National Public Radio will move the newsmagazine “Weekend All Things Considered”’s base from Washington on the East Coast to NPR West on the West Coast. The shift to Culver City, Calif., the home of the organization’s second-largest production center, is planned for this summer.
“Moving the show west will broaden and deepen our coverage and allow us to bring strong geographic diversity to our programming. In addition, this plan gives us a new level of business and editorial continuity,” said NPR Senior Vice President of News Margaret Low Smith. “By having a full team stationed at NPR West, we will be able to respond quickly if weather or a major news event incapacitates NPR headquarters.”
The newsmagazine’s relocation to NPR West will also provide a new pool of program guests drawn from the city’s entertainment, international trade, science and technology industries. Because of Los Angeles’ ethnic diversity, the program will have the opportunity to increase the scope of the stories it covers.
The move coincides with NPR’s search for a new program host. Guy Raz will be replaced because he has been tapped for a position with NPR’s new weekly program, “TED Radio Hour,” which will debut next month.
The “WATC” team will join “Morning Edition” co-host Renee Montagne, national correspondents Mandalit Del Barco, Kirk Siegler and Ina Jaffe along with Karen Grigsby-Bates and Sheeren Maraji, who are part of the team dedicated to NPR’s new initiative on race, ethnicity and culture.
