Fernandes Named Co-Host, WBUR’s ‘Here & Now’
• Award-winning journalist Deepa Fernandes is joining Boston University-owned NPR affiliate WBUR/Boston as the third host of Here & Now, the live midday news program distributed nationwide. Fernandes will make her debut on Monday, October 10 alongside current co-hosts Robin Young and Scott Tong.
Fernandes has extensive experience as a public radio host; over the last two decades her reporting has spanned several continents taking her to more than a half dozen countries. She joins Here & Now from the San Francisco Chronicle where she was an immigration correspondent and senior newsroom advisor on Race and Equity. Prior to that, she was a freelance correspondent for KCET-TV, BBC, PRI, NPR and Marketplace. Fernandes also spent time at Southern California Public Radio, WBAI/New York, the Pacifica Network News in New York City. She’s also worked with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Public Radio International.
“After a rewarding year at the San Francisco Chronicle, I’m looking forward to bringing my diverse background and passion for audio storytelling to the Here & Now team,” said Fernandes. “Public radio is the most easily accessed daily news source for audiences across the country, and I believe we can continue to reach new listeners and enrich the public conversation by including voices, stories and news from communities often excluded.”
Victor Hernandez, WBUR’s Chief Content Officer, commented, “Deepa’s zeal and commitment for not only telling compelling and deeply reported stories — but to support improving access and diversity in journalism — is directly aligned with our mission at WBUR and NPR. Her global-local perspective and experience are going to add tremendous value to our strong team at Here & Now.”
• Here & Now began at WBUR in 1997, and expanded to two hours in partnership with NPR in 2013. Today, the show reaches 4.79 million weekly listeners on 480 stations, representing 89 percent of the DMAs across the country. Here & Now airs weekdays from noon-2pm ET with live updates until 4pm ET. [Photo courtesy of WBUR]
