The World (radio program)

For the Australian news program, see The World (news program).

The World is a public radio international news magazine co-produced by the WGBH Educational Foundation and the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and co-hosted by Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler. The show is produced from the Nan and Bill Harris Studios at the WGBH building in Boston, Massachusetts.

The World

Genre	International news
Running time	One hour
Country of origin	United States
Home station	WGBH
Syndicates	Public Radio Exchange
Hosted by	Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler
Created by	Public Radio International
Directed by	April Peavey
Produced by	Dan Lothian
Recording studio	Boston, Massachusetts
Original release	January 1, 1996[1] – present
Website	theworld.org

History

In 1997, The World began producing a segment entitled "Global Hit", highlighting musicians and musical trends in the global news context.^[2]

Lisa Mullins hosted The World from 1998 to 2013. Since 2010, Werman has stepped in for Mullins as host. Beginning in 2013, he has served as the show's full-time host.^[3]

On April 14, 2020, the BBC announced it would end its production partnership on The World effectively July 1; the announcement caused WAMU in Washington, D.C. to move the show back to its 8 p.m. timeslot.^[4] The last episode of Boston Calling aired on June 27.^[5]

In July 2022, Werman began producing The World from the University of California, San Diego to help develop the university's Democracy Lab.^[6] As of June 2023, he broadcasts two days a week from the Department of Communication Social Sciences Research building.^[7]

On December 5th, 2023, it was announced that The World reporter Carolyn Beeler would join Werman as the program's co-host. Beeler joined The World as a reporter in 2015. At the time of her becoming co-host, she oversaw the show's environmental coverage. ^[8]

Production

The Nan and Bill Harris Studios in Boston

The World is produced from the Nan and Bill Harris Studios at the WGBH building in Boston, Massachusetts.^[9] The show airs on over 300 public radio stations and has 2.5 million weekly listeners.^[4] Additionally, portions of The World aired in the United Kingdom as Boston Calling until 2020 and in whole in Canada through CBC Radio One.^[5][10]

The theme music of The World was produced by Eric Goldberg, who received the gig in 1995. In February 2015, the theme was redone to introduce a more contemporary sound with Marco Werman's new role.^[1] The current theme was written by Ned Porter.^[11]

A new theme song was commissioned in 2019.

Awards and recognition

Several series covered on The World have received awards. In 2006, the four-part series "The Global Race for Stem Cell Therapies" won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and a National Journalism Award in 2006. That same year, "The Forgotten Plague: Malaria" received a Public Communications Award from the American Society for Microbiology and "Hiroshima's Survivors: The Last Generation" was recognized by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.^[12]

See also

• Institute for Nonprofit News (member)