The world politics day-to-day program is a perennial favorite of listeners, which has been serving for 60 years.
In the unpredictable news times of the last few years, it has found more and more new audiences. The program is made by ‘s foreign reporters, correspondents and assistants. Nowadays, the program is produced by a former US correspondent Paula Vilén.
Why does MPA still fascinate, what is its secret? We asked Vilén and the producers who made the program before.
Minna Pye (producer 2006–2013):
“It was a pleasure to do the Everyday World Politics program for years. I thought it was important that we were able to take a deeper and more detailed look at the world in the program. We are looking for an answer to an important question: Why? Why did populism start to rear its head? Why did the hope of the Arab Spring evaporate in the ravages of bloody civil wars?
The program offers the opportunity to shed light on quiet developments that would otherwise be overlooked by the ever-accelerating news apparatus. I felt it was important that we were able to tell the background of important foreign news with the help of reports made on the spot by competent foreign journalists and expert interviews conducted in the studio.
Now, when the continental plates of world politics are moving and the world is becoming more and more uncertain, we need programs like MPA that offer an in-depth analysis of the upheaval in world politics.”
Jaana Kanninen (producer 2016–2018):
“I see two reasons why MPA endures and stands the test of time. First of all, in an increasingly fast-paced and superficial world, we need a program that digs deeper, analyzes and draws big arcs. People are tired of idle talk, shards and superficial entertainment. That’s why our program has a place both today and in the decades to come.
There is yet another reason: The scope of the media is narrowing and focusing ever closer to one’s own core. Instead, the everyday life of World Politics aims to bring us information also about those corners of the world, about which we almost never hear anything, but which nevertheless make up this common planet of ours. That’s why it’s worth congratulating the 60-year-old!”
Sari Taussi (producer 2018–2021):
“The program was established long before Finland started talking about brands. But it has proven to be valuable! The “MPA brand” has withstood the upheavals of media change. Fortunately, ‘s foreign distribution and channel managers have realized to stick to the program’s name, even though it may have seemed old-fashioned from time to time.
MPA is a special gem also in the sense that it is heard on two channels and has gained a lot of listeners in Areena as well. The program combines not only different topics, but also different audiences. At a time when media consumption seems to be fragmenting even more, an audio program on world politics made in a clever way gets listeners from all age groups. World politics with warmth and from a bird’s eye view, without forgetting people.”
Paula Vilén (producer from 2021):
“In my opinion, the success of the Everyday World Politics program is based on dedicated actors who, from one decade and one generation to the next, find the program dear and important. MPA is not the brainchild of one or two people, but is made by a large group of foreign journalists, for whom doing in-depth stories that reveal the twists and turns of world politics and human destinies is a real lifeline in the fast-cycling news world.
However, no amount of dedication from the author’s team is enough if the program doesn’t find listeners, because we don’t make this program for each other. The 60-year age of MPA shows that there are plenty of people in Finland who want to look beyond their home birch. I think that in this world of interdependencies, MPA is an excellent travel companion for everyone, increasing understanding. Towards the next 60 years!”
Party broadcast on Radio 1
The jubilee year of the World Politics Everyday program begins with a three-hour live broadcast on Radio 1 on January 8 at 19:00 right after the news.
On the night of world upheavals, ‘s former and current journalists answer questions in the studio, including those who reported on the WTC attacks in New York Reijo Lindroos and who reported on the tsunami in Thailand Katri Makkonenwho reported on the breaking of the wall in Berlin Riitta Pihlajamäki and Moscow Correspondent Heikki Heiskanen.
The studio also has ‘s long-term foreign editor Hannu Reime. Emeritus Professor of International Law Martti Koskenniemi assess the kind of turmoil we are living in now. Piloting the conversation Erja Tuomaala and Sampo Vaarakallio.
Come and remember the news, you can find the participation form and other information at this link.