Beginning July 1, more than 300 NPR member stations across the country will broadcast the new, expanded “Here & Now.” Hosted by Robin Young since 2000 and now co-hosted by Jeremy Hobson, the program reflects “news as it’s happening.”
“Here & Now” expands from one to two hours as part of a partnership between NPR and Boston’s WBUR(FM), which has produced the program since 1997. This marks the first time NPR has collaborated with a member station on a daily news program, and it will now serve as a bridge between “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”
“This show represents an entirely new way of working across public radio to produce the best news content possible and reflect a broad range of American interests,” said Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of NPR.
Its lineup will include interviews with NPR hosts, reporters, editors and bloggers as well as news from stations nationwide. Digital-first productions, like NPR Music and the pop culture blog Monkey See, are also being developed into regular segments for the show.
NPR and WBUR have formed a 15-member contributors network of public radio stations across the U.S., including WHYY(FM) in Philadelphia, KQED(FM) in San Francisco and KUT(FM) in Texas. These stations will contribute feature stories, interviews or act as on-the-ground resources.
“Our Here & Now collaboration is a prime example of the new ecosystem in public radio, using all of our collective strength to stay competitive, serve the public and be strong and relevant during this age of digital disruption,” said Charlie Kravetz, general manager, WBUR.
Young is a Peabody Award-winning journalist who has reported for NBC, CBS and ABC television. She is joined by Hobson, former host of “Marketplace Morning Report.” Meghna Chakrabarti, co-host of WBUR’s Radio Boston, will be the primary back-up host.
WBUR began broadcasting NPR programming in 1970, and now produces national programs “On Point,” “Here & Now,” “Only A Game” and “Car Talk.”
