The World’s first executive producer Neil Curry, left, at a planning meeting before the show’s launch. With him are Traci Tong, Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, Marco Werman, Phillip Martin and Boris Maksimov.
EDITOR'S NOTE: PRI's The World celebrates its 20th year on the air on Friday. Here's how the daily radio show began.
The Daily Planet? Yes, that was one of the names bandied about before "The World" hit air.
There were so many decisions, big and small, in the lead up to the show going live. First off, the world — the actual planet we inhabit — was a very different place 20 years ago. (This was around the time the first clamshell mobile phone hit the market, the OJ Simpson verdict was bigger news than just about anything else and Osama Bin Laden was far from the front page when he issued a fatwa calling for war against American occupiers.)
The idea of a radio show devoted to global affairs felt almost revolutionary. Would listeners go for it? What about all the accents and foreign languages? How would we break down time zones, borders, cultures and practices, and bring stories home? And what exactly would we call this thing?
Sometimes simplicity is best. On Jan. 1, 1996, “The World” premiered on a handful of US public radio stations. We were a proud creation of Public Radio International and a vibrant collaboration with the BBC World Service, broadcasting out of our newly created home at WGBH in Boston.
And yes, we were a frazzled bunch, running on adrenaline after months of test-runs, and crossing our fingers and toes that our dream would fly.
You can hear it all in our first broadcast — the rhythms of a very different world, and a very different “World.” We had two teams, one in Boston and one in London, manning the collective helm. We had two hosts.
Our lead story that day was the peace deal in the Balkans. Our newscaster from London came with a North American accent — for some reason we thought that would help make the foreign familiar. But through it shines something constant.
Our road ahead would be full of so many changes — our alumni pool is amazing — but from that initial broadcast, right up to this multimedia age, I don’t think we ever lost the urge to connect, to act as the bridge between people and places and those wanting to know, and to discover.
To our joy and amazement, listeners, too, have not just remained constant, but have mushroomed in number. Our radio audience has grown to some 300 stations in North America, plus podcasts and a thriving website. Millions more listen to our weekend compilation, Boston Calling, on the BBC World Service.
So this is really the 20th anniversary of not just our show, but our bond with fans of what we do. It’s an anniversary that crept up on all of us. Really, so soon?
Above all, this moment requires heartfelt thanks from all of us here at “The World” to all of you.
It’s an honor. And stick around — I promise we’re just getting started.
Andrew Sussman is executive producer of PRI's The World.
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