In April, Jad Abumrad visited the Academy Center of the Arts for a behind the scenes talk about his work at Radiolab. Fans had the opportunity to meet and greet with Jad, a unique chance for listeners to actually converse with someone they’ve heard speak many times before.
One fan in particular stood out among the rest. Parker Chapman, an eleven-year-old from Franklin County, may very well be Jad’s youngest fan. A frequent listener to NPR, Parker says he first heard Jad when he was only nine or ten years. The Chapman family doesn’t have a television, so Parker has grown up listening to WVTF Radio IQ.
“[NPR] is primarily what we listen to” his father says. “There’s a bunch of good programs on there and the RadioLab one really caught Parker’s attention.”
Parker had been listening to NPR for a while when he first heard Jad speak on RadioLab. “I started hearing him and just wondering what it was, so I figured out what it was and started listening”
Now Parker downloads podcasts from RadioLab quite often, and listening to Jad has become part of his daily routine. “Before I go to bed every night I usually listen to one. Thursday’s I have guitar practice so after that… RadioLab.”
For Parker, Jad Abumrad’s podcasts leave him in awe. “It’s something you couldn’t believe, but is actually true.” Parker says he likes when Jad speaks about scientific subjects best. For a boy of only eleven, Parker certainly fits right in with the listener audience which makes up RadioLab’s fanbase. However, he is quick to remind us of his age when I asked about any recent podcasts he enjoyed.
“I listened to one about guts a while ago, it was really interesting.”
Thank you to Opportunity Lynchburg for making this meet and greet possible and to our event sponsors Centra, Areva, and Lynchburg Retail Merchants Association for helping to bring Jad Abumrad to Lynchburg.
