BOSTON (February 11, 2022) – Waking up Boston’s morning news scene, GBH News will debut a reimagined Morning Edition with co-hosts Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel on Monday, February 14. Additionally, GBH News’ Karen Marshall has been elevated to the role of Executive Producer.
NPR’s Morning Edition is the most listened-to radio program in the country, delivering in-depth reporting about stories that break overnight and set the agenda for the day. As the GBH hosts of this national broadcast on 89.7 FM, Alston and Siegel will bring audiences into the center of these stories, adding local context and depth. Morning Edition airs on weekdays from 5am – 10am on the radio and streams online at gbhnews.org, via smart speakers and on the GBH News app.
“Our audiences have told us that mornings matter most when it comes to news. This is when people seek out the information they need to get them going and set the tone for the day ahead,” said Pam Johnston, general manager of news at GBH. “Paris and Jeremy have the intelligence, energy and authenticity we need to start our mornings right. I know local audiences will relate to their informative and dynamic style.”
The two new co-hosts will bring a contemporary vibe and new offerings to the reimagined Morning Edition show. In addition to the national updates from NPR, the program will focus on the news and conversation that local listeners want and need. Paris and Jeremy also will draw upon diverse personalities and perspectives for audiences.
The show will introduce new segments such as “What’s on Tap,” a look at what’s coming each day; “Spill the T,” a look at transportation in Massachusetts through conversations with commuters, and regular features from Edgar B. Herwick III, host of GBH's The Curiosity Desk.
The show also will bring new voices to the program including regular debriefs with Arts Reporter James Bennett and continue the regular check-ins with legal scholar Daniel Medwed, Statehouse Reporter Mike Deehan and GBH’s Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen.
Beyond the broadcast, Paris and Jeremy will engage with audiences throughout the day on social media with and with a new weekly newsletter, The Wake Up. The audience is encouraged to pitch their own ideas and stories through a submission form on the GBH News website.
The new Morning Edition show is one element of GBH News’ broad multiplatform effort to reinvent local news by putting audiences at the center of the journalism. As part of an ongoing commitment to being present in the local community, GBH News journalists are spending time with community groups across Massachusetts to listen and learn about the local issues that people care about most. GBH News also maintains bureaus in Worcester, Dorchester and at the State House and will be increasing its presence at GBH’s Boston Public Library studio in the coming weeks.
The evolution of GBH News comes along with substantial audience and staff growth, bucking the national trend of newsroom decline. In 2021, audiences grew across all platforms—digital, radio, TV and social. Black household viewers are up 230 percent for Greater Boston, 280 percent for Talking Politics and 58 percent for Basic Black. Over the past three years, GBH has added 16 new positions to its news staff. Since September, GBH News has filled 14 open roles, including its first-ever Executive Editor Lee Hill, and the outlet is currently seeking an Assignment Editor. Most recent new hires come with extensive experience in multimedia journalism reflecting the outlet’s commitment to being a digital-first newsroom. Newsroom diversity is also increasing; 40 percent of recent GBH News hires identify as BIPOC or LGBTQ+.
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About GBH News
GBH News is among the fastest-growing local news providers in Greater Boston and draws on the talent of a multiplatform newsroom that includes GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; television; and digital reporting. The GBH newsroom continues to invest in substantive local coverage and has established dedicated desks for higher education, politics, innovation and investigations as well as unique partnerships to expand on that commitment, including with WNYC’s The Takeaway, The World from PRX and The GroundTruth Project. GBH News partners with CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station; and New England Public Media in western Massachusetts to connect the Commonwealth with trusted journalism. GBH News maintains bureaus at the Massachusetts State House; Dorchester, Boston’s largest neighborhood; and Worcester. The Forum Network, part of GBH News, collects thousands of video and audio lectures from the world's foremost scholars, authors, artists, scientists, policymakers and community leaders and makes them available online to the public for free.
