Minnesota Atheists radio program to debut on Air America Radio in January

Minnesota Atheists are taking their message to the air waves with a new radio program that will debut in January on the  talk station Air America Minnesota.

Called "Atheists Talk" -- the same name as a show the organization airs on cable access television -- the live radio broadcast featuring news, interviews, listener call-ins and special guests is believed to be the first show of its kind in Minnesota, said August Berkshire, a spokesman for the Minnesota Atheists.

The show will air Sundays from 9 to 10 a.m. on AM 950 starting Jan. 13 when Oxford professor, evolutionary biologist and renowned atheist Richard Dawkins will be the featured guest. The weekly shows also will be streamed live on the radio station's website (www.airamericaminnesota.com/listen) and made available as a podcast at www.minnesotatheists.org/podcasts, Berkshire said.

Until now, Berkshire said the organization reached only a small and shrinking number of people who tuned into its public access cable TV show. He said the radio program will open the way to reach a larger audience.

"Fewer people are watching public access, but they are listening to talk radio," said Berkshire, who has been involved with the atheist movement locally since 1984. "We really want to expand our audience and this will allow us to reach people all over the state of Minnesota."

Berkshire said the radio program will include interviews with local atheists and humanists who will discuss such topics as what is  humanism, what is atheism, religion, science, society and separation of church and state. The 60-minute show also will have features such as the "Everyday Atheist" and "Atheist History" and announcements of upcoming local and national atheist and humanist events. People will be able to call the show and interact with the host and comment on topics, Berkshire said.

"We are not interested in ridiculing anybody or converting people," he said. "We just want conversation and dialog with the public. We applaud Air America Minnesota for allowing us to bring diversity to the airwaves."

Officials at Air America Radio Minnesota were a little skittish when Berkshire approached them with the idea for "Atheists Talk." But when a time slot opened up on Sunday mornings and station brass were assured that the program would remain positive and informative, "we decided to give it a try," said Kevin Hansen, a station spokesman.

"We are a progressive talk station and we think this will be a nice addition to go with the variety of content we have on this station," Hansen said.

Hansen said the station signed a six-month contract with Berkshire and will decide then if the show will continue.

Berkshire declined to say how much he is paying for the 1-hour time slot, but said he will pay the bills by selling advertising to show sponsors that include the American Humanist Association, Humanists of Minnesota, the Secular Coalition for America, EvolveFish and Camp Quest of Minnesota.