BronxTalk will be celebrating its 15th anniversary on Monday, October 5, with a special one-hour program from 9 to 10 p.m.
During the show, host Gary Axelbank and BronxNet will donate the show’s archive to the Bronx County Historical Society and there will be a live on-air celebration attended by many of those who had appeared on the program over the years. Also, there will be clips shown from the rich BronxTalk library of more than 740 programs, dating back to the first show on October 11, 1994.
“I’m really proud that BronxTalk has lasted this long,” said Mr. Axelbank. “We’ve been able to provide a consistently interesting program because there is always so much going on in the Bronx. Looking back over the years, we probably have covered most all of the borough’s important issues and have hosted the people who have had the most to do with shaping daily Bronx life.”
“BronxTalk has chronicled the history of Bronx during its time,” said Prof. Lloyd Ultan, the Bronx Borough Historian. “What Gary does through interviews and the subjects he highlights have become primary source materials for future historians who want to write about the history of our times.”
At the beginning of the 15th anniversary show, Axelbank and BronxNet will make a symbolic donation to the Historical Society of a hard drive containing dozens of BronxTalk programs. Ultimately, BronxNet and the Historical Society will develop a system so that that viewers can request programs and receive a link to them on the Internet.
More than 80 people who have previously appeared on BronxTalk have been invited to the 15th anniversary show. During the program many of them will be interviewed about their memories of being on the show.
“Recognition also needs to be made to producer Jane Folloro,” said Axelbank. ‘Without her dedication and expertise it would not have been possible to present quality guests and interesting subjects week after week.”
Folloro has been the producer of BronxTalk for all but the first few months of the program.
