David Brancaccio
Encyclopedia
David A. Brancaccio is an American
radio and television journalist
. He has been the host of the public radio business program Marketplace
and the PBS
newsmagazine
NOW.
and grew up in Waterville, Maine
. His father is Italian American
and his mother is Ashkenazi
Jewish American
. He began his career in broadcasting on WTVL radio in 1976 at the age of fifteen. He received a Bachelor of Arts
in African Studies
and History from Wesleyan University
in 1982 and a master's in journalism from Stanford University
in 1988. He traveled widely, spending his fourth grade in Rome, his ninth grade in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar and his senior year in college in Legon, Ghana.
. He was first named as the program's European editor based in London. Brancaccio became senior editor and host of Marketplace in 1993. From London, Brancaccio also contributed diplomatic and feature coverage for the radio service of the Christian Science Monitor. During Brancaccio's tenure as host, Marketplace received the DuPont-Columbia Award
(1998) and the George Foster Peabody Award (2001). He anchored the television newsmagazine
, California Connected
, that aired on many California
n PBS stations, from 2002 to 2003.
In 2003 Brancaccio left Marketplace, to join Bill Moyers
on NOW. Brancaccio was co-host for over a year prior to Moyers' retirement at the end of 2004. On his last NOW broadcast, Moyers had this to say about Brancaccio:
Among his beats: business innovation and the economy, politics, human rights, national security, the environment, health care, and science policy.
In 2007, Brancaccio won a national Emmy for coverage of a public health story in Kenya. In 2009, he won a Walter Cronkite Award for excellence in television political coverage. He also holds the David Brower award for Environmental Coverage from the Sierra Club. In 2005, Brancaccio conducted the last, long-form television interview with the legendary author Kurt Vonnegut.
The last episode of NOW was broadcast April 30, 2010.
Brancaccio is a contributor to several broadcast, electronic, and print media, including CNN
, CNBC
, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal
, The Nightly Business Report, Wall Street Week with Fortune, The Baltimore Sun and Psychology Today
. In 2000, his book, Squandering Aimlessly, was published, his account of a pilgrimage across America to learn how Americans apply their personal values to their money. He also lectures widely about the future of the economy and the role of journalism in a democracy.
In 2011, Brancaccio returned to Marketplace as a correspondent. He hosts the Marketplace spin-off Marketplace Index, a daily five-minute report on the day's business.
with his wife, Mary, and three children. He is an avid photographer and bicyclist.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio and television journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He has been the host of the public radio business program Marketplace
Marketplace (radio program)
Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
and the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
newsmagazine
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...
NOW.
Early years
Brancaccio was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and grew up in Waterville, Maine
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
. His father is Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
and his mother is Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
Jewish American
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
. He began his career in broadcasting on WTVL radio in 1976 at the age of fifteen. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in African Studies
African studies
African studies is the study of Africa, especially the cultures and societies of Africa .The field includes the study of:Culture of Africa, History of Africa , Anthropology of Africa , Politics of Africa, Economy of Africa African studies is the study of Africa, especially the cultures and...
and History from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1982 and a master's in journalism from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1988. He traveled widely, spending his fourth grade in Rome, his ninth grade in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar and his senior year in college in Legon, Ghana.
Career
In 1989, Brancaccio began contributing to the public radio program MarketplaceMarketplace (radio program)
Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
. He was first named as the program's European editor based in London. Brancaccio became senior editor and host of Marketplace in 1993. From London, Brancaccio also contributed diplomatic and feature coverage for the radio service of the Christian Science Monitor. During Brancaccio's tenure as host, Marketplace received the DuPont-Columbia Award
DuPont-Columbia Award
The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award is an American award that honors excellence in broadcast journalism. The awards, administered since 1968 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, are considered a broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another...
(1998) and the George Foster Peabody Award (2001). He anchored the television newsmagazine
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...
, California Connected
California Connected
California Connected was a television newsmagazine that broadcast stories about the state of California to "increase civic engagement." The show was created by Marley Klaus and aired on twelve PBS member stations throughout California. In 2006, former NBC producer Bret Marcus took over as executive...
, that aired on many California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n PBS stations, from 2002 to 2003.
In 2003 Brancaccio left Marketplace, to join Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
on NOW. Brancaccio was co-host for over a year prior to Moyers' retirement at the end of 2004. On his last NOW broadcast, Moyers had this to say about Brancaccio:
- I asked David to join me over a year ago because I wanted my successor to have grown up, as it were, in public broadcasting, an independent journalist, believing our job is to sift through the untidy realities, weigh the competing claims, and offer to you our considered approximation of what's really going on.
Among his beats: business innovation and the economy, politics, human rights, national security, the environment, health care, and science policy.
In 2007, Brancaccio won a national Emmy for coverage of a public health story in Kenya. In 2009, he won a Walter Cronkite Award for excellence in television political coverage. He also holds the David Brower award for Environmental Coverage from the Sierra Club. In 2005, Brancaccio conducted the last, long-form television interview with the legendary author Kurt Vonnegut.
The last episode of NOW was broadcast April 30, 2010.
Brancaccio is a contributor to several broadcast, electronic, and print media, including CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, The Nightly Business Report, Wall Street Week with Fortune, The Baltimore Sun and Psychology Today
Psychology Today
Psychology Today is a bi-monthly magazine published in the United States. It is a psychology-based magazine about relationships, health, and related topics written for a mass audience of non-psychologists. Psychology Today was founded in 1967 and features articles on such topics as love,...
. In 2000, his book, Squandering Aimlessly, was published, his account of a pilgrimage across America to learn how Americans apply their personal values to their money. He also lectures widely about the future of the economy and the role of journalism in a democracy.
In 2011, Brancaccio returned to Marketplace as a correspondent. He hosts the Marketplace spin-off Marketplace Index, a daily five-minute report on the day's business.
Personal life
Brancaccio lives in Maplewood, New JerseyMaplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 23,867.-History:...
with his wife, Mary, and three children. He is an avid photographer and bicyclist.