 align:start He never asked us to do personal tasks for him. 12:32.200 --> 12:35.100 align:start He really, I think, never forgot what it was like to be a staffer. 12:35.100 --> 12:38.800 align:start So as far as being an aide to a senator or to a congressman 12:39.100 --> 12:40.200 align:start to a major politician, 12:40.200 --> 12:42.400 align:start you couldn't have found anybody better than John Breaux. 12:42.400 --> 12:44.300 align:start You were in the center of it all 12:44.300 --> 12:48.900 align:start when Kathleen Blanco was governor and you were her press secretary. 12:49.200 --> 12:52.600 align:start So describe that for me and how that worked out. 12:52.700 --> 12:54.200 align:start Well, you know, working for 12:54.200 --> 12:56.200 align:start it was it was so different because I'd never worked 12:56.200 --> 12:59.000 align:start for a female politician before and I'd never worked 12:59.200 --> 13:02.300 align:start for a governor before. So it was a it was a steep learning curve. 13:02.300 --> 13:05.100 align:start Those first this first year that I was working for her. 13:05.100 --> 13:07.800 align:start She became governor and then Katrina hit. 13:07.800 --> 13:08.900 align:start And then it was, you know, 13:08.900 --> 13:13.200 align:start multiply that by, you know, a thousand. The pressure, 13:14.400 --> 13:16.900 align:start just the you know, 13:16.900 --> 13:20.300 align:start having to learn to do my job in the midst of a of a, 13:20.500 --> 13:23.200 align:start you know, a lot of disaster, but a catastrophe. It was really right 13:24.000 --> 13:26.100 align:start at the time I thought, this is I'm so miserable. 13:26.100 --> 13:27.300 align:start I mean, we were all miserable. 13:27.300 --> 13:28.500 align:start But what I realized as one was writing 13:28.500 --> 13:30.100 align:start this book that I had a front row seat 13:30.100 --> 13:32.300 align:start and some of the most important history 13:32.300 --> 13:33.300 align:start in in the state, 13:33.300 --> 13:35.200 align:start that it was the kind of stuff that my children, 13:35.200 --> 13:37.800 align:start my grandchildren and great grandchildren will read about. 13:37.800 --> 13:40.600 align:start And I had a front row seat to it. You knew Buddy Roemer, too? 13:40.600 --> 13:43.600 align:start I knew Betty. When I want to hear what you told your class when you. 13:44.700 --> 13:48.000 align:start Your friendship came about again, I guess, with Buddy Roemer. 13:48.000 --> 13:49.300 align:start I had attacked Roemer a lot. 13:49.300 --> 13:51.000 align:start I was working on a campaign against him. 13:51.000 --> 13:52.600 align:start I'd said some really unkind, 13:52.600 --> 13:55.600 align:start unfair, really awful things about him that I felt bad about. 13:56.200 --> 13:57.900 align:start And, you know, out of the heat 13:57.900 --> 13:59.700 align:start of the campaign, I decided that it was really 13:59.700 --> 14:01.000 align:start I needed to apologize to him. 14:01.000 --> 14:02.500 align:start So I invite him to come speak to my class. 14:02.500 --> 14:05.200 align:start And before I introduced him, he was gracious to come. 14:05.200 --> 14:07.100 align:start And for I introduced him, I apologize to him 14:07.100 --> 14:08.200 align:start and said I was wrong. 14:08.200 --> 14:10.500 align:start I shouldn't have said all these things. And he was. 14:10.900 --> 14:12.100 align:start And we became very good friends. 14:12.100 --> 14:13.200 align:start Yeah. Look, you're 14:13.200 --> 14:14.900 align:start you're very brutally honest 14:14.900 --> 14:17.700 align:start with yourself and things you did, mistakes you say you made. 14:17.800 --> 14:19.100 align:start I don't want to be the hero of the book. 14:19.100 --> 14:20.800 align:start I wanted to be you know, 14:20.800 --> 14:22.900 align:start I wanted my children and my students to learn from it, 14:22.900 --> 14:25.600 align:start not make the same mistakes that I did. So I just had to be honest. 14:25.700 --> 14:26.500 align:start And you had him come 14:26.500 --> 14:29.500 align:start into your classroom as a sort of to show your students 14:30.400 --> 14:33.600 align:start that you need to own up maybe just something you were feeling. 14:33.600 --> 14:36.000 align:start You shouldn't be afraid to apologize to people 14:36.000 --> 14:37.500 align:start that you've hurt, that you've wronged. 14:37.500 --> 14:39.700 align:start You shouldn't be embarrassed to do it in public. 14:39.700 --> 14:40.700 align:start You should you should own it. 14:40.700 --> 14:42.600 align:start And I try and I've tried 14:42.600 --> 14:46.300 align:start the whole book for me is trying to own my mistakes and and not 14:47.200 --> 14:49.500 align:start and not pretend they didn't happen and all but also share 14:49.500 --> 14:50.800 align:start what I learned from them. 14:50.800 --> 14:52.200 align:start Yeah. Good ask you a million 14:52.200 --> 14:54.200 align:start more questions about this, I'll ask you one more, though, 14:54.500 --> 14:59.000 align:start if you could, in a sentence describe Louisiana politics. 14:59.400 --> 15:00.200 align:start What would you say? 15:01.500 --> 15:03.800 align:start Unique. Just, you know, 15:04.100 --> 15:06.600 align:start every every every state thinks it knows politics. 15:07.100 --> 15:11.000 align:start But, you know, you spend it, you spend a lifetime or a few years 15:11.000 --> 15:11.800 align:start in Louisiana politics. 15:11.800 --> 15:13.500 align:start You really kind of earn a Ph.D. 15:13.500 --> 15:15.700 align:start in it because we just play it differently. 15:15.900 --> 15:18.000 align:start But we enjoy it more, I think, too. 15:18.400 --> 15:19.700 align:start So it's just different. 15:19.700 --> 15:21.700 align:start It's just really it's like I think this one 15:21.700 --> 15:24.100 align:start that's saying about the FCC, it's just different. 15:24.400 --> 15:27.500 align:start It should be like a sport, I guess. It's just different here. 15:27.600 --> 15:29.000 align:start It's just different here. 15:29.000 --> 15:30.900 align:start Broadband, it's so great to talk to you. Thanks so much. 15:30.900 --> 15:32.000 align:start She was blessed to have you. 15:32.000 --> 15:34.500 align:start Thank you so much. Thank you. 15:48.000 --> 15:50.800 align:start Tonight, we visit the dewdrop in a legendary nightclub 15:50.800 --> 15:53.200 align:start in New Orleans that hosted famous musicians 15:53.400 --> 15:55.500 align:start and oftentimes off color entertainment. 15:55.700 --> 15:58.100 align:start Tonight, we'll take you back to nineteen forty seven, 15:58.200 --> 15:59.300 align:start where many wild nights 15:59.300 --> 16:01.800 align:start unfolded with our second episode of Safe Haven. 16:02.500 --> 16:05.600 align:start It's hard to believe if I were to travel just 70 years ago, 16:06.000 --> 16:08.200 align:start this little guide could potentially save my life. 16:08.800 --> 16:11.800 align:start I'm Kara St. Cyr and this is Safe Haven. 16:12.000 --> 16:16.500 align:start Louisiana's green book in 1947, traveling through the Jim Crow 16:16.500 --> 16:19.900 align:start South was difficult and dangerous for African-Americans. 16:20.300 --> 16:23.100 align:start Yet musicians were spreading great music everywhere, 16:23.100 --> 16:25.000 align:start thanks to the chitlin circuit 16:25.000 --> 16:28.400 align:start and infrastructure of venues that cater to traveling black musicians. 16:28.800 --> 16:32.700 align:start And in New Orleans, one of the most iconic of any nightclub 16:33.000 --> 16:33.800 align:start was the Dew Drop. 16:33.800 --> 16:37.700 align:start It opened in 1935 and nicknamed the Groove Room. 16:38.000 --> 16:41.600 align:start Just about every famous black musician you can think of 16:41.600 --> 16:43.300 align:start walked through these doors. 16:43.300 --> 16:45.900 align:start James Booker, Joe Turner, Earl Keen, 16:45.900 --> 16:48.500 align:start Allen Toussaint, James Brown, Ray Charles, 16:48.900 --> 16:52.600 align:start Little Richard Deacon, John, Etta James and Aretha Franklin. 16:53.100 --> 16:54.900 align:start And that's just to name a few. 16:54.900 --> 16:58.100 align:start But the legend of this establishment lies in the endless 16:58.200 --> 17:01.700 align:start wild stories that definitely broke the status quo of the time, 17:02.100 --> 17:03.800 align:start like the drag performances. 17:03.800 --> 17:06.099 align:start Ventriloquist's snake charmers. 17:06.099 --> 17:07.500 align:start They even let white people in. 17:09.200 --> 17:11.800 align:start I'm driving through Central City, a culturally rich 17:11.800 --> 17:14.300 align:start and historic neighborhood at the heart of New Orleans. 17:14.800 --> 17:17.300 align:start Once upon a time, black businesses prospered here. 17:17.599 --> 17:20.200 align:start It's still largely an African-American neighborhood, 17:20.200 --> 17:22.500 align:start but there's not much for a commercial district. 17:23.300 --> 17:26.900 align:start We're meeting Kenneth Jackson at the dew drop in his grandfather, 17:26.900 --> 17:29.800 align:start Frank Penya, who's the owner. 17:31.599 --> 17:33.300 align:start Hey, hey, how are you doing? 17:33.300 --> 17:36.000 align:start My name's Cara. How are you doing, Ken Jackson? Ken Jackson. 17:36.599 --> 17:39.500 align:start All right, Ken Jackson, where are we at right now? 17:39.800 --> 17:43.300 align:start We are in Central City, New Orleans, standing in front. 17:43.599 --> 17:47.500 align:start The dewdrop in this actually was a preschool for me. 17:48.000 --> 17:50.099 align:start My grandmother came down here every day. 17:50.099 --> 17:53.400 align:start So when she came to do her shift, we would ride with her. 17:53.900 --> 17:55.100 align:start You come down here. 17:55.100 --> 17:58.300 align:start While she was doing her work around, we'd be in a bar 17:58.300 --> 18:01.300 align:start playing with the different no instruments on the stage. 18:01.500 --> 18:02.800 align:start We'd be going behind a bar 18:02.800 --> 18:03.900 align:start and eating the cherries 18:03.900 --> 18:07.100 align:start and going over there where my uncle was getting some heat. 18:07.100 --> 18:10.600 align:start Just like a fun place. You know, everybody was just happy. 18:10.600 --> 18:14.900 align:start You know, it was just never a whole lot of negativity around here. 18:15.000 --> 18:16.700 align:start You know, it was always peaceful. 18:16.700 --> 18:19.500 align:start Everybody just kind of enjoy themselves, kind of mood 18:19.600 --> 18:20.500 align:start in the green book. 18:20.500 --> 18:23.000 align:start It was listed as a nightclub, but Kenneth tells us 18:23.000 --> 18:26.100 align:start it was also a hotel, barbershop and a restaurant. 18:26.400 --> 18:30.000 align:start You could come here and enjoy a show, could have a meal, 18:30.600 --> 18:33.100 align:start you could drink if you got too drunk, you could spend 18:33.100 --> 18:36.600 align:start the night going, get your shoes, sharing your haircut, you perm 18:37.600 --> 18:39.900 align:start your process. They used to call them back in the day. 18:39.900 --> 18:41.100 align:start So that's back when people had the 18:41.100 --> 18:44.300 align:start cocks and the zoot suits and the big purple jumpsuits. 18:44.400 --> 18:47.600 align:start That's what they call them. I can't. I can't. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. 18:47.800 --> 18:52.700 align:start A lot of places, you know, back then we couldn't go, you know, 18:52.700 --> 18:57.300 align:start due to segregation and, you know, the way that the towns were. 18:57.700 --> 19:00.300 align:start This was the place where you didn't have to worry about any of that. 19:00.400 --> 19:04.700 align:start It was a place where anybody could come regardless of race, you know. 19:04.800 --> 19:08.200 align:start My grandfather got in big trouble as a result of that. 19:08.400 --> 19:12.200 align:start You know, there was several times where he actually went to jail 19:12.500 --> 19:16.100 align:start because he would allow white people to come in to the hotel, 19:16.300 --> 19:19.000 align:start come in for the bar or restaurant. No problem. 19:19.300 --> 19:24.100 align:start I have no idea as a kid that it was against the law 19:24.400 --> 19:28.000 align:start for white people to be in here, because it was 19:28.600 --> 19:31.400 align:start but it was always white people here. 19:32.000 --> 19:34.500 align:start You know, they would just like everybody else. 19:34.500 --> 19:37.000 align:start You know, it wasn't no big deal for anybody around here. 19:37.200 --> 19:41.900 align:start But my grandfather actually had a battle that there were times 19:41.900 --> 19:45.600 align:start where the police would come up during the Middleville show, 19:47.300 --> 19:49.400 align:start come in and raid the place. 19:49.400 --> 19:52.400 align:start And everybody who was in there, they would take and put them 19:52.400 --> 19:55.100 align:start outside, come out and put them in what they called paddy wagons 19:55.600 --> 19:58.200 align:start back there and charge them with racial mixing. 19:58.800 --> 20:04.200 align:start This is where all of the math shows took place in this area here. 20:05.200 --> 20:07.400 align:start Back in the days, there was a whole 20:07.400 --> 20:11.300 align:start nother section behind here that was called a groove. 20:11.300 --> 20:12.500 align:start Or you would come here 20:12.500 --> 20:14.400 align:start and you didn't have to worry about nobody hitting you 20:14.400 --> 20:17.800 align:start because of the way you dressed or who you liked. 20:17.800 --> 20:22.200 align:start So, you know, that was also a part of the dewdrop arm. 20:23.100 --> 20:24.400 align:start That brought a lot of 20:24.400 --> 20:26.900 align:start people to this place, I can hear the music. 20:27.200 --> 20:32.700 align:start I can see the vibrant characters that probably came through here. 20:32.900 --> 20:33.900 align:start These walls could talk. 20:33.900 --> 20:36.100 align:start If these walls could talk, I wonder what they were saying. 20:36.100 --> 20:38.400 align:start They'd have a hell of a story to tell. 20:38.400 --> 20:42.600 align:start After 31 years in business, the dewdrop been closed down in 1970. 20:43.000 --> 20:44.100 align:start Kim says a developer 20:44.100 --> 20:46.900 align:start is planning to reopen it, similar to what it once was. 20:47.400 --> 20:49.200 align:start And I think that's a great idea. 20:49.200 --> 20:52.200 align:start I think there's a strong chance 20:52.800 --> 20:56.200 align:start that it'll be back on the map before too long and people 20:56.200 --> 20:58.700 align:start will be pulling up here the way they were back in the days. 21:00.000 --> 21:03.000 align:start ExxonMobil, Baton Rouge is proud to support Safe Haven. 21:03.300 --> 21:07.200 align:start Louisiana's Green Book For more than 100 years, ExxonMobil 21:07.200 --> 21:09.400 align:start has made a commitment to workforce diversity 21:09.700 --> 21:10.900 align:start and the belief that reflecting 21:10.900 --> 21:14.500 align:start on historic race relations is key to shaping a better future. 21:15.100 --> 21:17.500 align:start The dew drop in is in the process of being renovated. 21:17.500 --> 21:19.900 align:start The developers are planning to build 17 rooms 21:19.900 --> 21:21.600 align:start with a music venue and a swimming pool 21:21.600 --> 21:23.300 align:start that's accessible to the public. 21:23.300 --> 21:25.300 align:start We'll be showing two more episodes of Safe 21:25.300 --> 21:26.600 align:start Haven on the state we're in. 21:26.600 --> 21:28.400 align:start If you'd like to watch all eight, 21:28.400 --> 21:30.100 align:start you can head to our YouTube channel. 21:30.100 --> 21:33.000 align:start That's the link right there on your screen. 21:46.400 --> 21:49.300 align:start And now some personal news from our LPB family, 21:49.600 --> 21:53.400 align:start LPB president and CEO Beth Courtney has announced her retirement 21:53.400 --> 21:55.900 align:start effective the end of January. Twenty twenty two. 21:56.300 --> 22:01.300 align:start Beth has been with LPB from its beginning and became CEO in 1985. 22:01.600 --> 22:04.600 align:start It's impossible to list all of her many achievements 22:04.600 --> 22:07.800 align:start over the decades. But here's a look at some of the highlights. 22:09.300 --> 22:13.900 align:start A pioneer and a leader help President Beth Cortney's decades 22:13.900 --> 22:17.200 align:start in broadcasting and public service are unparalleled. 22:17.900 --> 22:21.400 align:start She began her career in 1976 as capital correspondent 22:21.400 --> 22:23.400 align:start for Louisiana Public Broadcasting. 22:23.400 --> 22:27.000 align:start And soon after, began anchoring what is now the state's longest 22:27.000 --> 22:29.500 align:start running broadcast program, Louisiana. 22:29.500 --> 22:33.200 align:start The state ran over its history and under her leadership. 22:33.500 --> 22:34.400 align:start This award winning 22:34.400 --> 22:38.000 align:start program has explored controversial subjects in depth 22:38.200 --> 22:41.700 align:start and highlighted Louisiana's people, places and history. 22:42.400 --> 22:45.900 align:start By 1982, she was LPBs executive producer, 22:46.200 --> 22:49.800 align:start and by 1985, she became one of the first women in the nation 22:50.200 --> 22:52.900 align:start to serve as general manager and president of a public 22:52.900 --> 22:54.200 align:start television agency, 22:54.200 --> 22:57.900 align:start where she continues to break new ground with innovative programing. 22:58.600 --> 23:01.400 align:start Her impact has been felt on a national stage. 23:01.700 --> 23:03.000 align:start Having served on boards 23:03.000 --> 23:06.600 align:start and commissions leading the way in demonstrating the value 23:06.800 --> 23:10.500 align:start of educational television and journalism across America, 23:10.800 --> 23:14.400 align:start she's a respected voice among her peers, and she served 23:14.400 --> 23:18.400 align:start an important public media position throughout her career, making her 23:18.400 --> 23:22.700 align:start an effective advocate for content and educates and informs. 23:23.000 --> 23:25.300 align:start Beth has been remarkable 23:25.300 --> 23:28.100 align:start these these decades that she has been in charge 23:28.100 --> 23:30.200 align:start of the Louisiana Public Broadcasting 23:30.200 --> 23:32.200 align:start and done such incredible work. 23:32.400 --> 23:34.900 align:start So I just have my hat off to her 23:35.200 --> 23:38.600 align:start as a woman of incredible substance and style. 23:39.000 --> 23:40.600 align:start In the 1980s, she served 23:40.600 --> 23:43.500 align:start as chairman of the American public television stations. 23:43.700 --> 23:46.500 align:start The Organization of State Broadcasting executives. 23:47.000 --> 23:49.300 align:start In 1988, she was the first woman 23:49.500 --> 23:52.600 align:start to be named vice chairman of PBS's board of directors. 23:53.000 --> 23:56.900 align:start And in 2003, she was appointed by President George W. 23:56.900 --> 23:58.600 align:start Bush to the Corporation for 23:58.600 --> 24:01.700 align:start Public Broadcasting, where she was elected vice chairman. 24:02.400 --> 24:05.800 align:start I know her to this day as she worked harder than ever. 24:06.000 --> 24:09.000 align:start Still a champion of journalism and public affairs, 24:09.200 --> 24:12.300 align:start the very lifeblood of democracy. 24:12.800 --> 24:16.000 align:start Beth Courtney is the embodiment of the integrity 24:16.000 --> 24:19.300 align:start we need in the media at a time like this. 24:19.700 --> 24:23.700 align:start If you look at LPB and LPB story, it's basically best vision 24:24.000 --> 24:26.500 align:start of what public broadcasting can be in Louisiana 24:26.500 --> 24:28.700 align:start and what she is able to bring to public broadcasting 24:28.700 --> 24:31.300 align:start and telling the story of our state to the people of our state. 24:32.000 --> 24:33.000 align:start Under her direction, 24:33.000 --> 24:36.100 align:start LPB programs have garnered the most prestigious honors 24:36.100 --> 24:37.500 align:start in broadcasting, 24:37.500 --> 24:41.200 align:start including the DuPont Columbia Award for Excellence in Journalism. 24:41.500 --> 24:43.400 align:start Emmy Awards. Edward R. 24:43.400 --> 24:45.500 align:start Murrow Awards. International. 24:45.500 --> 24:47.400 align:start Seany Golden Eagle Awards. 24:47.400 --> 24:50.900 align:start And Silver Gavel Awards from the American Bar Association. 24:51.300 --> 24:53.100 align:start And a Louisiana conservationist 24:53.100 --> 24:55.700 align:start of the year from the National Wildlife Foundation 24:56.600 --> 24:59.600 align:start for her distinguished work in years of volunteer service. 24:59.900 --> 25:03.200 align:start She was honored as Communicator of the year, broadcaster 25:03.200 --> 25:07.000 align:start of the Year, volunteer activist of the year, John W. 25:07.000 --> 25:10.700 align:start Barton Excellence in Nonprofit Management Award from the Baton 25:10.700 --> 25:14.500 align:start Rouge Area Foundation and received a lifetime achievement award 25:14.700 --> 25:17.200 align:start from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. 25:17.600 --> 25:21.000 align:start Beth Cortney's contributions to broadcasting in Louisiana 25:21.300 --> 25:23.000 align:start are truly exceptional. 25:26.800 --> 25:30.000 align:start She is truly amazing and she is a trailblazer, 25:30.000 --> 25:31.400 align:start she was one of the first women 25:31.400 --> 25:35.600 align:start to get a general management position at an LPB, PBS station. 25:35.600 --> 25:38.100 align:start So she's really inspirational to a lot of women in this company. 25:38.400 --> 25:40.100 align:start A wealth of knowledge also. 25:40.100 --> 25:43.400 align:start And in the coming weeks and months, we will have more on this legacy. 25:43.600 --> 25:45.100 align:start And though she's retiring now, 25:45.100 --> 25:48.800 align:start she plans to volunteer, she says, in any way she can to continue 25:48.800 --> 25:51.300 align:start to advance the mission of public broadcasting. 25:51.800 --> 25:53.900 align:start And everyone, that is our show for this week. 25:54.000 --> 25:55.300 align:start Remember, you can watch anything 25:55.300 --> 25:58.300 align:start LPB any time, wherever you are with our LPBapp. 25:58.600 --> 26:00.500 align:start You can catch LPB News and public affairs 26:00.500 --> 26:02.400 align:start shows, as well as other Louisiana 26:02.400 --> 26:04.300 align:start programs you've come to enjoy over the years. 26:04.300 --> 26:07.200 align:start And please like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 26:07.300 --> 26:08.800 align:start For everyone here at Louisiana Public 26:08.800 --> 26:11.200 align:start Broadcasting, I'm Andre’ Moreau. And I'm Kara St. Cyr. 26:11.200 --> 26:13.200 align:start Until next time. That's the state where. 26:38.800 --> 26:41.900 align:start Entergy is proud to support programing on LP 26:42.000 --> 26:45.200 align:start and greener practices that preserve Louisiana. 26:45.900 --> 26:48.800 align:start The goal of our environmental and sustainability initiatives 26:48.800 --> 26:53.100 align:start really is to ensure that our kids and future generations can be left 26:53.100 --> 26:55.700 align:start with a cleaner planet. 27:06.800 --> 27:09.000 align:start Additional support provided by the Fred B. 27:09.000 --> 27:10.500 align:start and Ruth B. Zigler Foundation 27:10.500 --> 27:13.700 align:start and the Zigler Art Museum located in Jennings City Hall. 27:14.000 --> 27:16.900 align:start The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists 27:17.100 --> 27:20.500 align:start and is an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana 27:21.900 --> 27:25.300 align:start and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting 27:25.600 --> 27:29.900 align:start with support from viewers like you Thank you!