home about radio print contact

creating stories with sound and color

Illinois Newsroom •

Ebertfest’s ‘Last Dance’ honors founder and namesake Roger Ebert after festival’s 27-year run - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — Live organ music filled the vaulted ceilings of the Virginia Theatre in Champaign as attendees sat in wait between Ebertfest film screenings Friday evening. The organist, Steven Ball, played film scores, and in the lobby, movielovers chattered with excitement in line for popcorn, candy and soda. 
Ebertfest organizers say thousands of people turned out for the festival’s nine film screenings over two days, plus a play re-enacting an episode of Siskel & Ebert. Following the films, a pa...
Illinois Newsroom •

Champaign Public Library marks 150 years of growth, access and community impact - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN —Founded in 1876, the Champaign Public Library celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. The library had a humble beginning as a single reading room and a collection of less than 300 books. Today, the library has two branches and is home to 250,000 books. 
Celebrations will take place all year long, with National Library Week being one of the biggest, from April 19 through April 25, said Salem Gebil, marketing manager at Champaign Public Library. 
“We’ll also have the actual birthday...
Illinois Newsroom •

Krannert Art Museum’s SPEAK Cafe inspires creativity in high school students through ArtSPEAK program - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — For the last twenty years, SPEAK Cafe has partnered with Rantoul Township High School to give students an opportunity for artistic expression. The partnership, known as ArtSPEAK, aims to amplify students’ voices, according to local poet and event organizer Shaya Robinson.
Students are provided transportation to the monthly open mic night events and are encouraged to perform, workshop their pieces or simply come and take inspiration from community poets and artists.
“Just being able t...
Illinois Newsroom •

Flyover Film Studios in Rantoul brings new growth to central Illinois’ film industry - IPM Newsroom

RANTOUL — Flyover Film Studios is named for the unique location of its soundstage: the former Chanute Air Force base in the Village of Rantoul. The space is a huge half-barrel hangar with over six acres under its roof, about four stories high. 
What used to hold massive aircraft is now filled with movie sets, including a police station, a grandmother’s living room and a prison cafeteria.
Jen Shelby, president and co-founder, said she and the other founders had been producing films together for y...
Illinois Newsroom •

Filmed in Central Illinois, ‘Moses the Black’ brings new film opportunities to the area - IPM Newsroom

SAVOY — The Savoy 16 lobby buzzed with filmmakers, moviegoers and community members Sunday as “Moses the Black,” a locally grown feature film shot largely in Central Illinois, premiered to a sold-out crowd. 
The premiere marked a turning point for Central Illinois’ growing film industry, as sources from local studios said productions like “Moses the Black” show the region can support large-scale projects once limited to major cities.
Produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, the film follows the jou...
Illinois Newsroom •

Honorary Alison Krauss Way recognizes renowned bluegrass fiddle-player and vocalist - IPM Newsroom

This story is part of Illinois Student Newsroom’s series: Champaign’s Honorary Streets: the Stories Behind the Signs.


CHAMPAIGN — Alison Krauss, the 27-time Grammy-Award-winning vocalist and fiddle player who grew up in Champaign, played the hallowed Grand Ole Opry at the age of 17. She went on to become one of the youngest artists inducted into the radio show.


In 2015, a portion of West Hill Street in Champaign, between Elm and Prairie streets, was designated “Honorary Alison Krauss Way.”...
Illinois Public Media •

217 Today: Ebertfest and beyond, how the C-U film sphere moves forward after the loss of a giant | Illinois Public Media

Monday, December 1, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

In today’s deep dive, EbertFest organizers announced this fall they won’t be coming back but there’s some discussion of a possible encore. 

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by A. Oishii Basu, Reginald Hardwick, Elissa Eaton and Jonathan Mathew.

Monday, December 1, 2025

Today’s headlines:

In today’s deep dive, EbertFest organizers announced this fall they won’t be coming back but there’s some discussion of...
Illinois Public Media •

217 Today: Ebertfest and beyond, how the C-U film sphere moves forward after the loss of a giant | Illinois Public Media

Monday, December 1, 2025

Today’s headlines: 

In today’s deep dive, EbertFest organizers announced this fall they won’t be coming back but there’s some discussion of a possible encore. 

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Orellana. Reporting today contributed by A. Oishii Basu, Reginald Hardwick, Elissa Eaton and Jonathan Mathew.

Monday, December 1, 2025

Today’s headlines:

In today’s deep dive, EbertFest organizers announced this fall they won’t be coming back but there’s some discussion of...
Illinois Newsroom •

SNAP funds are delayed and reduced for 2M Illinoisans due to the shutdown. Here’s how C-U is affected - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — On Saturday, SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, ran out for the nearly 2 million Illinois residents who rely on them to purchase groceries. 
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order on Oct. 30 to direct $20 million in funding for state food banks, but it will not cover the costs of the entire program.
Federal judges ordered emergency funding be allocated for the reinstatement of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. But the Trump administration says it will...
Illinois Newsroom •

The Virginia Theatre celebrates 50 years of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ with new shadow cast - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — The Virginia Theatre in Champaign will host its annual showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Oct. 25. This year’s showing will embrace a tradition of the film and include a performance by a shadow cast. 
The movie celebrates its 50th year since its release in 1975, and its long legacy has resulted in a whole host of traditions created by its cult following. A shadow cast consists of performers lip-synching to the film as it is projected behind them
Other traditions include dr...
Illinois Newsroom •

‘Quite remarkable’: The Farm Aid benefit concert, which started in Champaign, celebrates 40 years - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — Farm Aid is a traveling benefit concert that has raised more than $80 million nationwide to help struggling family farms across the U.S. 
The first annual Farm Aid event was held 40 years ago, on Sept. 22, 1985, in what is now Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign. At the time, the U.S. was in a major agricultural crisis. Severe inflation and lessening exports caused family farmers across the country to lose their farms and homes.



Singer and guitarist Willie Nelson took note of thi...
Illinois Newsroom •

Two new sculptures join Urbana Parks’ permanent collection - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — The Urbana Park District recently acquired two marble sculptures for its permanent art display at Meadowbrook Park. 
Sculpted into a slab of swirling diverted petals, artist Jon Isherwood titled them “The Gifting Angel” and “After Giverny,” referencing impressionist artist Claude Monet’s waterlilies. 
His pieces are displayed as a part of the park district’s sculpture program, paid for by the Robin Hall Fund for Public Art. The program began in 1998 as the vision of the former director...
Illinois Newsroom •

Photography book by Phillip Kalantzis Cope features the avant-garde architecture of Champaign-Urbana - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — Phillip Kalantzis Cope was inspired to create a book featuring photos of mid-century architecture in Champaign-Urbana after a series of conversations with architect Jeffrey Poss, a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Cope said he learned about “important architects that were products of the university, that worked here but also practiced here. And I saw a wonderful story of both an architectural history [and] a community history.”
The book, “Mid-Contine...
Illinois Newsroom •

217 Today: Ceduxion Carrington reflects on nearly 30 years in drag - IPM Newsroom

Monday, May 19, 2025
Today’s headlines:
In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn how local drag performers are helping to inspire hope during difficult times.
217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Alex Degman, Mawa Iqbal, Arjun Thakkar, Colin Hislope and A. Oishii Basu.

Monday, May 19, 2025

Today’s headlines:

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn how local drag performers are helping to inspire hope during difficult times.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqued...
Illinois Newsroom •

Art as hope: Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center takes on beautification project - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — The walls of the Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center are covered with new art, created by the residents in partnership with local muralist Leslie Kimble.
Prior to beginning the project, Kimble said she sat down with the children to ask what they wanted on their walls.
“One mural we did in the dining room is a big mural of waves and sun,” she said. “That was from our interaction with one of the residents that talked about waves being like emotions — emotions come to us like waves...
Illinois Newsroom •

Reflections on the life and legacy of Shozo Sato, who founded the University of Illinois’ Japan House - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — Shozo Sato, master of Japanese traditional arts and founder of the Japan House in Urbana, died at the age of 91 on May 4.
Sato was a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Japan House Director Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud said Sato was discovered in Japan in the 1960s by Margaret Erlanger, then head of dance at the U of I, while she was on a fellowship. She said Erlanger was enamored with his teachings of Kabuki theatre. She invited him as a visiting artist-in-res...
Illinois Newsroom •

The Japanese Paper Film Project brings forgotten film back to life - IPM Newsroom

URBANA – The Ebert Center for Film Studies is set to host The Japanese Paper Film Project on Friday night at the Spurlock Museum in Urbana.
Eric Faden, the project lead, started working with Kyoto’s Toy Film Museum in 2019 to cultivate the film preservation project based at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Where most film is made from celluloid, these films are printed frame-by-frame on paper in both anime and live-action formats.
Originally created in the 1930s, Faden said these films were...
Illinois Newsroom •

CUDO Plays sparks creativity with unique board games in annual design competition - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — The Champaign Urbana Design Organization (CUDO) cultivates a wealth of creativity in its annual board competition, CUDO Plays, from tabletop games about corgis having parties to color-coded Jenga to Globetrotting, a recently published game where you plan three vacations around the world. 
Andrew Stengele, a board member of CUDO, said the competition process runs for half of the year, from August to March.
“I like to refer to CUDO Plays as a board game design community that runs a compet...
Illinois Newsroom •

From classroom to club: U of I holds student DJ showcase in Urbana - IPM Newsroom

Student DJs from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign showcased their work at an event at Gallery Art Bar Thursday night. 
Oscillating lights projected on the walls and ceiling as 11 student DJs took turns performing on stage in front of a crowd that had gathered to show support and enjoy the ambiance.
The DJ 101 showcase was held in tandem with the U of I’s Hip Hop Innovation Center, said Janaea Modest, the adjunct professor of the Art of DJing class. Modest, who’s also known as DJ Silke...
Illinois Newsroom •

Improvising through art: U of I students fuse music and visuals at Krannert Art Museum - IPM Newsroom

Student musicians at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign took their musical improvisations to Krannert Art Museum on Saturday, Nov. 9, in a performance about how art can inspire sound.


U of I Assistant Music Professor Jason Finkelman teaches these students in the Improviser’s Exchange Ensemble. He said these musicians are always preparing, experiencing improvisation with or without a conductor.


“With Improviser’s Exchange, it’s more about playing with sound,” Finkelman said. “So...
Illinois Newsroom •

Paws for a cause: Champaign County Humane Society hosts annual Fur Ball to support local animals - IPM Newsroom

The Fur Ball, a fundraiser held by the Champaign County Humane Society, will take place Friday night at the I-Hotel and Illinois Conference Center in Champaign.


The funds from the event will go directly toward the care of about 200 pets. These funds will help support adoption services and urgent medical needs. Last year’s event raised $140,000, according to Elizabeth Young, events coordinator at the humane society.


The Fur Ball is an annual gala where attendees can take part in raffles and...
Illinois Newsroom •

Station Theatre’s ‘The Minutes’ explores local politics and historical truths in dark comedy - IPM Newsroom

The Station Theatre in Urbana is set to open its newest production tonight. “The Minutes” focuses on power structures within a small town council. It is the latest installment in Station Theatre’s 52nd season, “The Hopeful and Broken Pieces of the American Dream.”


The show centers on a nervous new councilman and his growing suspicion of the rest of his council when a senior councilman goes missing.


The dark comedy is relevant because of how local politics has grown in importance in Champai...