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Joe Donahue

Host, The Roundtable and The Bookshow

Joe talks to people on the radio for a living. In addition to countless impressive human "gets" - he has talked to a lot of Muppets. Joe grew up in Philadelphia, has been on the area airwaves for more than 25 years and currently lives in Washington County, NY with his wife, Kelly, and their dog, Brady. And yes, he reads every single book. 

  • Laurie Norton Moffatt, longtime Director and CEO of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts will step down in 2026 following the appointment of her successor. Her retirement will mark the end of a 40-year tenure that saw the museum evolve from a small local institution into a prominent center for American illustration art.
  • Yes, it has been 50-years. Jaws came to theatres on this date and is being celebrated throughout the world. We pay our respects by talking about the new book "Robert Shaw: An Actor’s Life on the set of Jaws and Beyond." Author Christopher Shaw Myers offers an intimate portrait of his legendary uncle, the acclaimed actor and writer best known for his unforgettable role as Quint in Jaws. Today marks the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s iconic blockbuster starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw as the weather seaman, Captain Quint.
  • The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Partner with the Albany law firm of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, Cianna Freeman-Tolbert, Professor Emeritus of Russian at Hofstra University and author of: Illiberal Vanguard: Populist Elitism in the United States and Russia Alexandar Mihailovic, and Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Robert Pondiscio.
  • The new book is “The Far Side of the Desert” which follows the fates of two sisters. One a U.S. Foreign Service Officer and the other an international television correspondent. It follows the sisters after their lives are shattered by a terrorist attack and the personal toll of its aftermath.
  • The Sharon Playhouse is launching its 2025 summer season with the musical “Million Dollar Quartet,” opening Friday night and run through July 6th, including a special holiday performance on July 4th at 4pm.This show brings to life the unforgettable night in 1956 when rock and roll legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins gathered at Sun Records to create musical history.The season will continue with three other shows including Annie, Sylvia and The Mousetrap.
  • What do a barracks from British troops in the Falkland War, a floating jail of the Bronx, and temporary housing for VWF workers in Germany have in common? Well according to our next guest, Ian Kumekawa, they have all inhabited one Swedish barge built in 1979. Now, the barge has so many names, the author calls it “The Vessel.” The book is called “Empty Vessel: The Story of the Global Economy in One Barge.”
  • The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, Dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany Robert Griffin, Semi-retired, Editor at large/columnist/editorial writer, Times Union Jay Jochnowitz, and Senior Fellow, Bard Center for Civic Engagement Jim Ketterer.
  • Set during the final stretch of the Civil War, author Chris Bohjalian’s “The Jackal’s Mistress” tells the story of Libby, a woman stuck in the South with a missing husband and a whole lot of moral questions. When she finds a nearly dead Union officer in the woods, she decides to save him. With war raging around them, Libby has to choose between loyalty and compassion.
  • This week's Book Picks come from Suzanne Kulick and Heather Boyne from Battenkill Books in Cambridge, NY and Cheryl McKeon from The Book House in Albany and Marketblock Books in Troy, NY.
  • Chesterwood - the summer home, studio and gardens of American sculptor Daniel Chester French – re-opened its doors to the public after a multi-faceted, four-year renovation and rehabilitation project to preserve the French family residence.