Manhattanville College's "Castle Conversations" Announces NYPR Media Partnership

Purchase, NY (January 13, 2015) – New York Public Radio (NYPR), including WNYC AM/FM and WQXR FM, have been named the exclusive radio media partners of Manhattanville College’s Castle Conversations speaker series, presented by Mastercard®. This prestigious subscription-based series will feature a lineup of four distinguished speakers: Arianna Huffington (March 25, 2015), Dan Rather (June 24, 2015), Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson (Sept. 9, 2015), and Doris Kearns Goodwin (Dec. 2, 2015).

Leonard Lopate, host of WNYC’s The Leonard Lopate Show, will serve as emcee for Arianna Huffington and Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Elliott Forrest, WQXR on-air personality, will serve as host for Dan Rather and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.

“We are thrilled to have the support of WNYC and WQXR for our inaugural year of Castle Conversations, and are very excited to welcome Leonard Lopate and Elliott Forrest to our campus,” said Manhattanville College President Dr. Jon Strauss. “We look forward to their engaging insights and participation in this unique series.”

Lopate, a 30-year veteran of WNYC, has interviewed more than 35 Noble Prize winners and notable guests including President Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, Henry Kissinger, Anne Hathaway, Stephen Sondheim, John Updike, and Francis Ford Coppola.

The Leonard Lopate Show has been honored with multiple awards for its work including a George Foster Peabody Award, three Associated Press Awards for Best Interview, and three James Beard Awards for Best Shows on Food.

In addition to his work with NPR, Lopate makes frequent appearances as an interviewer and moderator at major venues throughout the New York Metropolitan area.

Forrest, WQXR midday personality, is the recipient of a George Foster Peabody Award and two Excellence in Broadcasting Awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association. He has also hosted and produced live events for WQXR from Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Jerome L. Greene Space, since 2002. Forrest is a regular guest host of multiple shows on WQXR’s sister station, WNYC, including The Leonard Lopate Show and Soundcheck.

Corporate sponsorships for Castle Conversations are still available. For more information, please contact Teresa Weber at 914-323-1277 or email mvillecastleconversations@gmail.com. Subscriptions for all four events, which begin at 7 p.m., start at $250. Subscriptions can be purchased at www.castleconversations.org or by calling 914-323-1277.

About Manhattanville College:
Manhattanville College (www.manhattanville.edu) is an independent, co-educational liberal arts institution whose mission is to educate students to be ethical and socially-responsible leaders in a global community. Located just 30 minutes from New York City, Manhattanville serves 1,700 undergraduate students and 1,200 graduate students from 53 countries and 36 states. Founded in 1841, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate areas of study in the arts and sciences and offers graduate programs in Education, Business, Writing, and Continuing Education.

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