Ben Kieffer
Host: River to RiverBen Kieffer joined Iowa Public Radio in 2000 and is host of IPR’s daily noon talk show River to River, which he also helps produce.
Prior to joining IPR, Ben lived and worked in Europe for more than a decade. He reported firsthand the fall of the Berlin Wall and covered the Velvet Revolution in Prague. Ben has won numerous awards for his work over the course of more than 30 years in public media.
Ben has taught courses at the University of Iowa on interviewing and radio news. He's a native of Cedar Falls and a graduate of the University of Iowa.
Contact Ben at bkieffer@iowapublicradio.org.
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A business owner explains the challenges of running his bar during the COIVD-19 pandemic, a look at Iowa’s Hispanic Heritage, a check-in with our pandemic diary series and a look at how the entertainment industry is adjusting to the COVID-19 threat. -
A decision this week had Hawkeye and Big Ten football fans shouting for joy. The Big Ten is going to give fall football a shot after all. The decision comes less than five weeks after pushing fall sports to spring for the sake of player safety during the pandemic.
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On Wednesday, the federal government outlined a sweeping plan to make vaccines for COVID-19 available for free to all Americans, assuming a safe and effective vaccine is established and widely accepted.
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On this edition of River to River, Ben Kieffer speaks with a Des Moines Public Schools parent to explain why she believes virtual learning is hurting a large portion of kids in the district.
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A discussion of the president’s comments on climate change, a new Middle East peace deal and the political divide on wearing a face mask.
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Host Ben Kieffer is joined by State Representative Ashely Hinson. Hinson, a Republican, hopes to unseat first term U.S. Representative Abby Finkenauer to represent Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
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On August 5th, Governor Reynolds signed an executive order automatically restoring the right to vote to tens of thousands of Iowans convicted of felonies. On this episode of River to River, host Ben Kieffer talks policy and politics with two Iowans with felony convictions who will be able to vote for the first time in years this November.
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A discussion avout the damages to personal property and mental health many Iowans are coping with after last month’s derecho.
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River to River kicks off its series of interviews with congressional candidates with former state senator, Democrat Rita Hart. She's vying to replace retiring Congressman Dave Loebsack in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District
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On September 11th, 2001 Evan Renfro was just months into his first job as an Air Force intelligence analyst in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It’s a day that altered the course of his life and career forever. On this episode of River to River, host Ben Kieffer looks back on the single deadliest terrorist attack on the United States, nineteen years later.
