Listeners in Birmingham and North Central Alabama now will be able to hear The Diane Rehm Show, Here and Now and Talk of the Nation as 90.3 WBHM-Birmingham strengthens its midday program schedule with additions and changes.
WBHM will air some programs at new times, and will remove classical music from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fresh Air will move to noon and All Things Considered now will begin at 3 p.m.
“This is a change that is part of our five-year strategic plan and even though it’s earlier than we anticipated we now believe the time is right, given a number of circumstances,” said Program Director Michael Krall. “Strengthening our NPR News and information programming is the best public service we can offer and is in the best long-term interest of WBHM and our listeners.”
“This new line-up allows us to provide the best of both worlds with classical music during evenings and weekends and important news and information programming during weekday afternoons,” said WBHM General Manager Mike Morgan. “We encourage all to listen, and we are confident that listeners will find the programming to be high-quality public radio programming —providing context, enlightenment and entertainment in today’s complex media world.”
For a complete schedule of programming visit www.wbhm.org/ .
New weekday programs
• The Diane Rehm Show (9-11 a.m.) offers listeners thoughtful and lively conversations with many distinguished people of our times. Each week, more than 1.7 million listeners across the country tune in to the program, which has grown from a small, local, morning call-in show in Washington, D.C., to one of public broadcasting’s most-listened-to programs.
Guests include many of the nation’s top newsmakers, journalists and authors. Recent guests include former President Bill Clinton, General Tommy Franks, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Julie Andrews and Toni Morrison. Newsweek magazine calls the program one of the most interesting talk shows in the country. The National Journal says Diane is “the class act of the talk radio world.”
Each hour includes dialogue with listeners who call to join Rehm’s virtual community and take part in a civil exchange of ideas.
Visit her site at wamu.org/programs/dr/ .
• Here & Now (11 a.m.- noon) is public radio’s midday news magazine hosted by Robin Young. For one energetic hour each weekday, Here and Now combines the best in news journalism with intelligent, broad-ranging conversation to form a fast-paced program that updates the news from the morning and adds important conversations on public policy and foreign affairs, science and technology and the arts and more.
The guest roster boasts such notables as professor Anita Hill, actor and director John Malkovich, authors Isabel Allende, Jonathan Safron Foer, Marilyn Robinson, CNBC Washington correspondent John Harwood, jazzman Sonny Rollins and actress Jane Fonda.
Young brings more than 25 years of eclectic broadcast experience to her role as host. She is a Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker and has been a correspondent for the Discovery Channel, CBS, ABC, and NBC’s Today.
• Talk of the Nation (1-3 p.m.) links the headlines with topics on people’s minds, providing a springboard for listeners and experts to exchange ideas and pose critical questions about major events in the news and the world around them. Each day, Talk of the Nation combines the award-winning resources of NPR News with the vital participation of listeners. The result is a spirited and productive exchange of knowledge and insight that delves deeply into the news and ideas of the day.
Monday through Thursday, host Neal Conan invites callers to discuss areas of topical interest, including politics and public service, education, religion, music, and health care. Talk of the Nation goes behind the headlines with decision-makers, authors, thinkers, artists, and listeners around the world, who become part of the conversation.
Each Friday, journalist Ira Flatow is joined by listeners and studio guests to explore science-related topics — from subatomic particles and the human genome to the Internet and earthquakes. Flatow offers in-depth discussion with scientists and others from all walks of life, giving listeners the chance to hear from the people whose work influences their daily lives.
Visit the site at www.npr.org/programs/totn .