Press contact: Jennifer Houlihan / WNYC Associate Director, Publicity (212) 669-7748 / jhoulihan@wnyc.org

(March 25, 2008, New York and Minneapolis) – WNYC Radio and Public Radio International (PRI) today announced that The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji, a new morning drive time news program for public radio, will launch on Monday, April 28.

The program will debut on WNYC in New York, WGBH in Boston, WEAA in Baltimore, and on www.TheTakeaway.org, and will launch on WCAI on Cape Cod and the Islands on May 12. It will roll out in other markets throughout the spring and summer.

Designed to expand and enrich the American dialogue on key local, national and global issues, The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH. Liberty Mutual is the exclusive corporate broadcast sponsor of The Takeaway, as part of its Responsibility Project, which is a catalyst for examining the decisions that confront people trying to “do the right thing.”

The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji is creating a new model for morning news and public broadcasting in the 21st century. The show will be rooted in the values public radio is best known for – highly credible journalism, depth and context – but will break out from the medium’s conventionally packaged sound.

Instead the show will be live, delivering national and international news and cultural stories through a conversational and unprecedented personality-driven format. The anchor’s chair will serve as the hub or “the watercooler,” where Hockenberry and Udoji convene critical conversations, take live reports from the field, provide a platform for commentary and analysis, and where listeners get involved in the discussion. The vast newsgathering resources of the editorial partners and contributors will allow for deep access to local intelligence, authentic voices, and a range of perspectives.

Maximizing the digital expertise of each collaborator, 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 extend the American conversation throughout the day.

In New York, The Takeaway with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji will air in two separate live feeds: from 6-7am on WNYC 93.9 FM and from 8-9am on AM 820. Morning Edition will remain available on WNYC 93.9 FM from 5-6am and 7-9am, and on AM 820 from 6-8am.

In Boston the show will air on WGBH 89.7 from 6-7am. Broadcast details for WEAA-Baltimore will be announced at a later date. Additionally, the program will launch on Cape Cod and the Islands beginning May 12 from 6-7am on WCAI 90.1, 91.1 and 94.3.

Listeners can currently hear Hockenberry and Udoji guest hosting several times a week on “Backstory,” NYTimes.com’s popular audio podcast, a daily conversation with Times reporters about the stories they are covering.

Public Radio International leads media by producing, acquiring and distributing innovative content that enables U.S. audiences to "hear a different voice," bringing new voices, global journalism and cultural perspectives to the public airwaves. Through partnerships with BBC World Service and station-based and independent producers, the Minneapolis-based network provides over 400 hours of programming each week, content that is broadcast and streamed online by 827 PRI affiliates nationwide, whose radio broadcasts reach over 29 million listeners each week. Podcasts of PRI programs consistently rank in the top U.S. 100. For more information on PRI and its programs and services, visit www.pri.org .

WNYC Radio is New York's premier public radio station, comprising WNYC 93.9 FM and WNYC AM 820. As America's most listened-to public radio stations, reaching more than one million listeners every week, WNYC FM and AM extend New York City's cultural riches to the entire country and air the best national offerings from affiliate networks National Public Radio®, Public Radio International® and American Public Media®. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a wide range of daily news, talk, cultural and classical music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting. For more information, visit www.wnyc.org .

BBC World Service is an international radio and online broadcaster delivering programs and services in 33 languages. It uses multiple platforms to reach 183 million listeners globally. It has around 2,000 partner radio stations which take BBC content more than 400 of whom are in the USA, and numerous partnerships supplying content to mobile phones. Its international online sites, which include audio and visual content and offer users opportunities to interact directly with world events, receive over 630 million page impressions, attracting around 40 million unique users a month. Listen to BBC World Service on bbcworldservice.com . To find out more about the BBC’s English language offer and subscribe to free e-newsletter, Email Network, visit bbcworldservice.com/schedules.

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2007 revenues of $3.2 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

WGBH Radio engages listeners worldwide through a rich array of on-air, high-definition and online radio services. In addition to co-producing PRI’s The World, WGBH Radio offers listeners a diverse selection of musical, cultural and public affairs programming, including a 24-hour all-classical HD radio channel as well as streaming audio heard by Web surfers around the globe. WGBH Radio Boston broadcasts on WGBH 89.7, Boston's NPR® arts and culture station; WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station; All-Classical WGBH HD2; and a variety of on-demand streams and podcasts. Visit WGBH radio on the Web at www.wgbh.org.