Richard Chacón Hired as Executive Director of News Content; Tom Melville Promoted to News Director

WBUR, 90.9 FM and wbur.org, Boston’s NPR news station, announced two key newsroom appointments yesterday: Richard Chacón in the newly created position of Executive Director of News Content, and Tom Melville as News Director, from his current role as Executive Editor of Content.

These two new leadership posts reflect WBUR’s strategic effort to ensure that its venerable newsroom, composed of 75 journalists providing both radio and digital content for audiences on-air and online, reflects the overall need to serve the public on multiple media platforms.

As Executive Director of News Content, Chacón will oversee all of WBUR’s local news content and resources for both radio and digital. Chacón comes to WBUR with deep journalistic credentials, having worked at The Boston Globe for more than a decade in a variety of roles including Ombudsman (2005-2006), Deputy Foreign Desk Editor (2001-2004) and Latin America Bureau Chief (1998-2001). He started at The Boston Globe in 1994 as a general assignment reporter covering the neighborhoods of Boston, and also worked as the beat reporter for Higher Education and then City Hall. He worked briefly as a television reporter and started his career in journalism at WBUR in 1984, while still an undergraduate at Boston University. Chacón has also held a variety of public policy and public affairs roles, such as heading up the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants and serving as Director of Policy for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Most recently, he has been working on an ambitious capital campaign for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the Senior Associate Director in the Office of the Vice President for Resource Development. He holds both a Masters in Journalism and a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University. Chacón was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and an Ethics Fellow at The Poynter Institute. He begins his new role at WBUR on June 10.

Melville, whose leadership was critical in overseeing WBUR’s heralded coverage in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings in April, has been appointed News Director, effective immediately. In this role, he will continue to oversee WBUR’s corps of reporters, producers and hosts for WBUR-FM radio. He’ll work closely with Chacón, as well as Managing Editor of Digital Tiffany Campbell, who joined WBUR in July 2012 from The Seattle Times, where she’d been the editor of digital news. Melville was previously WBUR’s executive editor of content since 2011. Prior to that, he was the news director at New England Cable News (NECN), the 24-hour news cable outlet. Melville arrived at NECN in 1993 as chief political reporter and rose through the ranks to executive producer and to assistant news director before being named news director in 2008. While at NECN, he was co-writer and executive producer of the documentary film “Look for Me Here: 299 days in the life of Nora Lenihan,” which won the George Foster Peabody award. Melville holds degrees from both Boston University and Boston College Law School. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic.

“As the media landscape continues to evolve, WBUR is thrilled to have a team in place that will serve our on-air and online audiences with distinction,” said Charlie Kravetz, general manager, WBUR. “Tom’s promotion to news director is well deserved, and he’ll continue the important work of overseeing all of WBUR’s local radio news coverage in this role. And I’m delighted to welcome Richard to this newly created position at WBUR, where his extensive journalistic background and leadership experience will help shape and guide our multi-platform newsroom of the future. ”

On Point host Tom Ashbrook moderated “Boston After the Bombings: A Public Conversation of Hope & Healing” on Wednesday, April 24, at Emerson College’s Cutler Majestic Theatre. This  free community event was presented by WBUR and The Boston Foundation, with support from Emerson College, ArtsEmerson, M. Steinert & Sons  and the Boston University School of Music. It was broadcast live on WBUR and streamed on wbur.org. You can watch a video of the event here:

Or, if you prefer, listen to the full conversation here:

Pianist Han Na Son, with whom the late Lu Lingzi studied at Boston University, opened the program with a performance of Chopin’s Nocturne in c minor, Opus 48, No. 1. (She returned later in the evening with Claude Debussy’s “Reflets dans l’eau” and Johannes Brahms’s Intermezzo, opus 118, No. 2.)

Tom then introduced the first of two panels to discuss the immediate effects of the Marathon bombings on the Boston community. This panel included:

Dr. Natalie Stavas, a resident at Children’s Hospital who was running the Marathon near the finish line when the explosions occurred. Despite a broken foot, she leapt over the barricades and rushed to provide first aid to the victims.

Daniel Linskey, superintendent-in-chief of the Boston Police Department, who supervised the department’s role in the investigation and was in the command post in Watertown during the manhunt that ended in one suspect’s death and the other’s arrest. (Read Linskey’s account of the bombings and the manhunt.)

Dr. Peter Burke, chief of trauma services at Boston Medical Center

Paul Grogan, president of The Boston Foundation

Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission

Kevin Cullen, Boston Globe columnist

The second panel, which broadened to discuss the larger implications and long-term effects of the bombings, featured:

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst

Imam Shuhaib Webb, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

Rev. Ray Hammond, Bethel AME Church

Dr. Eli Newberger, author and pediatrician, Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital

Ayanna Pressley, Boston city councilor at-large

So, big news out of Boston today. Nope, not about Mayor Menino! It’s the news that NPR & WBUR have joined forces to expand Here & Now from one hour (12 – 1 p.m.) to two hours (12 – 2 p.m.) and add more newsmagazine programming to the middle of the day. Our own superstar host, Robin Young, will be joined by a new co-host Jeremy Hobston.

Below, a few answers to questions we’re getting from our most ardent and curious listeners:

What does this mean for the status of Fresh Air?

Rest assured, Terry Gross fans! Fresh Air will remain on WBUR’s airwaves. This summer (beginning in early July), we’ll start airing Here & Now from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m., followed by Fresh Air from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. This is just a slight adjustment to our programming schedule, as Fresh Air currently airs at 1 p.m. For years, listeners have told us how much they like hearing Fresh Air adjacent to Here & Now, so we’re pleased to be able to keep these two programs together in the middle of the day.

So, Meghna Chakrabarti will be Here & Now‘s permanent “fill-in host.” Will she leave Radio Boston?

Nope, Meghna will continue to co-host Radio Boston with Anthony Brooks, weekdays at 3 p.m.  You’ll hear her on Here & Now when a host is needed to fill in for either Robin Young or Jeremy Hobson, for example when they are on assignment or lucky enough to take a vacation day. This role is similar to what NPR Host David Greene does for Morning Edition. Overall, there will be very little change to Radio Boston the majority of the time.

Phasing out production of NPR’s Talk of the Nation is a big loss. Why do it?

For many of us at WBUR, today is one of those days with dual feelings – elation and pride mixed with a tinge of regret.  As fans of Talk of the Nation and Neal Conan ourselves, we feel a bit mournful with the news that after 21 years of continued service, the show will end on June 27. It has had a long and hugely successful run on WBUR.  As hosted by veteran NPR journalist Neal Conan, it’s been a staple for ‘BUR for so many years as the first call-in program of its kind on public radio, ushering in lots of other call-in talk shows!  And of course, ‘BUR listeners have the benefit of four fantastic hours of On Point each weekday with Tom Ashbrook, a program we feel is the very best call-in program in the nation.

NPR and BOSTON’S WBUR FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE TO BUILD MIDDLE OF THE DAY NEWS PROGRAMMING

WBUR’s Here & Now Host Robin Young Joined by Jeremy Hobson

Talk of the Nation Ends 21-Year Run

Washington, D.C.– In response to growing demand for news programming throughout the broadcast day, NPR is forging a new relationship with Boston-based public radio station WBUR to expand its mid-day news program Here & Now from a one-hour to a two-hour program updated for different time zones across the country. The expanded program will provide a total of four hours of news programming, 12 noon- 4 p.m. ET, and serve as a bridge between NPR’s signature news magazines Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

NPR will contribute its editorial muscle to the expanded program. Here & Now‘s daily lineup will include interviews with NPR’s bloggers, reporters and editors. The program will also showcase selected reporting from other NPR News programs. The expanded Here & Now also will enhance NPR’s capacity to provide breaking news every weekday from 5 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET.

Here & Now is currently hosted by Robin Young, a gifted journalist who has carried the program for more than a decade. When the expanded program launches July 1, she will have a co-host, Jeremy Hobson, currently host of Marketplace Morning Report. Hobson began his career in journalism at the age of 17 as an intern on NPR’s  All Things Considered and since then has gained deep experience as a producer, reporter and now host. Meghna Chakrabarti, co-host of WBUR’s Radio Boston, will be the program’s primary back up host.

“Here & Now is a smart, well-produced news program,” said Kinsey Wilson, Chief Content Officer, NPR. “This collaboration allows us to deliver compelling news and cultural coverage throughout the day and keep listeners tuned to public radio. In WBUR we have a strong editorial partner.”

NPR and WBUR will also invite other public radio stations across the nation to contribute to the show.

“WBUR is pleased to forge this unique relationship with NPR, redefining how the network and a public radio station can work together to better serve listeners,” said Charlie Kravetz, General Manager, WBUR. “We are exceedingly proud of Robin Young and the entire team at Here & Now. It is their exceptional work that has created the opportunity for WBUR and NPR to collaborate on this new venture.”

The station has a long history collaborating with NPR, and is one of the more prolific producers of national programming in public radio, including Car Talk, On Point and Only A Game.

Here & Now has been produced by WBUR since 1997 and became a national program in 2001. The show is currently aired on over 180 stations, including eight top-25 market news stations (WBEZ Chicago, WHYY Philadelphia, KJZZ Phoenix, KPBS San Diego, KOPB Portland, WFAE Charlotte, WESA Pittsburgh) and has had steady growth in audience and station carriage.

As part of today’s announcement NPR said that it will stop production of Talk of the Nation at the end of Juneand that Neal Conan, one of the organization’s most distinguished journalists, will step away from the rigors of daily journalism after 35 years at NPR, including 11 years at the helm of Talk of the Nation.

“Neal brings extraordinary depth and insight to every story he touches,” said Margaret Low Smith, Senior Vice President of News, NPR. “He connects deeply with the audience and will leave a legacy of excellence, having skillfully carried NPR, our Member Stations and the nation through some of the most important news of the last decade, setting the standard for high quality call-in talk programming.”

NPR’s Science Friday with Ira Flatow will continue to provide listeners the chance to hear from scientists, innovators, and educators each Friday from 2-4 p.m. ET and Here & Now listeners can expect science coverage to be a regular part of Here & Now each week.

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New Station to Broadcast Award-Winning Programming from WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station

BOSTON, Feb. 6, 2013 – 90.9 WBUR, Boston’s NPR® News Station, will debut on its new signal, 92.7-FM Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard, on Saturday, Feb. 9. The station will simulcast its award-winning news and information programming using the call letters WBUA. For the debut on Feb. 9, WBUR will broadcast a custom showcase of its signature shows, previously not heard in this new market.

The sign-on follows the closing of the sale of 92.7’s 3,000-watt signal to WBUR by Aritaur Communications, which is expected to occur on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

“The islands, Cape Cod and ‘SouthCoast’ are vital to the state we cover and serve. But until now most residents could not get our signal,” said WBUR General Manager Charlie Kravetz. “We have the largest radio newsroom in New England and are thrilled to provide our outstanding local news reporting – along with our signature programs like On Point, Here & Now, Radio Boston and Only A Game – to these important Massachusetts communities.”

WBUA boosts the reach of WBUR’s broadcasts to more than 60,000 prospective new listeners on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Cod, as well as in New Bedford, Fall River, Falmouth, Westport, Marion and other Massachusetts SouthCoast locations. The 92.7 FM signal will be in addition to WBUR’s current 50,000-watt signal on 90.9 FM, which broadcasts across all of metropolitan Boston and eastern Massachusetts.

WBUR is the preeminent news and information public radio station in Massachusetts, reaching close to 500,000 listeners each week, and is ranked among the Top 10 public radio stations in America. As the most prolific producer of national programming in public radio, WBUR is the home of Car Talk, On Point, Here & Now and Only A Game. With its extensive newsroom, WBUR produces hourly local newscasts, original reporting, investigative and feature series, and in addition, has a robust – and growing – digital presence at wbur.org. WBUR produces a daily news magazine program, Radio Boston, and carries NPR News programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me.

To welcome new listeners and celebrate the debut of 92.7, the station will feature a custom line-up of its signature shows starting at midnight when the new signal goes live:

• 12 a.m. – 2 a.m.            On Point with Tom Ashbrook
• 2 a.m. – 3 a.m.              Here & Now with Robin Young
• 3 a.m. – 4 a.m.              Radio Boston
• 4 a.m. – 6 a.m.              BBC Newsday

At 7 a.m., WBUR’s regular Saturday schedule begins with Only A Game, the WBUR & NPR sports show hosted by Bill Littlefield. The entire weekend and weekday line-up is available at www.wbur.org.

“WBUR is thrilled to have a new home on Martha’s Vineyard, and we’re looking forward to exploring ways that our commitment to news and programming will benefit listeners in the area,” said Sam Fleming, managing director of news and programming for WBUR.

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About WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station: Founded in 1950, WBUR began broadcasting NPR programming in 1970, offering NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered along with local news programming and establishing its iconic identity as a news and information station.  One of the nation’s most successful public radio stations today, WBUR produces extensive local and national content from its studios on Commonwealth Avenue at Boston University, in addition to airing content from NPR, The BBC, PRX and other independent content providers.

WBUR’s over-the-air mix of news, information and entertainment programming is complemented with a robust digital presence, including HD and satellite channels; mobile applications; and live streaming, podcasts and original online content such as Cognoscenti (opinion); CommonHealth (health care) and much more at its news destination website, wbur.org.  The work produced at WBUR has won countless honors, including national Peabody and Murrow awards. See more at www.wbur.org.

Just before the holidays, WBUR celebrated the 10th anniversary of our annual reading of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, a benefit for Rosie’s Place. WBUR hosts and reporters, along with the singing group Syncopation, gathered for a sold-out show Dec. 18 at the Omni Parker House Hotel, where Dickens himself read the classic story of Scrooge and Tiny Tim on his national tour.

After an introduction from Meghna Chakrabarti and Sacha Pfeiffer, each “stave,” or section, of Dickens’ own stage adaptation received a full-bodied reading from some of our on-air favorites: Tom Ashbrook, Bob Oakes, Robin Young, Bill Littlefield and Delores Handy. Seasonal songs punctuated the staves, vivid poinsettias from Winston Flowers decorated the stage, and hot cocoa and cookies at intermission rounded out the festive mood.

Our thanks go to the Omni Parker House for the use of its beautiful ballroom, to Keezer’s for outfitting the men in handsome evening wear and to Bearly Read Books of Sudbury for its support — and for a handsome facsimile copy of “A Christmas Carol,” which sold at silent auction for $200. That, along with all other proceeds from the event — about $15,700 this year — went to our friends at Rosie’s Place. Happy new year to all!

WBUR 90.9 FM Acquires 92.7 FM in Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard and WMVY Radio to go non-commercial

BOSTON, Nov. 27, 2012 – WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station, 90.9 FM, announced it has signed an agreement with Aritaur Communications to acquire 92.7 FM in Tisbury, Massachusetts, the home of WMVY-FM. The sale of the 92.7 FM signal paves the way for WBUR to reach listeners on Martha’s Vineyard and most of Cape Cod and Nantucket, as well as the Massachusetts ‘SouthCoast’ including New Bedford, Fall River, Falmouth, Westport and Marion. WMVY, known on air and online as mvyradio, plans to create a non-profit, commercial-free business model going forward.

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Anthony and Meghna

With WBUR acting as media sponsor for TEDxBoston, Radio Boston co-hosts Anthony Brooks and Meghna Chakrabarti hosted a live show direct from the World Trade Center. The all-day event was also livestreamed here on wbur.org, and we broadcast the 1 p.m. session live at 90.9.

For yet another WBUR-exclusive approach to the event, check out our Storify take on a great day of ideas, innovation and entertainment — and stay tuned for news of the next TEDxBoston conference.

Bill McKibben spoke with Tom Ashbrook June 14 in a special edition of On Point Live at the Paramount Center in Boston.

Two decades after proclaiming “the end of nature,” McKibben expressed a cautious optimism that we can still avert ecological catastrophe in a united effort against carbon-based fuels.

Martin Sexton’s passionate musical performance highlighted the communal interest  in protecting our planet and set the stage for the powerful ecological discussion. Together, Tom and Bill answered questions from the audience and discussed the political landscape that will dictate the future of climate change, fracking and fossil fuels.

Ultimately, Bill argued that activists must promote immediate change if we are to sustain a healthy planet for future generations.

As part of the WBUR news series “Living with Lyme: Where Do We Go from Here?” Carey Goldberg, co-host of the CommonHealth blog, moderated a panel discussion about the disease. Panelists included Dr. Thomas N. Mather, alias “The TickGuy,” who spoke about identifying the deer tick that carries Lyme and discussed ways of avoiding tick bites; State Rep. David Lynch, who discussed his efforts to create a state commission on Lyme disease; and Dr. Sheila Statlender, who recounted her family’s history with the disease and how it set her on a path of advocating for Lyme patients.

About 60 people attended the free meetup, which took place in the Fenway Health auditorium. The event was livestreamed on wbur.org, and the video is archived here. To stay informed about upcoming WBUR events like this one, join our Meetup group or check our Events page regularly.

Ira Glass on stage at the Somerville Theatre with WBUR’s Meghna Chakrabarti on Wednesday night. (Lisa Tobin/WBUR)

WBUR was the Opening Night presenter for the 10th Annual Independent Film Festival, featuring a special screening of “Sleepwalk With Me” at the Somerville Theatre.

The film is co-written by This American Life Host Ira Glass and regular contributor/comedian Mike Birbiglia.

Glass sat down with WBUR Host Meghna Chakrabarti for a Q&A after the film.

The Radio and Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) has announced that 90.9 WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, has won the 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award for www.wbur.org, which was selected as the best large market radio website in the nation.

This is the second year in a row that WBUR has been honored with a national Murrow award, after the station’s win for “overall excellence” in 2010.

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The promotional campaign, featuring “you, our listeners” and showcasing the faces behind the ‘BUR voices you hear on the air, was developed by Watertown’s Allen & Gerritsen, and the television spot was shot by Powderhouse Productions.