Boston University-owned radio station 90.9 WBUR-FM, which is currently broadcast over 40 stations, will gain national recognition Oct. 1 when its midday news program will begin to air on 734 stations.
National Public Radio’s 12 p.m. show, “Here and Now,” hosted by Robin Young, was recently picked up by Public Radio International. According to BU spokesman Colin Riley, the program will reach 31 million listeners.
“‘Here and Now’ already had a presence in a number of different cities,” he said, “and through PRI, it extends the reach.”
WBUR Station Manager Corey Lewis said he approached PRI about distributing “Here and Now” at a recent conference in Los Angeles. Two other WBUR shows, “On Point” and “Only a Game,” are currently distributed by NPR.
“Here and Now” will be WBUR’s only show distributed by PRI, and Lewis said he is excited to see how its marketing strategies compare to NPR’s.
“Having a show picked up by PRI and seeing the success that we have will certainly give us more choices and allow us to see how one company is successful and what each company does,” he said.
According to WBUR’s website, “Here and Now” features “fast breaking news, more leisurely analysis and human interest stories,” as well as coverage of the arts.
Young, the show’s host, has over 25 years experience as a journalist. According to the website, she is a Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker and has appeared as guest host on “CBS Morning” and NBC’s “Today Show.” She also helped to launch “Evening Magazine” on Boston’s WBZ-TV in the 1970s.
“[Young] is excited that the show can really start to gain some momentum beyond the markets it currently airs in, because this company’s single job is to get these programs into other cities,” Lewis said.
Young was unavailable for comment.
Eleanor Harris, PRI senior vice president and head of marketing and distribution, said in a press release that “Here and Now” is “already showing strong audience gains at major-market stations, invigorating midday schedules and attracting new listeners. [Young] is an experienced journalist whose drive and enthusiasm are positively infectious and I’m confident she’ll help take public radio midday listening to new levels.”
According to the PRI press release, “Here and Now” has already won numerous awards, including the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best New Series in 2004 and two Associated Press awards for Best Newscast in 2004 and 2005.
Riley said this move recognizes the excellence of all WBUR programs, not just “Here and Now.”
“PRI is looking for programming,” he said. “The people at PRI are tuned into what’s going on at stations around the country. This certainly recognizes the outstanding programming at WBUR and it recognizes that the show’s host and the content are something that’s going to have the ability to transfer to listeners nationally.”
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