After 15 years in television, Veteran broadcast journalist John Hockenberry returns to his roots in public radio as the co-host of a new two-hour drive-time broadcast scheduled to debut on April 28, 2008. The Takeaway will be co-produced by WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with multiplatform production with The BBC World Service, New York Times Radio, and WGBH Radio Boston.
In a WNYC new release about the radio show, Hockenberry said, “With the abdication of serious news coverage by network and cable television, the in-depth journalism and context that public radio provides is needed more than ever. But public radio needs to meet the demands of current news consumers. There’s no replacement for the live and in-real-time delivery of news and analysis, and morning drive is the place to do it. I’m thrilled to be part of the team meeting this challenge.”
Hockenberry, who uses a wheelchair, has long been a voice for the disability community, on television, radio, and in print. He has gone where few would dare. His 1996 book, Moving Violations, War Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations of Independence, chronicles his experiences as one of the first western broadcast journalists to report from Kurdish refugee camps in Northern Iraq and Southern Turkey. During the first Gulf War, he reported in Israel, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. Hockenberry also spent two years as a correspondent based in Jerusalem during the most intensive conflict of the Palestinian uprising.
The radio comeback of Hockenberry, who’s also a Distinguished Fellow at the MIT Media Lab, arrives on the heels of 15 years spent on network TV news. At ABC and NBC, he earned four Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Casey Medal. He has also been recognized for his pioneering online content, is the host of the award-winning public radio series The DNA Files, and is a weekly commentator for the series, The Infinite Mind.
According to WNYC, Hockenberry’s latest project, The Takeaway, “. . . will be broadcast live, rather than featuring pre-recorded interviews and long pre-produced features. It will deliver all the journalistic depth and excellence that WNYC listeners expect, while offering a dynamic and conversational tone. It will feature two hosts [Hockenberry’s co-host is Adaora Udoji] talking together live in the studio, interviewing guests and responding to listeners on-air and online.”
“Listeners will hear the day’s news and cultural stories—as they are happening—with live reports from the field, along with commentary and analysis from a range of contributors around the table and around the world. It will be as dynamic online as on the air; TheTakeaway.org will expand the possibilities for how live and interactive content can be used in daily broadcast and beyond. ‘The Takeaway’ will offer new opportunities for listeners to contribute to the conversation and will allow listeners to interact, respond, and take part in the development of editorial content,” WNYC’s Website reports.
The Takeaway will launch on WNYC on the air, online, and on demand via podcasts on Monday, April 28, 2008. It will be broadcast initially from 6-7 a.m. on 93.9 FM and from 8-9 a.m. on AM 820. A phased roll-out will reach public radio stations around the country.
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