Hosted by Joshua Johnson, 1A will air live from 10-11 a.m.

BOSTON (October 28, 2019) – 1A, a nationally distributed live news program hosted by Joshua Johnson, has been added to the line-up of live and local news and conversation on WGBH News 89.7 FM. Beginning today, Boston’s local NPR station will air the first live hour of the radio program in the 10 -11 a.m. time slot each weekday. The Takeaway, which aired previously in this time slot, will continue to be broadcast weekdays from 2-3 p.m.

1A draws its name from the First Amendment, which allows for a free exchange of ideas and perspectives. Each day, Johnson convenes a national daily conversation exploring important issues related to policy, politics, technology, pop culture, sports, and humor. 1A’s self-stated goal is to “act as a national mirror — taking time to help America look at itself and to ask what it wants to be.” In addition to airing on radio, 1A uses social media as a platform for listener engagement, posting discussion topics in advance and encouraging listeners to contact the program on Twitter, Facebook, or by texting 1A to 1-244-732-1212.

“Today, the news cycle is constant and breaking news happens all day. 1A’s approach allows for in-the-moment coverage and conversation about national issues that are top of mind for our listeners,” said Kate Zachry, news director for WGBH News. “Joshua Johnson and 1A bring our listeners one more source for live news, adding a national focus to the live local coverage that is produced at WGBH News every day.”

Johnson began his public radio career by organizing a unique regional news partnership between Miami’s NPR station, WLRN, and The Miami Herald. Then, he served for more than five years as a morning news host for KQED in San Francisco. Johnson co-created and hosted a nationally-distributed public radio series, Truth Be Told, exploring race in America. He has also taught podcasting at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. 1A is produced at public media station WAMU in Washington, DC and distributed nationally by NPR.

About WGBH News
WGBH News is among the fastest-growing local news providers in greater Boston and draws on the talent of a multi-platform newsroom that includes 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s Local NPR, television and digital reporting. The WGBH newsroom continues to invest in substantive local coverage and has established dedicated desks for innovation, higher education and politics as well as unique partnerships to expand on that commitment, including with WNYC’s The Takeaway, PRI’s The World, the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, and The GroundTruth Project.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur and more than a dozen other primetime, lifestyle and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBX 44, and the digital channels World and Create. WGBH TV productions focusing on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black and High School Quiz Show. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s Local NPR®; 99.5 WCRB Classical Radio Boston; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also is a major source of digital content and programs for public radio through PRX, including The World and Innovation Hub, a leader in educational multimedia with PBS LearningMedia™, providing the nation’s educators with free, curriculum-based digital content, and a pioneer in services that make media accessible to deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired audiences. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards and Oscars. Find more information at wgbh.org.
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