The Takeaway: FAQ

The Takeaway is a new morning news service — on the radio and online — from WNYC. The program will draw upon the resources of a talented staff of journalists, as well as the authoritative national and international resources of two of the world’s most trusted news sources: The BBC and The New York Times.

The Takeaway will be hosted live by John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji.

The anchor desk will serve as the hub where Hockenberry and Udoji convene critical conversations, take live reports from the field, provide a platform for commentary and analysis, and get listeners involved in the discussion. The vast local, national and international resources of the editorial partners will allow for unprecedented access to local intelligence, authentic voices and a range of perspectives.

Yes. Because WNYC has two frequencies, 93.9 FM and AM 820, we will now be able to provide our listeners with even more news and more choice in the morning. You will still be able to hear all of Morning Edition, or all of The Takeaway — or some of each.

Produced live from WNYC’s studios, The Takeaway draws upon the resources of a global news network. It is a co-production of WNYC and Public Radio International (PRI), in collaboration with journalistic leaders The BBC World Service, The New York Times and WGBH Radio Boston.

Monday, April 28, 2008, The Takeaway will launch on WNYC on the air, online and on demand via podcasts. It will be broadcast initially 6–7 am on 93.9 FM and 8-9 am on AM 820.

The Takeaway will be broadcast live, rather than featuring pre-recorded interviews and long pre-produced features.

It will deliver all the journalistic depth and excellence that WNYC listeners expect, while offering a dynamic and conversational tone.

It will feature two hosts talking together live in the studio, interviewing guests and responding to listeners on-air and online. Listeners will hear the day’s news and cultural stories — as they are happening — with live reports from the field, along with commentary and analysis from a range of contributors around the table and around the world.

It will be as dynamic online as on the air; TheTakeaway.org will expand the possibilities for how live and interactive content can be used in daily broadcast and beyond.

The Takeaway will offer new opportunities for listeners to contribute to the conversation and will allow listeners to interact, respond and take part in the development of editorial content.

The program will include live updates from news hotspots around the globe, featuring journalists from WNYC, the BBC and The New York Times.

Yes. TheTakeaway.org will launch on April 28, 2008 along with the program. You will be able to listen online and on demand via podcasts and join in on the conversation.

With two frequencies, 93.9 FM and AM 820, WNYC has the potential to offer more news and a greater range of choices to listeners. WNYC now has the opportunity to fulfill the full potential of its two frequencies by offering more choices and more innovative programming in morning news.

With two morning shows, WNYC can better serve the needs of our current listeners and members, and bring new listeners to public radio.

The media landscape has experienced fast-paced change, with new options on cable, the internet and mobile technology. Along with the expanded media choices, audiences have developed new habits and preferences for interactivity with their news sources.

Maximizing the digital expertise of each partner, TheTakeaway.org will serve as a virtual public square, allowing listeners to respond immediately to news and participate in editorial decision-making, as well as build a significant online community around the content. The site will feature audio, video, opinion, frequent news updates and will extend the American conversation throughout the day.

The co-hosts of the Takeaway are award-winning journalists John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji.

John Hockenberry returns to public radio — where he was one of the original innovators — after 15 years in television. During his time at ABC and NBC, he earned four Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award and a Casey Medal. Hockenberry has also been recognized for his pioneering online content. He hosts the award-winning public radio series “The DNA Files” and currently sits as a Distinguished Fellow at the prestigious MIT Media Lab. He is a contributing editor for Conde Nast Portfolio and Metropolis magazines and has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, I.D., The Columbia Journalism Review, Details, Wired, and The Washington Post.

Adaora Udoji comes from Court TV, where she served as an anchor and trial correspondent. Previously, she was a correspondent with ABC News and CNN. Udoji covered the last three presidential elections, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Udoji was part of the CNN team that earned a Peabody Award for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and contributed to the tsunami disaster coverage in South Asia that won CNN a DuPont-Columbia University Award. She is a Woodrow Wilson National Fellow and her writing has appeared on cnn.com and essence.com.

The Takeaway is a new national news program for public radio, distributed by Public Radio International. It will launch initially on WNYC, WGBH in Boston and WEAA in Baltimore, with a phased roll-out to public radio stations around the country.

Yes. There will be regular updates of local news and weather on The Takeaway.

Yes. The Takeaway will stream live on wnyc.org during broadcast. You will also be able to navigate to TheTakeaway.org to listen on demand, download podcasts, check out multimedia features and participate in the ongoing conversation.

The scheduling of The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC is unaffected by this new program. The Brian Lehrer Show will continue to be broadcast 10am–12 noon on both 93.9 FM and AM 820.

The BBC World Service will continue to be broadcast 9–10am on both 93.9 FM and AM 820.

The BBC’s partnership with The Takeaway means that the resources of the BBC’s world-wide reporters will also be available to The Takeaway.

Soterios Johnson will continue to be the WNYC host of Morning Edition.

The Takeaway will have its own WNYC host.

The reporters from the WNYC newsroom will continue to deliver reports on Morning Edition and All Things Considered and will also provide New York-based reporting for The Takeaway.

Yes. WNYC’s commitment is to provide important breaking news on both frequencies. National programming on The Takeaway will be interrupted with breaking local news bulletins that may be important to our listeners.