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Best of 2006
The Marketplace Cast & Crew share their favorite stories from the past year.Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Subscribe using iTunes
Week 4 [ Download ]
John Dimsdale: I liked this piece because it conveyed the determination of New Orleans’ workers to save their jobs and their city. Businesses, from hoteliers to antiques dealers, were still providing lodging for returning employees a full six months after the storm. In the midst of the misery and mildew, few residents had a taste for celebrating Mardi Gras, but they were willing to suck it up to keep the tourists coming back.
Six months after Hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans, many hotels are just getting back in business. Sure, rooms are booked for Mardi Gras. But unfortunately, this year's scarcity of lodgings isn't due to excess demand from well-heeled tourists.
Sam Eaton: I had followed the two men in this story since the hurricane and felt invested in their process of recovery and rebuilding — and I found inspiration for my life and work through theirs.
Albert Jefferson Jr. and Henry McCloskey returned to New Orleans to rebuild their businesses and their lives. So which candidate in tomorrow's election do they think can rebuild the city?
Brian Watt: We've done a lot to describe the devastation brought on by last year's hurricanes, but sometimes you just have to let someone who's been through it talk. That's what happened here. And suddenly the act of getting a local newspaper back to print, or updating a business phone book tells us everything.
Publisher Beverly McKenna of New Orleans' African American newspaper talks about the challenges of coming back after Katrina.
Dan Grech: This look at a Salvadoran immigrant's success here in the U.S. and his growing desire to retire home spoke in a personal way to the immigration debate that was raging at the time. And as the son of an immigrant myself, I came to understand more intimately the challenges of a father raising his sons in a foreign land.
The farming village of Chinameca has sent many of its sons and daughters to Fairfax, Va. This is the story of two friends, Francisco and Luis — one who stayed and one who left — and the lives they made for themselves
Steve Tripoli: The subject, a potentially revolutionary internal combustion engine, and the unique theme of an entire family working to pick up their father's legacy and develop it, really connected with listeners.
As consumers turn to more fuel-efficient cars, the work of Carmelo Scuderi comes closer to reality. The widely-respected engineer and entrepreneur isn't a big auto name yet — but that might change if his final big idea passes the test.
Rico Gagliano: This is my favorite piece of the year for two reasons: a) Because I managed to get a story on the air which celebrates dressing up as Santa Claus and running around drunk all day; and b) The story successfully argues that there may be a valid socioeconomic reason to dress up as Santa Claus and run around drunk all day.
Drunken revellers at SantaCon are determined to revive the grand tradition of holiday hooliganism.
Week 3 [ Download ]
Janet Babin: When I was going down . . . and then up the real estate rabbit hole, I remember feeling like I was the only one who couldn't sell my home, or buy the right new one. Whenever I found anyone else going through it, we'd de-stress with a round of conversation, and eventually, laughter at our predicaments. These two stories became my favorites because I knew they'd bring a chuckle, and maybe some hope to others in the same boat.
You want to sell your home, but you don't want the price to sink in the softening market. How do you protect yourself?
The housing market is cooling. That's good news for buyers. . . right?
Hillary Wicai: When you think of lawyers, you think of people who help dissolve marriages. This was such a nice twist: a way for lawyers to save marriages. Money is such a homewrecker; here was a clever solution to help alleviate money woes. On a personal note: I got married the week this aired! At our wedding an old college friend of my mom's told me she had heard my piece that week and she was going to look into it. "You've saved our marriage!" she said at my wedding. That was pretty cool.
June is the unofficial start of wedding season. One problem that often besets married couples is arguing about money. But there's a new tool to help them get back to happily ever after — a post-nuptial agreement.
Ashley Milne-Tyte: I think this story is a fascinating illustration of some of the issues arising from climbing U.S. healthcare costs — and of the strong feelings that go with them. When he and I first spoke, Carl Garrett was eagerly anticipating his trip to a top hospital in India to have two operations, performed entirely on his company's dime. Days later, that excitement turned to disappointment when he discovered his union was blocking the trip.
Medical tourism meets healthy opposition
American businesses are looking into the potentially cost-saving trend of medical tourism, but some skeptics are putting their collective foot down.Listener's Choice: Sean Cole's story on corporate laptop theft really struck a chord with our audience. It was the most-listened to story on Marketplace.org in 2006. Sean said, "One my favorite things about reporting is when one story leads to another like this. Those little surprise stories you find while interviewing someone about something else are really gratifying."
Corporate laptop theft, part 2
In reporting his piece on corporate laptop theft, Sean Cole happened upon the story of a data security breach that sent one CEO marching off to Washington to crusade for stricter information security laws.Scott Jagow: Eric Drew is the founder of Knightsbridge Castle, a company that helps identity theft victims and offers identity theft protection. It’s my favorite interview for two reasons: Eric’s story is amazing. And I had a very personal connection to the subject. Eric’s identity was stolen by a hospital worker while Eric was dying of leukemia. As Eric lay in his hospital bed, the thief ran up huge bills in his name, and there was little he could do to stop it. Against long odds, Eric survived the leukemia, but it took a long time to get his financial “life” back. His ordeal prompted him to start Knightsbridge Castle. And he eventually helped catch the thief too. When I interviewed Eric, I was suffering through my own case of identity theft. It was probably the scariest time of my life. I had done many stories about ID theft in the past, so I thought I was informed, but nothing prepares you for the experience of being a victim. You feel so vulnerable and violated. And very, very angry. While my case wasn’t as severe as Eric’s, I could relate, and interviewing him was a small way of doing something about what happened to me, creating more awareness about this fast-growing and intrusive crime.
Host Scott Jagow and identity theft expert Eric Drew talk about the source of the identity theft problem — and why you shouldn't be paying to protect yourself from it.
Week 2 [ Download ]
Return to China
Host Kai Ryssdal takes us back to China, where Marketplace broadcast live for two weeks in January.
Week 1 [ Download ]
Amy Scott: This was my favorite story this year because I got to peek into a world completely different from mine, one in which money really can buy love.
Amy Scott: This was my favorite story this year because I got to peek into a world completely different from mine, one in which money really can buy love.
Wall Street has a dating site all its own, whether you're a trader or just looking for one.
Brett Neely: It's rare that you get a chance to see the future in front of you, and electric cars that don't look or drive like golf carts are probably going to be what we drive 20 years from now. Not to mention the incredible WHUMPF you felt when they slammed on the gas (I mean, volt) pedal.
Los Angeles Times car critic Dan Neil reports that the new Tesla proves the electric car is alive and well — and very fast!
Mark Austin Thomas: I liked this interview because it didn't feel like I was "interviewing" Mike, we were just talking about movies — which is something both of us have a passion for — from a financial angle of course.
Host Mark Austin Thomas and Daily Variety managing editor Michael Speier look at the key ingredients of a successful movie franchise.
Diantha Parker: Sometimes an interviewee will say something so perfect for the piece that it leaves you speechless — it's all you can do not to just thank the person and say, we're all done. This story includes one of those pure gold moments. The best part is that this interviewee KNOWS it's perfect, but he also really means it.
Production of faith-based films is growing in Hollywood. Movies with biblical and moral themes are seeking to tap into an audience discovered by the success of "Passion of the Christ."
Jane Lindholm: I loved this story! I've been a closeted bullriding fan for years. Plus, I rarely get the chance to leave the studios, so when I do, I want a little adrenaline.
Bull riding is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. and all kinds of folks are cashing in. The World Finals kicked off last weekend in Las Vegas. Jane Lindholm took a little more than 8 seconds to check it out.
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