The doctor is in-and on your radio
Who says doctors don't make house calls anymore?
"Tofu, olive oil…" Zorba Paster lists the ingredients for the Heart-Healthy Recipe of the Week. Photo by Jim Gill
Each week Zorba Paster, M.D., makes more than 130,000 visits on 80-plus public radio stations nationwide, offering health and lifestyle advice.
What motivates a busy physician/medical-school professor/author/board member/volunteer to team up with Wisconsin Public Radio to produce a weekly, nationally broadcast program?
"It's important for our society to have information that promotes health," says Paster.Ê"On public radio we can do this in a very effective way."
The show allows listeners to call with their questions for Paster, who along with co-host Tom Clark, offers down-to-earth advice for concerns ranging from stubbed toes to preventing Alzheimer's disease.
"A question-and-answer format is ideal for discussing health issues. It's more interactive and interesting than a simple topic that might be presented as a lecture. I think public radio shows educate as well as entertain," Paster explains.
And how does the doctor feel about giving medical advice over the airwaves? "I love it. It allows me to reach a whole new audience, much larger than my office practice. It's also much more convenient, and I might add, it's free."
"Zorba Paster On Your Health" airs at 8 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. Saturday on Wisconsin Public Radio. The program also can be heard at 7 a.m. Saturday on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 108. — Adam Friedrich
For more information: www.zorbapaster.org
TV program connects teens to health information
Teens often can seem like an altogether different species. How to talk and work with those in the adolescent stage of life presents a challenge to parents and teachers alike.
For 19 years a series co-produced by Wisconsin Public Television (WPT), Northeast Wisconsin In-School Telecommunications/Cooperative Educational Service Agency 7 (NEWIST/CESA 7) and Educational TV Productions of Northeast Wisconsin has provided at least one possible bridge to this age group. "Teen Connection" airs statewide and delves into topics like sexually transmitted diseases, drug addiction and self-injury. This spring "Teen Connection" featured three teenaged cancer survivors and a pediatric oncologist.
" 'Teen Connection' can be a good conversation starter about difficult topics," says James Steinbach, WPT director of programming and production.
The program is live. Viewers can call a phone bank staffed by teens and professionals in the field. The cancer broadcast generated about 100 calls.
Another indicator of the series' relevance is the number of requests to purchase the programs. NEWIST/ CESA 7 sells VHS tapes or DVDs at a nominal cost to those who may not have recorded the program at the time of broadcast. Jo Mellen, director of NEWIST/CESA 7, says a 2005 program about teens and sexuality has been the most-requested title with nearly 125 inquiries. — Moira Harrington
For more information: www.wpt.org/teenconnection