WGBH News Team Works From New Satellite Bureaus — In Their Homes, And On Their Screens

WGBH News Staffers' Remote Workstations

Reporter Marilyn Schairer gets cozy in her home office with a WGBH News beanie and extra-long microphone for social distancing.

Courtesy of Marilyn Schairer

Reporter Tori Bedford's sunny perch comes complete with a canine co-worker.

Courtesy of Tori Bedford

Vintage typewriters and an old sewing table complement a laptop and second-screen for Investigations Editor Paul Singer.

Courtesy of Paul Singer

A stuffed monkey makes frequent appearances — sometimes wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) — on Zoom conference calls with Singer.

Courtesy of Paul Singer

Joe Mathieu, host of WGBH's Morning Edition, uses foam padding to improve sound quality in his home office — and Boston bumper stickers to make it homey.

Courtesy of Joe Mathieu

Zoom calls 25+ staffers strong are no problem in Executive Producer Aaron Schachter's tidy home workspace.

Courtesy of Aaron Schachter

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April 01, 2020

Updated October 16, 2023

To stay on top of the coronavirus outbreak, WGBH News has mobilized across all platforms to provide audiences with the latest, most accurate information possible — with many staffers now working remotely over video conference and from newly-created home studios. Just days after the World Health Organization announced the pandemic, WGBH News launched In It Together, a live nightly call-in radio show and podcast with Executive Editor Arun Rath. (The podcast version has since been recognized as "COVID-19 Essential Listening" by Apple.) The following week, Morning Edition and All Things Considered hosts and producers began work remotely, while reporters and editors took to Zoom and other online tools to work together on COVID-19 coverage.

“Our world transformed within days,” said Phil Redo, WGBH general manager for radio and local news. “We knew that providing our audiences with the information and analysis they needed to navigate this uncertainty was of critical importance. We also set out to provide a sense of regularity and stability to upended lives, while prioritizing the health and safety of our reporting and broadcast teams.”

Following NPR guidelines for social distancing, reporters now use boom mics and smartphones to interview local sources at a safe distance. For example, WGBH reporter Philip Martin turned to his own neighbors for the recent story, " On Cambridge's Maple Avenue, Neighbors Find That Fear Has Moved In," which captures the sense of anxiety that has spread across Massachusetts communities.

Meanwhile, Morning Edition host Joe Mathieu has dramatically grown the online viewership of his 10-minute Early Edition segment by broadcasting it in a new format: a Zoom call pushed through Facebook Live. Greater Boston and Boston Public Radio have tapped local medical experts and community leaders, including the heads of area hospitals, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and Attorney General Maura Healey, all via call-in and video conference, while Basic Black’s Callie Crossley has used similar tools to unpack the pandemic’s impact on communities of color, and Open Studio’s Jared Bowen has reported on COVID-19’s devastating economic impact on the local arts community. And every Friday evening over Skype and Zoom conversations, Beat the Press analyzes how the media is covering the singular story that has captured the entire world’s attention.

It's all in a day's work for the WGBH newsroom — which, thanks to its nimble staff, will continue to connect the Commonwealth in innovative ways throughout this pandemic.

For more WGBH News coverage of the coronavirus, visit wgbhnews.org/coronavirus.