Kirk Siegler

Yahoo To Buy Tumblr In An Attempt To Revitalize Itself

Kirk Siegler — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:06:00 +0000

Transcript

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with a big blogging buyout.

Today, Yahoo announced its purchase of the blogging site Tumblr. The $1.1 billion deal was unanimously approved by Yahoo's board. Analysts say the acquisition is Yahoo's attempt to revitalize itself.

NPR's Kirk Siegler has more.

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: Tumblr is a New York-based social media and blogging site that has been growing rapidly, thanks in part to the exploding use of smartphones and tablets.

Calif. Law To Require Ships To Cut Pollution

Kirk Siegler — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:06:00 +0000

California is about to become the first state to require shore power at its ports. A new law mandates at least half of a shipping line's fleet to shut down their diesel engines and plug into shore-side electric power when they unload their cargo. It's part of a larger effort to cut pollution at the state's busiest ports, but costs have been a sticking point.

Why An Immigration Deal Won't Solve The Farmworker Shortage

Kirk Siegler — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:59:00 +0000

The Salinas Valley in Northern California grows about 80 percent of the country's lettuce, and it takes a lot of people to pick and pack it. In a field owned by Duda Farm Fresh Foods, a dozen lechugueros, or lettuce pickers, are bent at the waist, cutting heads of iceberg lettuce. They work frantically to stay in front of a line of 12 more packers, who seal them with tape and toss them onto a conveyor belt.

"There's a lot more going on here than meets the eye," says Sammy Duda, the company's vice president.

Looking To Broaden Appeal, RNC Heads To Hollywood

Kirk Siegler — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:31:00 +0000

The Republican National Committee is holding its spring meeting in the Democratic stronghold of Hollywood this week — part of an effort to broaden the party's appeal.

So far, there are sharp divisions among RNC delegates about the future direction of the GOP. But there's general agreement that the party isn't effectively communicating its message.

At a sometimes raucous afternoon meeting Wednesday, speaker after speaker walked up to the microphone and made pleas about the future of the GOP. "We need to multiply, not divide," one said.

L.A. Schools Hire Security Aides To Watch For Threats

Kirk Siegler — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:21:00 +0000

Tenth Street Elementary is in the Pico-Union district of Los Angeles, a few blocks west of the Staples Center and downtown skyscrapers.