We’re delighted to announce the premiere of our new series on Bloomberg TV, BREAKING BREAD WITH ALEXANDER, in-depth conversations chronicling politically and geographically diverse U.S. governors and senators over their favorite meals and activities. The series journeys from the coast of Maine and countryside of North Carolina to the foothills of New Mexico and badlands of North and South Dakota in pursuit of civil dialogue (and good food) to better the Union.

OUR PIONEERING LONGEST-RUNNING PBS SERIES

The Open Mind, the weekly broadcast and podcast hosted by Alexander Heffner, is a thoughtful excursion into the world of ideas across politics, media, science, technology, the arts, and all realms of civic life. The Washington Post calls the series “[a] radical approach to talk in a troubled time.” The goal is to intellectually stimulate viewers, inspire in them nuanced understanding, and encourage active participation in wide-ranging democratic deliberation.

“Public television has always provided a space for civil discussion and exploration of new ideas. Perhaps no program has exemplified this for as long as The Open Mind. For six decades, The Open Mind has provided a place for timely conversations about some of the most important topics facing our country and our world. This legacy continues under the leadership of Alexander Heffner, at a time when our country will greatly benefit from thoughtful, respectful conversations about our future.”

– Paula Kerger, CEO, PBS

the host

Alexander has covered American culture, politics, and civic life and since the 2008 presidential campaign. He is coauthor of best-selling A Documentary History of the United States (Penguin, 2022), and recipient of University of Denver’s Anvil of Freedom Award, Franklin Pierce University’s Fitzwater Medallion for Leadership in Public Communication, and Yale University’s Poynter Fellowship in Journalism.

He is profiled in The Wrap, Mediaite, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Des Moines Register, Christian Science Monitor, Variety, Medium, and on MSNBC, C-SPAN, NPR, CNN, ABC and the BBC. His writing appears in USA TODAY, WIRED, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, NYT's Room for Debate, Boston Globe, and Philadelphia Inquirer, among other publications.

He has lectured at the Newseum, National Constitution Center, Museum of American Finance, FDR Library and Museum, The American University in Cairo, Initiative for Truth at University of Sydney, Center for Information and Bubble Studies at University of Copenhagen, Institute on Constitutional Democracy at University of Missouri, Civil Discourse Lab at the University of New Hampshire, Department of Writing and Rhetoric at University of Mississippi, Center for Constitutional Democracy at Marshall University, Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State, Clarke Forum at Dickinson College, and Alpha Seminar at Carroll College, among other institutions of learning.