KUNR’s Michele Ravera, who’s hosted Morning Edition since February, is staying at the station and is returning to her midday shift, which includes producing programs like “On the Shelf” with the Washoe County Library.
Garber comes to Reno after a career that took him to hosting jobs at Chicago’s WBEZ and New York City’s WNYC, as well as many smaller stations across New York and North Carolina.
He’s also worked as an actor and is a certified teacher of English as a second language. He answered a few questions about his career in public radio and why he decided to make the move out West.
You’ve worked in public radio for many years. What attracted you to the profession, and what motivates you to continue this work?
I have been a fan of non-commercial radio and television for as long as I can remember. Discovering the unique nature and perspectives of our programming was my first attraction. Always an eager consumer of news. I became increasingly disillusioned with the lackluster coverage offered by commercial broadcast entities. Curious by nature and always eager to learn, public radio was the clear choice for my strong need to get to the truth of important matters, and to hear stories about people, places, and things that are new to me.
After a long stint working in commercial broadcasting, I reluctantly began a career in public radio, and I am so grateful that I did!
What kind of stories are you looking forward to covering and sharing with our audience?
I am most passionate about bringing perspectives to listeners that might otherwise be ignored ... those that serve to help us all acknowledge and shed our prejudices. The more we learn from one another, especially from those whose lives, circumstances, experiences, and viewpoints differ from our own, the greater the chance we'll gain a better understanding of the things we share in common. Could there be any nobler endeavor than to become more enlightened; to strive to grasp varying human struggles and accomplishments in a quest for peace?
This is your first time living in Nevada — what are your initial impressions of our fair city?
I am so delighted and surprisingly impressed after merely scratching the surface of this place, still so strange to me. I love adventure and am so eager to find the many layers of this place and its people!
