Atlanta public media leader WABE is revamping its radio schedule “to better serve and engage Atlanta’s audience with more voices, perspectives, and locally-focused content.”
What does mean for NPR Member WABE-FM 90.1?
Station management says it is “enhancing its lineup across all dayparts with optimized scheduling and compelling new shows,” adding that the updates “underscore WABE’s commitment to delivering the best national and Atlanta-focused programming and experiences across multiple platforms.”
WABE President/CEO Jennifer Dorian explains, “These changes allow us to live up to our promise of ‘Amplifying Atlanta’ by curating a unique mix of local stories and voices that capture the vibrant arts, culture, and community narratives you can’t find elsewhere. It’s public media reimagined to be a distinctive voice for our dynamic city.”
In particular, WABE-FM is adding 10 new programs, “bringing more perspectives on themes like world news, business/economy, science/health, and society/culture.”
The changes take place on July 29, with the 10am-2pm time slot “reimagined.”
This sees “On Point” at 11 a.m., “Closer Look With Rose Scott” at noon, and “City Lights With Lois Reitzes” at 1 p.m., leading into “Fresh Air” at 2 p.m. on weekdays.
Long-running international news magazine “The World” debuts on weeknights at 7 p.m. The evening rebroadcasts of “Closer Look” and “City Lights” move to 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., respectively.
Friday afternoons on WABE-FM will now focus on health and science programming, starting with the debut of “Health Wanted with Laurel Bristow” at 1 p.m. The new weekly show exploring developments in public health is produced by WABE in partnership with the Rollins School of Public Health. Following Health Wanted is “Science Friday,” at 2 p.m.
Weekends on WABE are expanding with programs such as “Throughline” (Saturday, 1 p.m.), “No Small Endeavor” (Sunday, 7 a.m.), and a “Planet Money/How I Built This” block (Sunday, 11 a.m.), before the live call-in program “Notes From America” debuts at 6 p.m. Sundays.
In addition, WABE Studios has been building a slate of original podcast content, with more than 25 shows in development and production for the WABE/NPR Podcast Network.
