NPR contributing senior news analyst Cokie Roberts will be visiting the Quad Cities on March 27. Roberts will be in attendance at a fundraiser for WVIK at Hotel Blackhawk.
WVIK is the National Public Radio station for the Quad Cities region of eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois. The fundraiser, “An Evening with Cokie Roberts,” will focus on a discussion about the political climate of the U.S.

The station, which is licensed to Rock Island, Illinois and owned by Augustana College, will be hosting similar events in the future to build community support. During her visit, Roberts plans to make a visit to the Augustana campus. The details of her involvement on campus are to be decided at a later date.

“WVIK invited Cokie Roberts to their gala event to bolster community support for the mission of public radio,” said Keri Rursch, director of Augustana College public relations. “The event will help the station raise funds and at the same time excite people about the value of a local public radio station.”

Roberts, 70, who has an extensive career in journalism, has served as a congressional correspondent for NPR for over 10 years, as well as a political commentator for ABC News. She also contributes as a roundtable analyst for the current “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.”

Roberts is not only a journalist, but an author as well. She has published four books, two with her husband, fellow journalist Steven Roberts. The couple contributes to multiple news organizations and are contributing editors for USA Weekend magazine.

With her political background, Roberts served as a member of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, established by President George W. Bush in 2003.

Roberts has been lauded by multiple organizations. She was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and the American Women in Radio and Television has called her one of the fifty greatest women in the history of broadcasting.

In 2008, Roberts was heralded with the title “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress. Among the writers and artists category that Roberts was awarded under are names like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Walter Cronkite.

WVIK and the Augustana community are looking forward to the event, which is a first in a series of annual fundraising events.
“Cokie was our first choice,” said WVIK Development Director Jennifer Blohm. “We plan to bring in a national NPR speaker every year with the same format around March.”
Roberts will also be on campus for selected students, faculty and Unity Point doctors to speak about healthcare and U.S. politics the afternoon before the event.