D.C. broadcast legend Diane Rehm to leave WAMU on May 2
Diane Rehm, the longtime WAMU radio broadcaster, will be the first to tell you that “retirement” isn’t in her vocabulary. But, Rehm, 88, states The Washington Post, does know when to step away. At a luncheon for WAMU donors, Rehm announced that she would be leaving D.C.’s public radio station after accepting a buyout offer. May 2, she told the gathering, would be her last day.
According to The Post, for 45 years, “Rehm has been a fixture in D.C.’s soundscape, chatting up newsmakers of all stripes — famous artists, writers, diplomats and, of course, U.S. presidents.
“Rehm started her radio career at WAMU in 1973 as a volunteer producer before becoming the host of the weekday arts program “Kaleidoscope,” which was aimed at homemakers, in 1979. She relaunched it five years later as the “The Diane Rehm Show,” tackling a broader and more ambitious range of topics.
“A few years later, she was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a disorder causing spasms of the vocal cords. The condition, which is responsible for her distinctive, strained speech, could have doomed her career. Instead, the petite woman with a fragile voice persisted and became a Peabody Award-winning powerhouse of radio, drawing nearly 3 million listeners every week.”
“I don’t see myself sitting at home with my dog, my husband, my needlepoint, all of which I happen to love,” Rehm told The Post. “I know I’ll be active in something.”
More here.
