A Good Year: St. Louis 2012

It’s estimated that TV stations’ political ad revenues were around $2.6 billion last year – a 68 percent increase from just 4 years ago.

This was the first big election since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010 that declared corporations to be people and money to be speech. The ruling made 2012 a good year for TV stations that get paid to air political ads.

It seems like such a short time ago that you could run into Pokey LaFarge, aka Andrew Heissler, all over St. Louis, playing at the Tower Grove Farmers Market, or Off Broadway.

But, as with most good things, they can’t remain a secret forever, and 2012, was a big year for Pokey LaFarge. Our Adam Allington has more as part of our 'A Good Year 2012' series.

2012 was a rough year for Missouri farmers battling severe drought and extreme heat, but some species of wildlife did well – specifically, turkeys, bobwhite quail and honeybees.  As part of St. Louis Public Radio’s series “A Good Year,” Marshall Griffin talked with a number of people who observed the three species during the long, hot summer.

Wild Turkeys

From proponents of local control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to the success of the St. Louis Cardinals, it was a “good year” for many St. Louis people, places, and ideas.

Host Don Marsh talked with a panel of guests as we continue our “A Good Year” series.

The guests included:

• Alex Ihnen, Editor of nextSTL.com
• Rabbi Mark Shook, Senior Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Temple Israel
• Alvin Reid, Host at 101 ESPN, Nine Network “Donneybrook” Panelist

The numbers are pretty impressive, more than three dozen new biotech startups now call St. Louis home and collectively they’re hauling in tens of millions of dollars from investors.