WBHM is happy to announce that it will bring more stories from the heart of Alabama to the national audience of the daily weekday public radio program 1A through 1A Across America, a two-year collaborative effort. Leading up to the 2020 general elections, 1A Across America introduces a fresh model for strong community-based coverage of critical issues.
Supported by a $750,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the 1A Across America project will be spearheaded by WAMU 88.5, Washington’s NPR station and the station that produces 1A. Over the course of two years, WBHM will be an editorial partner to WAMU. WBHM and five other public media stations will work closely with 1A’s production team to source stories, conduct live broadcasts and events, produce collaborative content and elevate local journalism.
“Birmingham is a blue city in a red state. Those strains reflect the larger divide in America, as the partisan political gulf seems to be ever-widening and constructive conversations on so many important issues can be difficult,” said WBHM executive director and general manager Chuck Holmes. “Our staff seeks out those stories to provide context for our listeners. We look forward to joining the collaboration with 1A to tell those important stories to a wider audience.”
1A Host Joshua Johnson
WAMU selected the six partner public media stations including WBHM because of their deep community ties. Additionally, the participating stations represent a geographical and political cross-section of America. Through 1A Across America, the nuanced, diverse issues and concerns of the communities that WBHM covers will be brought to 1A’s 3.63 million weekly listeners on 335 NPR stations.
“To host a truly national conversation, we must leverage our connections to the powerful grassroots network of public media stations around the country,” said Andi McDaniel, senior director of content and news, WAMU. “1A Across America gives 1A the opportunity to uncover critical local conversations, tap into the original journalism taking place at partner public media stations like WBHM, and bring it forth to national audiences.”