Oak Park resident leads new WBEZ program

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Steve Edwards, of Oak Park, will host "The Afternoon Shift" on WBEZ.

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:19AM

WBEZ will launch two new programs on its public radio station 91.5 FM the week of Feb. 13.

“The Afternoon Shift with Steve Edwards” is a live talk show featuring in-depth interviews and conversations with newsmakers, artists, writers and innovators, to air from 2 to 4 p.m. weekdays.

“Vocalo on WBEZ” is a mix of featured content from Vocalo (WBEZ’s sister station), with host Jesse Menendez, to air from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturdays.

The two syndicated programs which currently air between 2 and 4 p.m. weekday afternoons will gain new time slots. Beginning Feb. 13, “Fresh Air” will air at 11 a.m. (with repeats at 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday) and “All Things Considered” will air at 4 p.m., immediately following the “Afternoon Shift.“ A complete program schedule can be found at www.wbez.org starting next week.

Hosted by veteran WBEZ talent Steve Edwards, “The Afternoon Shift” will feature a series of expert contributors from WBEZ (and beyond) in lively, thoughtful dialogue with newsmakers of the day. In addition to news, “The Afternoon Shift” will delve deeply into arts and culture, media, technology, science, human behavior and the workplace. Music and social media will also figure prominently.

“We’ll aim to unpack the important news of the day — what it means, what’s the context — but also examine the fascinating trends, ideas and questions in our lives today,” Edwards said in a press release.

“The goal is to create a conversation that builds on the very best traditions of public media — depth, context, curiosity, intelligence, fairness and humanity — but to do so in a way that more directly involves our community and leverages the many tools and platforms in WBEZ’s digital media,” he said.

“Vocalo on WBEZ” will be a two-hour “mix tape” of music, stories and conversation from Vocalo which broadcasts on 89.5FM (and vocalo.org online). “Vocalo on WBEZ” will showcase the station’s youthful ensemble of personalities, including Brian Babylon and Molly Adams of “Morning AMp”; Luis Perez and Shantell Jamison of “The Overdrive”; and, of course, host Jesse Menendez of “The Music Vox.” Popular segments, such as “The Barbershop Show,” hosted by the Chicago Reporter’s Kimbriell Kelly and WBEZ’s Richard Steele live from Carter’s Barber Shop in North Lawndale, are certain to be a part of the mix.

Steve Edwards most recently served as the Content Development Director at Chicago Public Media, overseeing new digital content innovations, and prior to that, as Acting Program Director of WBEZ. From 1999 until 2007, Edwards served as host of “Eight Forty-Eight,” which was named Best Public Affairs Show by Chicago Magazine and Best Morning Radio Show by New City. In addition, the weekly edition of the show was voted the best of its kind by public radio stations nationwide. Edwards’ reports and interviews have been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, the RTNDA, the Associated Press, UPI, and the Public Radio News Directors, Inc. Edwards is also the recipient of the Grand Award from the National Headliner Club and a 2007-2008 Knight-Wallace fellowship for mid-career journalists at the University of Michigan. A native of the Kansas City area, Edwards resides in Oak Park with his wife and sons.

Jesse Menendez, a Chicago native, has appeared in various commercials, films and plays, in addition to working as a TV reporter and producer for WYCC and WOCK-Azteca America. Menendez, who started at Vocalo as an intern in 2008, is currently the host of the station’s “The MusicVox” (weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and “Live from Studio 10” (Wednesdays, 8 to 9 p.m.).