Boston-based NPR affiliate WBUR has made three new appointments at Here & Now, the live midday news program airing on 500 NPR member stations nationwide. As part of the change, Indira Lakshmanan will join Scott Tong and Robin Young as co-host.
Lakshmanan is currently the ideas and opinions editor at US News & World Report. She previously worked with The Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Boston Globe, National Geographic, and the Pulitzer Center. She has contributed to NPR programs including 1A, Weekend Edition, Here & Now, and On Point.
Peter O’Dowd, a senior editor and regular fill-in host, will move into a new role as correspondent and recurring host. He has been with WBUR since 2014, producing and reporting national stories. Lastly, Allan Price joins as executive producer after 20 years at BBC News. His work there included leading radio and television coverage of events such as the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum and UK general elections.
WBUR Chief Content Officer Victor Hernandez said, “We’re building on this momentum with a team that’s exceptionally talented and deeply committed to high-quality journalism. The Here & Now team is already doing outstanding work. Indira, Allan, and Peter will further our efforts to deliver distinctive and engaging coverage every day.”
Lakshmanan said, “I grew up listening to All Things Considered on family radios that were permanently tuned to public broadcasting, and joined NPR straight out of university as an editorial assistant to the foreign desk and an overseas stringer. Since then, I have reported and edited from six continents, plus Washington and Boston for national newspapers and magazines, two global wire services, radio, TV, and podcasts. I’ve come to realize that my first love and my greatest strength is in audio storytelling. Joining Here & Now as a co-host is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
