Dear Listeners,

We are excited to share details about WBEZ’s new midday program, Reset with Jenn White, a new live, locally produced talk show that will air weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting Oct. 14.

Reset with Jenn White will be a new addition to the public conversation on WBEZ, providing a fresh opportunity for listeners to discuss and unpack the biggest stories and issues in Chicago and beyond, right in the heart of the day. It’s also a new opportunity to check in on the news during the middle of the day to understand what’s happened since you left home in the morning and to find out where the news and big conversations are going next.

The new show will feature our very own Jenn White as host, building on her outstanding ability to thoughtfully engage a diverse array of news makers, innovators and cultural creators in discussions on the most important topics and issues of the day. Among the guests who are scheduled to appear on the first week of the show include former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power; historian and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch; poet Saeed Jones; and A Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin.

In addition, Reset with Jenn White will feature an array of new and familiar regular contributors covering a broad array of topics, from arts to politics to the environment. It will capture the momentum and energy of Chicagoland, its diverse communities, and its many national and global intersections.

As we shared in May, to enable us to produce and debut Reset with Jenn White, we will be ending production of The Morning Shift and Worldview. Their final shows will air this Friday, Oct. 4, at 9 a.m. and noon, respectively.

Worldview host Jerome McDonnell will take on a new role later this fall, bolstering WBEZ’s coverage of energy, climate change and the environment. His passion for, and knowledge of, those topics will add tremendous value to our coverage and will shed critical insight on what is arguably the most important local-global issue of our time. In addition to being a regular contributor to Reset, Jerome’s reporting and interviews will be heard across our day-parts and platforms.

We are excited to bring you these new additions to WBEZ as we expand our efforts to connect Chicagoans to each other and to the wider world with timely updates, and the depth and context necessary to make sense of it all.

A new WBEZ weekday program schedule coming Oct. 14

As part of the launch of Reset with Jenn White, we are adjusting our weekday program schedule, notably adding BBC Newshour at 9 a.m. to continue coverage of international news and perspectives. Fresh Air will shift to 1 p.m. Monday-Thursday and repeat at 8 p.m. You can view the complete new weekday schedule here but the highlights of the new midday line up are as follows:

9 a.m. – BBC Newshour (starting Oct. 7)

10 a.m. – 1A with Joshua Johnson

11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Reset with Jenn White

1 p.m. – Fresh Air with Terry Gross (Monday-Thursday. Science Friday will air Fridays at 1 p.m.)

2 p.m. – Here and Now

We understand that programming changes take some getting used to, but in all cases, our goal is to improve, increase and extend our public service. We’re grateful for your continued support, and we look forward to continuing to serve you with the most incisive reporting and conversations around.

Mark your calendars for the debut of Reset with Jenn White on Monday, Oct. 14 and let us know what you think in the days to come by sharing your thoughts at programming@wbez.org.

With best regards,

Steve Edwards

Chief Content Officer, WBEZ