Dan Rodricks
Encyclopedia
Dan Rodricks is a native of Massachusetts
, a columnist
for the Baltimore Sun newspaper
, and host of Midday, a two-hour talk show on WYPR
FM 88.1, a public radio station in Baltimore. He formerly was on radio WBAL
as the host of Rodricks On The Radio and co-host of The Buzz with Chip Franklin
and Clarence Mitchell IV. An avid fly fisherman, Rodricks has also hosted a television show and authored the Random Rodricks blog.
Rodricks's Evening Sun and Sun columns have garnered numerous national and regional journalism awards. His “Dear Drug Dealers” series in The Sun, a public call for an end to criminal violence in Baltimore bolstered by a sustained campaign to help provide jobs or job training for ex-offenders, won the 2006 Excellence in Urban Journalism Award from the Freedom Forum
and the Enterprise Foundation. This series, which exposed the obstacles that paroled felons face in finding jobs, was cited on national television and radio, and the Columbia Journalism Review
. It won the 2005 Public Service Award from the Chesapeake Associated Press. In 2006, Rodricks was named Public Citizen of the Year by the Maryland chapter of the National Association of Social Workers
. Thousands of ex-felons contacted Rodricks seeking help in post-prison employment.
Rodricks won the 2001 Headliner Award for column writing and the 1984 Heywood Broun Award from the Newspaper Guild
, which cited him for newspaper writing that championed the underdog. His column also has been cited in regional journalism competitions as the best local column in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Three times in recent years, including 2002, his columns were named “Best in Show” in the annual competition of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association.
From 1989 until 1993, Rodricks hosted a nightly talk show
on WBAL-Radio, as well as a five-hour Saturday morning show that ran until 1995. His radio documentaries won the Silver Medal in an international broadcast competition in 1993. Some of Rodricks' popular radio features included “Along The River,” an outdoors travelogue and natural history, “Country Life Farm,” a visit to a Maryland thoroughbred farm, "Guilty, but Mostly Stupid," a look at the sometime comical ineptness of certain criminals, “900 E. 33rd St.,” a radio elegy to Memorial Stadium, “A Western Maryland Winter,” and “The Greatest Game Never Played,” a Chuck Thompson
-Rex Barney
play-by-play of a fictional game between the greatest New York Yankees
and greatest Baltimore Orioles
.
Both the City Paper and Baltimore Magazine
gave high marks to Rodricks' live, local-interest television show, “Rodricks For Breakfast,” which aired on WMAR-TV from early 1995 until late 1999. For two hours each Sunday morning, he hosted the show. Rodricks' other television work included a weekly stint as a feature reporter/commentator on WBAL-TV
, from 1980 until 1993. His Street Talk and Rodricks At-Large feature stories won several regional journalism awards. Dan has also written and narrated programs for Maryland Public Television
.
A collection of Rodricks' columns, “Mencken Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” was published in 1989, and in 1998 he authored, “Baltimore: Charm City,” a celebration of Baltimore featuring the work of several accomplished photographers.
Rodricks also has performed in semi-professional theater in Baltimore. His stage credits include: Young Victorian Theater Co., Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance
, 1986; Mountararat in Iolanthe
, 1986; Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard
, 1987; Ko-Ko in The Mikado
, 1988; Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore
, 2001; and for Action Theater: Charlie
in Death of a Salesman
, 1999. His performance in Pinafore was voted one of the Top Ten of the year by the Baltimore City Paper
.
Rodricks has lived in the Baltimore area since 1976, in the city since 1987. He grew up in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts
., and graduated from East Bridgewater High School in 1972. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Bridgeport
in Connecticut
; he graduated summa cum laude and was voted outstanding journalism student in 1976. He was editor of his college newspaper, and interned professionally at The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts
., The Times Herald-Record in Middletown, New York
, and The Evening Sun in Baltimore. He was a Newspaper Fund scholar in 1975.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for the Baltimore Sun newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, and host of Midday, a two-hour talk show on WYPR
WYPR
WYPR is a public radio station that services the Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan area. The station broadcasts on 88.1 MHz on the FM band. Its studio is in the Charles Village section of Baltimore and its transmitter is westward in the Park Heights section...
FM 88.1, a public radio station in Baltimore. He formerly was on radio WBAL
WBAL (AM)
WBAL is a news-talk radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. WBAL broadcasts on a clear channel frequency with 50 kilowatts of power. Owned by the Hearst Corporation, WBAL's tri-mast transmitters are located in Randallstown, Maryland...
as the host of Rodricks On The Radio and co-host of The Buzz with Chip Franklin
Chip Franklin
Chip Franklin is a morning drive talk show host on KOGO in San Diego, California. He is a former host of a talk show on WBAL AM 1090 in Baltimore, Maryland...
and Clarence Mitchell IV. An avid fly fisherman, Rodricks has also hosted a television show and authored the Random Rodricks blog.
Rodricks's Evening Sun and Sun columns have garnered numerous national and regional journalism awards. His “Dear Drug Dealers” series in The Sun, a public call for an end to criminal violence in Baltimore bolstered by a sustained campaign to help provide jobs or job training for ex-offenders, won the 2006 Excellence in Urban Journalism Award from the Freedom Forum
Freedom Forum
The Freedom Forum was created in 1991 under the direction of Al Neuharth, former publisher of USA Today newspaper. Funding was provided by a foundation started by publisher Frank E. Gannett in 1935, called the Gannett Foundation...
and the Enterprise Foundation. This series, which exposed the obstacles that paroled felons face in finding jobs, was cited on national television and radio, and the Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
. It won the 2005 Public Service Award from the Chesapeake Associated Press. In 2006, Rodricks was named Public Citizen of the Year by the Maryland chapter of the National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Social Workers
The National Association of Social Workers is a professional organization of social workers in the United States. It had over 150,000 members as of January 2008 and provides guidance, research, up to date information, advocacy, and other resources for its members and for social workers in general...
. Thousands of ex-felons contacted Rodricks seeking help in post-prison employment.
Rodricks won the 2001 Headliner Award for column writing and the 1984 Heywood Broun Award from the Newspaper Guild
Newspaper Guild
The Newspaper Guild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933 who noticed that unionized printers and truck drivers were making more money than they did...
, which cited him for newspaper writing that championed the underdog. His column also has been cited in regional journalism competitions as the best local column in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Three times in recent years, including 2002, his columns were named “Best in Show” in the annual competition of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association.
From 1989 until 1993, Rodricks hosted a nightly talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
on WBAL-Radio, as well as a five-hour Saturday morning show that ran until 1995. His radio documentaries won the Silver Medal in an international broadcast competition in 1993. Some of Rodricks' popular radio features included “Along The River,” an outdoors travelogue and natural history, “Country Life Farm,” a visit to a Maryland thoroughbred farm, "Guilty, but Mostly Stupid," a look at the sometime comical ineptness of certain criminals, “900 E. 33rd St.,” a radio elegy to Memorial Stadium, “A Western Maryland Winter,” and “The Greatest Game Never Played,” a Chuck Thompson
Chuck Thompson
Charles L. "Chuck" Thompson was an American sportscaster best known for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles and the National Football League's Baltimore Colts...
-Rex Barney
Rex Barney
Rex Edward Barney was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 and from 1946 through 1950....
play-by-play of a fictional game between the greatest New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and greatest Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
Both the City Paper and Baltimore Magazine
Baltimore magazine
Baltimore is a regional monthly magazine published in Baltimore, Maryland by Rosebud Entertainment L.L.C. It is the oldest continuously published city magazine in the continental U.S. and was first printed in 1907....
gave high marks to Rodricks' live, local-interest television show, “Rodricks For Breakfast,” which aired on WMAR-TV from early 1995 until late 1999. For two hours each Sunday morning, he hosted the show. Rodricks' other television work included a weekly stint as a feature reporter/commentator on WBAL-TV
WBAL-TV
WBAL-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11. It is one of the flagship stations of Hearst Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, which also owns sister radio stations WBAL and...
, from 1980 until 1993. His Street Talk and Rodricks At-Large feature stories won several regional journalism awards. Dan has also written and narrated programs for Maryland Public Television
Maryland Public Television
Maryland Public Television is a non-profit, state-licensed Public Broadcasting Service non-commercial educational public television state network which serves U.S. state of Maryland. Its six transmitters cover nearly all of the state, plus Washington, D.C...
.
A collection of Rodricks' columns, “Mencken Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” was published in 1989, and in 1998 he authored, “Baltimore: Charm City,” a celebration of Baltimore featuring the work of several accomplished photographers.
Rodricks also has performed in semi-professional theater in Baltimore. His stage credits include: Young Victorian Theater Co., Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, 1986; Mountararat in Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
, 1986; Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
, 1987; Ko-Ko in The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, 1988; Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, 2001; and for Action Theater: Charlie
Charlie
Charlie is a common nickname for Charles and less commonly for Charlotte or Charlene.Charlie may also refer to:- Music :* Charlie , a British rock band in the 1970s and 1980s...
in Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
, 1999. His performance in Pinafore was voted one of the Top Ten of the year by the Baltimore City Paper
Baltimore City Paper
Baltimore City Paper is a free alternative weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1977 by Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch. Current owner Times-Shamrock Communications purchased the paper in 1987...
.
Rodricks has lived in the Baltimore area since 1976, in the city since 1987. He grew up in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts
East Bridgewater, Massachusetts
East Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,974 at the 2000 census.-History:The lands that would become East Bridgewater were first settled by Carlos Mencia in 1630 A.D. as an outgrowth of the Plymouth and Duxbury plantations...
., and graduated from East Bridgewater High School in 1972. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Bridgeport
University of Bridgeport
The University of Bridgeport is a private, independent, non-sectarian, coeducational university located on the Long Island Sound in the South End neighborhood of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The University is fully Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges...
in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
; he graduated summa cum laude and was voted outstanding journalism student in 1976. He was editor of his college newspaper, and interned professionally at The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
., The Times Herald-Record in Middletown, New York
Middletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
, and The Evening Sun in Baltimore. He was a Newspaper Fund scholar in 1975.