WBUR names Tiziana Dearing new 'Morning Edition' host

Morning Edition celebrates a familiar face as Tiziana Dearing, current host of Radio Boston, takes a new mic next month. Read more in this email sent to staff from CEO Margaret Low and newsroom leaders Dan Mauzy, Jeff Cohen and Leah Fleming.

This memo has been reproduced with light editing. See related coverage from the WBUR newsroom here.

Dear All,

We have some breaking news to share: Tiziana Dearing will be WBUR's next Morning Edition host. Her first day on the air will be Wednesday, September 18. As anyone who has ever listened to Radio Boston or seen Tiziana on the CitySpace stage knows, she is a singular talent — an extraordinary host with deep ties to this city and region.

We're thrilled that WBUR listeners will soon begin their days with Tiziana. She's one of a kind. A natural leader, a brilliant mind, rigorous journalist, virtuoso interviewer and career-spanning public servant of Greater Boston. She treats each interview guest honestly and honorably, revealing insights and connections through sharp conversation. Radio Boston has become a destination for elected officials — local and national — community leaders and power brokers who know they will get fair and rigorous treatment. That's because of the show's incredibly talented and passionate team. It's also because Tiziana sets the table, sharing all of herself and her curiosity with guests and listeners alike.

And, yes, this is a big move. It will enable Tiziana and the Morning Edition team to command the day's news agenda for our region and propel WBUR — now the #1 news station for a year and a half and counting — to even greater heights. A big thanks to the interview committee, which included Lisa Mullins and Lisa Smith-McQueenie.

We also want to thank Deb Becker for being WBUR's interim Morning Edition host for these last months. There is nothing Deb can't do (and as she said recently, she's done pretty much every news job there is) and we're so grateful to her for anchoring our morning coverage during the search process. Not that she let her reporting notebook gather any dust while she was hosting — breaking stories as recently as last week.

We know this is bittersweet news for members of the Radio Boston team. They've worked alongside Tiziana for years and know her talents first hand. Together, Marquis Neal, Amanda Beland, Rob Lane and Yasmin Amer have excelled through thick and thin, producing smart, fascinating, original shows every day, no matter what.

Amory Sivertson and Darryl C. Murphy will each take a turn hosting Radio Boston for the weeks immediately following Tiziana's last show, on Friday September 6. We'll share more soon about our plans as they come together.

What a thrilling way this is to wrap up the summer. We can hardly wait for all this to unfold.