As It Happens is a long running interview show on CBC Radio One in Canada. It has long been one of the most popular and acclaimed shows on CBC radio.
The show was introduced in 1968 as a reverse call-in show - rather than having the public call in, the reporters at As It Happens would call newsmakers and pundits for their opinions.
In its history, the show has had many notable interviews. These include:
- the wife of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn just after his arrest
- Sandra Good, the best friend of Squeaky Fromme, just after her friend had shot Gerald Ford
- A Rwandan woman seemingly moments away from being killed by Tutsi militia in during the 1995 genocide - she stayed on the phone with As It Happens up to the point when the attackers knocked on her door
Despite the gravity of many of its stories, As It Happens is also well known for being very light hearted and carrying much news of the obscure and bizarre. For instance, for two or three years during the early nineties there were updates on the battle over a large fiberglass fish that annoyed a neighbour in England. The show is also well known for noting how far each city in the UK is from Reading.
The show is broadcast each day between 6:30 and 8:00 pm throughout Canada, and can be heard throughout much of the northern United States. As It Happens can be heard on Radio Canada International and on the internet via streaming audio. As It Happens is distributed in the United States by Public Radio International, which means that in some areas of the US, the program is carried on affiliate stations of National Public Radio.
The theme song is Curried Soul played by Moe Kauffman.
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