WGBH Studio at the Boston Public Library had an action-packed year! From our weekly broadcasts of Boston Public Radio with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan to all-new shows featuring notable guests, newsmakers, and local celebrities, we kept our home on Boston's Boylston Street busy. Here are some of our favorite moments from 2019:
The Launch Of "Lunch Hour Live"
This fall, we began our Lunch Hour Live digital streaming series. Every Wednesday, we take a closer look at some of Boston’s hottest local news stories, and every Thursday we explore the unique programming of WGBH’s national productions. Our Lunch Hour Lives, hosted by WGBH contributor Sue O’Connell, have brought in a wide array of guests ranging from General Manager of the MBTA Stephen Poftak to Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper to FRONTLINE’s Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath. You can watch all of our Lunch Hour Lives from this fall here.
Presidential Candidates Attend WGBH's Digital Town Halls
With the New Hampshire primary right around the corner, we capitalized on the presidential candidates traveling through Boston and invited them for one-on-one, 30-minute interviews about their campaigns. So far, former Maryland Congressman John Delaney, former Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld, Andrew Yang and Tom Steyer have taken us up on the offer. Andrew Yang’s “Yang Gang” took the crown for most engaged Digital Town Hall, as he drew an in-person audience of 150 people and a digital audience of over 50,000. Watch the interview here.
Pete Buttigieg Appears On Boston Public Radio
Just as he caught wind in his campaign sails, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana joined Jim and Margery during a live taping of Boston Public Radio last April. "Mayor Pete's" segment drew a crowd of over 250 people, making this one of our most well-attended events in the BPL studio to date.
Exploring The Life Of Janis Joplin
As part of our partnership with the New England Genealogical Historic Society and their American Inspiration Author Series, we had the opportunity to interview Holly George-Warren about her recent biography of music legend Janis Joplin, "Janis: Her Life and Music," and listen to some of Joplin’s biggest hits. This program was a trip down memory lane for our audience and gave people an inside look into Joplin’s world. Watch the conversation here.
The Revels Make Musical Magic On A Celtic Sojourn
Earlier this year, the voices of the venerable New England arts institution known as Revels joined Brian O’Donovan in our Boston Public Library studio for a live taping of A Celtic Sojourn. This 10+ person band serenaded a packed Newsfeed Café and reminded us why working here is so much fun.
Creating A Shared Space For Viewing The Impeachment Hearings
As part of WGBH's mission to improve public media access to all people, we aired the World Channel coverage of the House impeachment hearings in our BPL studio. We feel it is a public service to offer coverage of important, national events when we can.
Understanding The #MeToo Movement In Journalism
Longtime journalists Kristin Grady Gilger and Julia Wallace sat down with Boston Globe Columnist Shirley Leung to discuss their book There's No Crying in Newsrooms: What Women Have Learned about What It Takes to Lead. This event, held in partnership with The Boston Globe, tracked the experiences of women in newsrooms across the country and provoked discussion on how or even if things have changed for female journalists. Watch the discussion here.
Celebrating Pride Month At The BPL
The theme of this year’s Boston Pride Parade was “Looking Back, Loving Forward,” so we invited a panel of LGBTQ+ rights trailblazers to discuss the history of the movement in Massachusetts. The panel was headlined by former Congressman from Massachusetts Barney Frank and Activist Arline Isaacson with a surprise guest appearance from Senator Ed Markey. Watch the conversation here.
