For the first time since I started producing for 91制片厂鈥檚 flagship public affairs show, the 鈥淪ound of Ideas,鈥� which was almost eight years ago, the show is without a permanent host. Earlier this month, Rick Jackson, who filled the host chair for the last three years, retired after working more than 20 years at Ideastream and more than 40 years in journalism.
The last time the position was open was when Mike McIntyre, the host before Rick, started more than a decade ago. Mike still hosts the Friday 鈥淩eporter鈥檚 Roundtable.鈥�
The open position presents an exciting opportunity to bring new voices to the table from both inside and outside Ideastream.
We鈥檙e lucky to have an amazing in-house roster of talent who have stepped in as guest host over the last few weeks, including our reporters Anna Huntsman, who covers the Akron/Canton region, and Gabriel Kramer, who focuses on underserved communities, as well as our 鈥淢orning Edition鈥� host Amy Eddings.
We have also tapped editors to fill in, such as Marlene Harris-Taylor, our director of engaged journalism, who also hosts our 鈥淟iving for We鈥� podcast, about Black women鈥檚 experiences in Cleveland. And we were fortunate to have Ken Schneck, editor of The Buckeye Flame and frequent guest on the Reporter's Roundtable, guest host for a few days last week.
But while this group of guest hosts bring so much to the show 鈥� with their own ideas for show topics and different lived experiences 鈥� they also have day jobs. So we knew we needed a longer-term solution as we begin the process of finding a permanent host.
For the next six weeks, you鈥檒l hear a familiar voice return to the mic 鈥� Jenny Hamel, who was a former education reporter at Ideastream. She also filled in for a few weeks in the fall while Rick was on medical leave. As we like to say, this summer, it鈥檚 鈥淗amel time.鈥� Any MC Hammer fans out there?
We hope to post the open 鈥淪ound of Ideas鈥� host/producer position in the coming weeks. We鈥檙e looking for someone who is curious and has a passion for issues that impact Northeast Ohioans.
We see the host position as an extension of our listeners 鈥� whether it鈥檚 asking important questions to civic leaders and experts and holding them accountable, or sharing stories of community members who don鈥檛 always have their voice heard.
We see the show as a gathering place for stakeholders and the community to discuss issues, and as a public service to disseminate important information to those who need it.
We鈥檙e excited to start the search. If you know of a great candidate, let us know by sending an email to soi@ideastream.org.
"The Cut" is featured in 91制片厂's weekly newsletter, The Frequency Week in Review. To get The Frequency Week in Review, The Daily Frequency or any of our newsletters, sign up on Ideastream's newsletter subscription page.
