GBH News is getting a brand new morning vibe! Starting on Monday, Feb. 14 Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel join us as co-hosts of our new morning experience on GBH's Morning Edition. We caught up with the duo to learn more about them ahead of their big debut. Here are seven reasons to wake up with our new hosts:
They're the same age, but come from different places. Paris and Jeremy are both 27 years old, but took different paths to Boston. Paris is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina and calls it "a place where everyone called everybody 'y'all.' I loved it." Growing up with her parents and two older brothers, Paris was also a Girl Scout for 12 years, earning a Gold Award, the organization's highest honor. "I sold many, many boxes of cookies," she said. "Thin Mints are my favorites." She came to Boston after college to work at GBH, taking producer roles at GBH and other NPR stations and becoming a local host of NPR's Consider This podcast. She lives in Dorchester and says, "I'm a Bostonian now." Jeremy lives in the North End with his wife, but grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. "I spent a lot of my childhood doing gymnastics, and then moved to California for college," he said. After stints at KQED and Politico, he came to GBH. "I worked there, then here ... so I've spent a lot of time flying over where I grew up," he added.
Watch: Behind the scenes with Paris & Jeremy:
They were both jocks growing up. Paris played basketball, volleyball and ran track, and Jeremy was a competitive gymnast, competing in several Junior Olympic Nationals Competitions — something he says prepared him for life in live radio. "It's dangerous," he said. "Every time I was in the air flipping over the bar, or flipping off the rings, I was thinking, 'I could die doing this.' The silver lining is that it makes a lot of other stuff a little less scary — like, say, talking to thousands of people live on the air. So, being behind a mic is nothing."
They're looking for your Boston tips, especially when it comes to restaurants and local history. "I am most looking forward to eating at every restaurant I can. I live in the North End where there is no shortage of amazing restaurants — and I want to eat at them all," Jeremy said. Paris says she's looking to learn even more about Boston's long and rich history: "Every time people come to visit I can show them all these things about the beginning of America, which is really fascinating."
They are both firmly #TeamLobsterRoll. When asked whether they'd go for a North Shore roast beef sandwich or a lobster roll ... they both went for the lobster roll. Hands down.
...But they're split on the right approach to snow days. Where would we be most likely to find Jeremy during a snowstorm? "At home!" he said. "With my milk, eggs, and bread. Making plenty of French toast." He added that he's game for the winter weather, even when the French Toast Alert System is rating a storm at five slices. "You'll find me outside. Or at least trying to get outside. I want to play. I'm a big-time sledder."
They have different approaches to risk. "I fill up my car's tank when the light is on," Paris said. "Then I fill it all the way, and then it's another week, week and a half before we are living on the edge again." That's not the way for Jeremy, though: "My car has one of those things that tells you how many miles are left in the tank ... but I don't even trust it."
...But they have the same passion for local news. "Offering reliable local news is more important now than ever," Jeremy said. "Everybody's getting a constant feed all day every day of the wacky stuff happening in Washington, D.C., and people aren't hearing enough about what's happening at home." Paris agreed. "It's important because it helps [our audiences] care about the communities they live in and it helps them know that there are really important things happening right in their backyard that they can connect to, be inspired by, and question."
Get to know Paris and Jeremy on GBH's Morning Edition each weekday from 5 to 10 a.m. on 89.7FM,
online at GBH News or on the
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