As it closes the curtain on City Lights with Lois Reitzes, Atlanta NPR affiliate WABE 90.1 is preparing to launch a successor program carrying forward the station’s – and Reitzes’ – mission of spotlighting Atlanta’s vibrant creative culture following her retirement.
Building on the legacy established by longtime host Lois Reitzes, The City Lights Collective will adopt a fast-paced, magazine-style format similar to NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Each episode will feature a mix of interviews, field reports, and locally driven stories, anchored by a rotating team of contributors from across the city.
WABE Managing Producer Kim Drobes, who has overseen City Lights in its current format, will serve as Executive Producer and Co-Host of the new program. She will be joined by Jon Goode, an Emmy-nominated writer, poet, and longtime host of The Moth’s Atlanta events, known for his dynamic storytelling and community ties.
The new show will premiere on Monday, July 7. The final live episode of City Lights with Lois Reitzes will air on Thursday, June 26, featuring a special tribute to Reitzes’ more than four decades of contributions to Atlanta’s cultural life.
Drobes said, “Working with Lois has been a privilege and a joy. I’m honored to have the opportunity, with Jon Goode as a partner, to build on the foundation she’s created by collaborating with Atlanta’s diverse storytellers to amplify arts and culture in the capital of the South.“
WABE Vice President of Radio & Operations Douglas Bell said, “The City Lights Collective continues the passionate local arts and culture coverage that Lois Reitzes championed at WABE for more than 45 years. This evolution of the show will allow us to amplify even more of the artists and performers that make Atlanta such a diverse and expressive city.“
