Lakeshore Public Radio’s “Regionally Speaking,” an hour-long local news talk show that aired weekdays at 11 a.m., is moving to a weekly Friday broadcast.

“Regionally Speaking has been a bellwether for Northwest Indiana, through the years. While it’s hard to transition away from a mainstay on our airwaves, the regular in-depth conversations will continue, both online and on the airwaves on ‘Morning Edition’ and ‘All Things Considered,’” Lakeshore Public Media’s Vice President of Radio, Tom Maloney said.

“Regionally Speaking” has been a platform to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, economic and environmental issues, human rights, mental health, and more. Guests included local business leaders, elected officials, an array of community advocates and more. The program has addressed important local issues affecting residents of Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland by airing conversations with these local news-makers. These conversations will continue as local stories develop and will be published on LakeshorePublicRadio.org/show/regionally-speaking, which is available at no cost to visitors, as well on Facebook.com/LakeshorePublicRadio.

Lakeshore Public Radio has been searching for a host for Regionally Speaking since May, 2022. Maloney along with producer Dee Dotson have occupied the co-host position while the station searched for a permanent host. The station plans to continue that search and ultimately return to a daily local news program on air.

“It’s really important to discuss complicated topics over a long, thought provoking conversation in a neutral environment. We aren’t scared to tackle tough subjects and open that up to the community, you know, primarily to give a voice to folks and topics that aren’t often covered in-depth in the media,” Dotson said. “This work is not going to stop, so stay tuned.”

Filling the weekday timeslot of 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Lakeshore Public Radio will be “Here and Now,” a live NPR production that reflects the fluid world of news. “Here and Now” is co-hosted by award-winning journalists Robin Young and Scott Tong. The show includes interviews with NPR reporters, leading newsmakers, innovators and artists from around the world.

“I’m excited to hear what’s next, not only on Fridays with Regionally Speaking, but each day on Lakeshore Public Radio. ‘Here and Now’ will move into the time slot Monday through Thursday, and that’s a program our listeners are familiar with,” Maloney said. “The news won’t stop, and neither will we.”

Robin Young brings more than 25 years of broadcast experience to the show. Young is a Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker that has reported for NBC, CBS, and ABC television. Young is also known for her several years as a substitute host and correspondent for “The Today Show.” Her co-host, Scott Tong, has spent 16 years at Marketplace as a Shanghai bureau chief and senior correspondent. Tong has notably reported from countries such as Venezuela, Ethiopia, Burma, Japan and more.

Lakeshore Public Media has been a public broadcasting entity based in Northwest Indiana for nearly 35 years. Lakeshore Public Media operates both Lakeshore PBS and Lakeshore Public Radio. Lakeshore Public Radio can be heard on 89.1 FM and streaming online at lakeshorepublicradio.org or via numerous streaming apps like Spotify, TuneIn Radio and iTunes.

More information including full program schedules can be found at LakeshorePublicRadio.org.