Press Release: 1/9/2026
GBH News to Launch New Multiplatform Show in February
For Immediate Release
Media Contact
Emily Balk
GBH External Communications
The Curiosity Desk will air on GBH 89.7 weekdays at 1 p.m. after two hours of Boston Public Radio
BOSTON, Mass. — (Jan. 8, 2025) — GBH News today announced it will launch a new, one-hour multiplatform live radio program with host Edgar B. Herwick III on February 2nd. The show, called The Curiosity Desk, will air weekdays on GBH 89.7, from 1 to 2 p.m. While The Curiosity Desk is locally based, it will cover topics of interest nationwide.
After 26 years of doing live radio together, two, three, sometimes even four hours a day, Margery Eagan and Jim Braude asked GBH to return Boston Public Radio to its original format as a two-hour program starting February 2nd. It will be the same high-energy, topical news and conversation, concentrated to air 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday, with live broadcasts at the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The hosts both wanted time to pursue other interests and to make room for new talent at the station.
The Curiosity Desk will feature the hallmark insightful, and often surprising, explorations audiences have come to expect from Herwick's work on the digital series of the same name. The show is a blend of interviews on topics related to current events, signature segments, and closer looks at everyday mysteries.
“As part of our ongoing multiplatform growth strategy, we are building on The Curiosity Desk’s digital popularity, so that audiences can enjoy the content on the radio, in person, and even as segments on our other news programs,” said Dan Lothian, Editor-in-Chief and General Manager of Local News for GBH.
Herwick, an award-winning host and reporter who has been with GBH since 2006, will still appear on The Culture Show. The Culture Show, led by host Jared Bowen, will continue to round out GBH 89.7’s midday lineup with its essential coverage of art, media, and culture in the region in its regular weekday time slot from 2 to 3 p.m. and live at the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library on Wednesdays and Fridays.
"It’s an honor to launch this new iteration of The Curiosity Desk – and what a dream spot, between Boston Public Radio and The Culture Show,” said Herwick. “I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to shed light on a wide variety of stories.”
In the coming months, The Curiosity Desk will join Boston Public Radio and The Culture Show in broadcasting from the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, engaging audiences in person.
About GBH
GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. GBH is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and Arthur and Molly of Denali and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH’s television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services GBH WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station, and as a partner to NEPM in Springfield. Dedicated to making media accessible to and representative of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to audience members who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. With PBS LearningMedia, GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide. GBH’s local programming includes Boston Public Radio, GBH News Rooted, Stories from the Stage, The Culture Show, and High School Quiz Show. GBH has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.