It's official: Arun Rath has landed his “dream job.” As executive editor/host for WGBH’s "All Things Considered," he is swept up in breaking news coverage including the recent impeachment hearings, campaign politics and local news from Boston and throughout Massachusetts. No stranger to the WGBH newsroom, Rath has been a shared reporter for NPR and WGBH News for the past four years, and was a reporter for NPR and weekend host for NPR’s national feed of "All Things Considered" before that. He's worked with other newsrooms, too—FRONTLINE, PRI’s The World, and the PBS series Sound Tracks, to name a few. We sat down with Arun to ask a few questions:
What's the best thing about your job?
Arun: Being able to do everything—hopefully not in a dilettante way, I’m actually interested in just about everything. That’s one of the things I loved about hosting "All Things Considered" on NPR. You’re doing two hours of live radio and it’s a news show, so you cover the whole range of human experience. That’s ideal for me.
Best moment at WGBH?
Arun: The most amazing moments are when I’ve been working out in the field. It was after the Boston Marathon bombing—and I don’t lose sight of the fact that we were working in the context of a tragedy. In the aftermath and during the manhunt stage, the headquarters for the police was in a parking lot nearby [WGBH Studios] in Watertown. The roads were all blocked off, but luckily, because of WGBH’s location, I could walk over there and see what was going on. Then I’d walk back to the newsroom and go on live. As a journalist, it was amazingly exciting and fulfilling to do that work as it was happening. There were reporters there literally from all over the world.
What's the most important insight you've had during your time at WGBH?
Arun: I’ve learned about working as a fully multimedia reporter and correspondent. When I first started at WGBH, I was totally a radio guy. Now I’m a radio and television and print and web guy. It’s an interesting time in journalism with digital taking over. WGBH has been great at rolling with that and getting the best people to do it.
Three words for the WGBH newsroom climate?
Arun: Stimulating. Challenging (in a good way). Friendly.
Who would you want to have dinner with, living or dead?
Arun: My answer is the same as it has been for the past 30 years: Beethoven. I’ve been obsessed with his music since I was a teenager. I’d like to spend an evening with him having deep conversations, not so much about music as about life.
Best buy-one-get-one-free sale?
Arun: Plane tickets, because anywhere I’ve ever gone to, I’ve wanted to go back.