In the wake of National Public Radio's cancellation of the long-running current-events show Talk of the Nation, WRIR 97.3 FM looked at the hole in its broadcast day and ultimately decided to revamp its entire weekday afternoon schedule, discontinuing its broadcasts of all NPR shows.
"NPR programming, while excellent, is well represented in Richmond," says Josh Bearman, WRIR's national news manager, especially after WCVE 88.9 FM was joined on the local airwaves by Radio IQ 92.5 FM in 2010.
WRIR's new schedule, which went into effect on July 1, includes a mix of national programming, such as Here's the Thing, an interview show hosted by actor Alec Baldwin; local shows such as RVA Report, a weekly program spotlighting Richmond politics and culture; and Virginia Public Radio's Virginia Conversations, hosted by former Virginia Currents host May-Lily Lee.
"We try to bring ideas and sounds that people haven't heard before — on any Richmond station or anywhere else," Bearman says. For a complete rundown of the station's new schedule, visit wrir.org.
