A Visit to WABE, Public Broadcasting Atlanta

A week or so ago, on Wednesday 3rd August, my husband and I drove to the PBA radio station in Atlanta. The morning went very well but the evening – not so much. My laptop computer, which I use for my blog and my photos, stopped working. My cell phone stopped working. Our older car would not start and the dishwasher overflowed. A new cell phone is coming in the mail but the other three are still on hold. I did not get close to another computer until now but, there is usually something good to come out of a bad situation. I finished the two little car blankets for my new grandson – one for my daughter’s car and one for my son-in-law’s car – see below (I placed my little luggage lock to give an idea of size.) Click on collages to enlarge and then click on each picture to enlarge again.



I also had extra time to experiment with new vegetable recipes, make new travel plans and, best of all, had more time to read. I read seven books in those ten days – 6 non-fiction and reread one classic fiction which I had read decades ago – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book shows that it cost $1.25 new at the time. After reading it, the first time, we drove to Montgomery in Alabama and visited the apartment where Scott and his wife Zelda lived in the early 30s, but I don’t remember it too well.

Photo courtesy Justin Dubois

The other books I read are: “Sacrés Américains” and “Sacrés Français” by Ted Stanger a Newsweek editor writing in French while working in France, “Paris” by Julian Green, “That Summer in Paris” by Morley Callaghan, “The Flaneur” by Edmund White and “A Literary Paris” edited by Jamie Cox Robertson. I am also well into two more books. After going to Paris in May I am still in a Paris kind of mood.




That Wednesday morning was clear and sunny. We found the WABE radio station easily and left the car at the end of a line of automobiles parked on the paved road of an unfinished, or never started, site of condominiums.

We have been supporters of WABE, our local NPR radio station, for many years and have cups, bags, tee-shirts and various sundries given from them as thank you gifts. Last October during the pledge drive we contributed toward the “Coffee with Lois” visit. Somehow we were omitted from the list of members invited to this coffee event earlier in the year but were invited to come on the 3rd of August. The building looked from the 1950 era and the graveled parking lot was being resurfaced. The entrance was very plain.

We were greeted and then stayed in the lobby a few minutes – our appointment was for 10:30 am.

Kevin Skelly, the Event Manager/On-air fundraising, escorted us to a small conference room where coffee, muffins and fruits were waiting for us. I was surprised that we were the only guests but I guess the others came earlier this year.



A large window occupied one of the walls and the studio could be seen through the glass. I took a picture (you can see the reflection of Kevin on the left and me taking the picture, on the right.)



A cheerful and friendly young lad, Kevin, shown below, gave us some background history of the station. Georgia’s first Public Radio Station 90.1 FM WABE signed on-the-air in September 1948. At first the Atlanta and Fulton County Boards of Education used the station to instruct the county children. The Atlanta Board of Education (ABE) holds the license for the station; hence the station is named WABE. In 1958 the station moved to their present location together with WPBA the companion television station (which is why the building looks like it is in the 50s style – it dates from the 50s – and has not been updated much.) In 1971 WABE became a Charter Member of National Public Radio (NPR.)




Presently Lois Reitzes, the program director and host of Second Cup, the weekday morning show, came into the room.




Here was “the voice” we knew so well. She looked so much younger than I imagined (since her voice sounds like my late mother- in-law.) She gave us a copy of that day’s Play List.




While Johannes Brahms‘ Sonata No. 2 for Violin & Piano played in the background, Lois in her contralto type voice explained how the station worked on the air. She showed us the binder with the program for the day and explained how the air time was divided into segments. The program log for the network is electronic but she also has a hard copy. The overnight music service is provided automatically by the Minnesota Public Radio. WABE broadcasts 24 hours a day and has to pay for the NPR and PRI programs as well as for the other shows presented on the station.

Most listeners like Lois’ soothing voice – it is the way she speaks and not a special “air only” voice – she is very natural. She told us that she started at WABE in 1979 with a 5:30 AM show. In 2006 there was a re-organization with a News Director. Steve Goss, the local host of Morning Edition, came in the room for a minute. I told him I used to listen to him – which did not sound very nice, so I added that since I retired a couple of years ago I do not get up so early. I used to listen to him when he started his show at 5:00 AM. He left the room quickly and I did not get a chance to take his picture, but later I saw one on the wall and snapped it. The picture is not very clear because of the reflection from the lights.




On the wall I saw another familiar name – Valerie Jackson. She is the former First Lady of Atlanta. Her husband Maynard Jackson (1938-2003) was the first African-American mayor of Atlanta. To honor him the name of the Atlanta Airport was changed to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Valerie is the host of “Between the Lines” a weekly program where she interviews notable authors on their latest books. Her picture is below.




Lois Reitzes took us into the studio. I was surprised at how small it was. The corporation where I worked had a studio which was a lot larger.

Lois explained how she reads and follows the colored computer screen to her left and watches the clock so she can switch to a newscast or an announcement at the exact second. At the top of the hour there is usually 5 minutes of local news, 5 minutes of national news plus weather and traffic announcements.

When it was time for her to start the next CD from the Play List, we stood behind her in the studio holding our breath afraid to make a sound.

Kevin took us to the computerized music library which holds thousands of CDs.

Then he showed us two additional studios, both small. One is for interviewing guests

and the other for pre-recorded programs – that one is tiny.

John Weatherford, the general manager, came in briefly to say “hi” and tell us that he likes to greet WABE members as the station relies on our support (and I can tell that they do not spend the members’ contributions in interior decoration…) I read later that John Weatherford has been with WABE for seven years in which time the newsroom has grown from two reporters and two part-time announcers to over 10 full time newsroom employees. The station has added arts coverage with the daily “Cite Café” hosted by John Lemley. John Weatherford’s picture is below.




It was time to say “goodbye.” Kevin accompanied us downstairs. We passed the offices, then we stopped to look at all the pictures of the people who shared their life stories on StoryCorps. Since 2003, over 50,000 people have been interviewed on the national show StoryCorps which is the largest oral history project of its kind. Each conversation is recorded on a CD to share, then it is preserved in the Library of Congress. There is a StoryCorps booth in Atlanta where 1200 stories from the Atlanta community have been recorded and shared since its debut two years ago.

We left the little studio which broadcasts beautiful sounds on the airwaves as well as provides NPR News and other interesting programs. Later on, actually on August 9th, I listened to an NPR program which was thought-provoking. It was about Christian Evangelicals questioning the existence of Adam and Eve. It seems that some conservative scholars are saying publicly that they can no longer believe that we are descending from Adam and Eve. Some say this is a “Galileo Moment” and with the mapping of the human genome and the genetic variation of people today they cannot believe in the Bible Genesis account any longer. Some other theologians did not agree. This was an unusual program to listen to. Below is an old Newsweek issue on Adam and Eve (showing them as Africans since this is from where humankind is supposed to have evolved.)




I am not happily listening to all programs though. For example last Thursday on PRI “The World” the broadcaster was talking about S&P downgrading the US to an AA rating. He then said that 18 countries still had a triple A rating and listed them: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. I noticed that he had not listed France. But a moment later he came back and said something to the effect …and the one that hurts the most….France! France still has an AAA rating! I could not believe this. Why should the USA be hurt that France still has a triple A rating? Why not little Isle of Man for example? I thought this was a racist comment not worth of PRI (Public Radio International.) But then later I read someone commenting on this and saying “I agree that nothing brings American liberals and conservative together like French bashing.” That is sad. But c’est la vie….

Photo courtesy French Embassy

Whether I am stimulated or upset while listening to WABE, NPR and PRI I keep listening as it has some of the most interesting music, news and reporting program on the air.

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Addendum January 2015 - WABE has made a change on their on-air programming.  It has now a totally different format - more local news, more talk, less music.  The classical programming has been cut extensively to hardly any music during the day.  I have enjoyed listening to this radio station for over thirty years and am a member.  But, talk radio is not something that I enjoy - there are many radio stations for this.  WABE had a special niche with great classical music, now it is one more run-of-the-mill news and talk radio station.  I am not renewing my membership.  From reading the reviews on this new format, I believe many members will not renew either.  I think WABE is in the slow process of self-destruction.  It is a terrible loss for Greater Atlanta, and it is very sad.