As longtime public radio talk show host Diane Rehm retires, her midday slot will be filled with a new show called 1A, NPR member station WAMU announced Wednesday.
The new two-hour show — named after the First Amendment — will be hosted by Joshua Johnson, co-creator and host of the radio series Truth Be Told about race in America.
1A will launch at the start of the new year, with the first episode airing Monday, Jan. 2
www.npr.org/...
Johnson will host a new program, called “1A,” that will have roughly the same format as “The Diane Rehm Show” — interviews, panel discussions and listener phone calls about politics, government, science, the arts and other topics spread over a two-hour bloc. Johnson said he will tweak the long-running format somewhat, sometimes exploring multiple topics within an hour and occasionally delving into pop culture….
...Johnson was the morning newscaster at KQED for five years, and he stepped down in February to produce and host a series about race called “Truth Be Told.” He was also a substitute host on “Forum,” the station’s nationally syndicated news-discussion program….
...As a younger African American man, Johnson may help NPR expand its appeal among the younger, male and racially diverse listeners that public radio has struggled to attract throughout its history. Public radio and TV audiences are largely white and aging, a development that has concerned industry leaders for some time.
Yore acknowledged that “diversity was an important factor in creating this new show. It’s not lost on any of us that having a young, African American male leading the conversation on public radio on a national stage is very important.”
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Most recently he’s been host of “Truth be Told” on KQED (NPR station in San Francisco)
What if we could get better at handling racially charged situations by breaking down our past encounters? That’s what Truth Be Told, a special radio program from KQED and PRI, is all about. We work together to draw insights from your stories. Keep up with us on Twitter.
ww2.kqed.org/...
Some samples of his viewpoints (text, not audio)
How to Talk About Race: 4 Things I Learned From Creating ‘Truth Be Told’
3 Tips For Dealing With Racially Insensitive Remarks
A White Ally Finds Her Voice