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New Program's Host Wants To Create A 'Safe Place' For Difficult Topics

Gabe Bullard/WAMU

This January, WNIJ will introduce a new program called 1A, hosted by Joshua Johnson. This live, call-in talk show will air weekdays after Morning Edition.

Johnson says the program will take "an unflinching look at America," addressing race, gender, class and other issues that divide people.

But he says it will provide a safe place to do so. For Johnson, frank discussion of difficult topics requires a forum where all views are respected.

"There are plenty of people who feel they can't talk to one another," Johnson says, "who feel there's no way to come out of their corners without being met by their neighbor's clenched fists and sharp elbows."

Johnson hails most recently from San Francisco, where he hosted a program called Truth Be Told, which addressed racial divisions. Johnson says that program had a particular point of view but strove to build bridges. "If I have a bias," he says, "it's a bias toward understanding -- toward letting people be heard."

Johnson realizes that could lead to raised voices. "That moment when the argument devolves back into shouting," he says, "that's usually when I say,`Whoa, he's not done yet, let him finish.' That, hopefully, is the bias that will come across in the show: assuming that most people are as good, decent and worthy as I am, and deserve a chance to be heard."

And what does 1A mean?

Johnson says it has two meanings, starting with the First Amendment. This part of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, a free press, free exercise of religion, the right to assemble peacefully, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.

The second meaning is borrowed from the newspaper industry. "I used to work in public radio in Miami in a partnership with the Miami Herald, which calls its front page 1A."

Johnson takes the newspaper metaphor a step further by describing the topics he'd like to feature. "The stories 'above the fold' that everyone's talking about, and everyone really needs to have a good understanding of," he says, "and the stories 'below the fold' that may be more buzz-worthy but people aren't talking about as deeply as they could. Those are the stories you'll hear on my program."

1219JOSHUA.MP3
Dan Klefstad asks Joshua Johnson about the "flinch-worthy" topics he'll address on 1A (Dec. 19, 2016).

1A will be produced at WAMU, the same station that produced The Diane Rehm Show, and distributed by NPR. Diane Rehm retires this month after more than 40 years on the air.

Johnson is a long-time fan of Rehm's, saying she taught him what a public radio talk show should sound like. In recent months he came full-circle, using those lessons as a guest host for Rehm. He adds that they have a lot in common. "We both have a strong devotion to civil discourse," he says, "we have a deep curiosity about the world, and we have a very strong allergy to double talk."

If you're a regular listener to The Diane Rehm Show, there's a good chance you're worried about the fate of a certain weekly feature -- one you hope Johnson will preserve. Here's your answer:

"The Friday News Roundup is safe," he says, noting it was the most popular feature of the week. He adds that his team will "spruce it up a little" but stresses 1A will "build up" on The Diane Rehm Show's legacy, not "build over it."

In the audio link at top of this article, Johnson describes his love of podcasts and how that medium might influence 1A. In the link below, Johnson invites you -- and other WNIJ listeners -- to take an active role in this new program.

JoshuaToListeners.mp3
Joshua Johnson's message to WNIJ listeners.

1A debuts on WNIJ -- and NPR stations nationwide -- Monday, Jan. 2. It will fill the same time slot as the The Diane Rehm Show, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on 89.5 FM and WNIJ.org.

Good morning, Early Riser! Since 1997 I've been waking WNIJ listeners with the latest news, weather, and program information with the goal of seamlessly weaving this content into NPR's Morning Edition.