WBEZ revamps lineup; shifts Mary Dixon to new show, ends “Reset”
Moves come after loss of federal funding
Despite the loss of federal funding, Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ is shaking up its schedule and is adding more local programming to its weekday lineup.
Beginning Sept. 15, WBEZ debuts In The Loop With Sasha-Ann Simons, a Chicago-focused talk show discussing the headlines of the day (and there will be a few that will be discussed in the next couple of days) with local voices and experts, airing from 9-10 a.m. Simons previously hosted the midday news show Reset, which is ending its run and being replaced by 1A, moving from 10 a.m. to the noon-1 p.m. time slot. The show will continue to be hosted by Jenn White.
Taking 1A’s place the 10 a.m. hour is Say More With Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, pairing the morning news anchor with former WBEZ public safety editor Patrick Smith to host a call-in show, inviting Chicagoans to share their thoughts on anything from politics to pop culture to neighborhood issues. With Dixon co-hosting Say More, Clare Lane takes over as the new Morning Edition news anchor starting Wednesday. Dixon has been news anchor for Morning Edition since 2020, moving over from WXRT in a similar role.
“WBEZ has always been the place Chicago turns for trusted news and great conversation,” said WBEZ executive producer Dan Tucker in a press release. “With this new morning lineup, we’re making mornings more dynamic and more locally connected. These shows give listeners the chance to hear fresh perspectives, share their own voices and feel like part of the daily rhythm of the city. For us, mornings are not just about headlines, they are about community, and that is what WBEZ is here to deliver.”
The local news expansion comes despite the Trump Administration pulling millions of federal funding from NPR and PBS stations, which forced the closure of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. Conservatives have long accused public media outlets of liberal media bias, including in Chicago with WBEZ. The station was accused of pandering too much to progressives as WBEZ executives pulled the terrestrial radio plug on Vocalo, a station that catered to Black audiences. With the loss of revenue, some smaller and rural public broadcasting stations are in danger of closing.
The move is also a reversal of actions taken last year, when station officials reduced local programming on terrestrial WBEZ to an hour a day and shifted more of its local programming exclusively to digital platforms.
In the last Nielsen PPM ratings survey, WBEZ ranked thirteenth overall, but five years ago, the station topped the market in the 25-54 demo as the pandemic took hold.