PULLMAN– Diane Rehm, host of National Public Radio’s “The Diane Rehm Show,” will speak at Whitman College’s Cordiner Hall in Walla Walla at 7:30 p.m. on April 18.
Her presentation, entitled “A Conversation with Diane Rehm,” is sponsored by Northwest Public Radio, the public radio service of Washington State University.
Tickets for the event are $10 and will be available from TicketsWest beginning at 10 a.m. on March 5. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketswest.com or by phone at (800) 325-SEAT. They may also be purchased in person at TicketsWest outlets. A list of these outlets is available at the TicketsWest Web site.
Originating from NPR’s affiliate station WAMU in Washington, D.C., Rehm’s radio program is heard by 1.6 million listeners each week on more than 100 public radio stations across the country. Her guests include many of the nation’s top newsmakers, journalists and authors. Recent guests include former president Bill Clinton, General Tommy Franks, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Julie Andrews, and Toni Morrison. “Newsweek” magazine has called the program one of the most interesting talk shows in the country and “The National Journal” has described Rehm as “the class act of the talk radio world.”
A native of Washington D.C. who began her radio career in 1973 as an assistant producer for talk shows at WAMU, Rehm became host and producer of two health-oriented programs and in 1979, was selected to host WAMU’s local morning talk show, “Kaleidoscope,” which subsequently was renamed “The Diane Rehm Show” in 1984.
She also has forged a successful career as a writer, publishing two autobiographical books. Together with her husband John, she co-authored “Toward Commitment: A Dialogue about Marriage,” a book focusing on the art of building and maintaining a strong relationship. In her book“Finding My Voice,” the radio host talks about her childhood, marriage, broadcast career and vocal difficulties.
In 1998, Rehm was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological condition that causes strained, difficult speech. After finding treatment, she wrote several articles and produced a program about the little-known disorder. The National Council on Communicative Disorders recognized her work with a Communication Award, and the Maryland Speech-Hearing-Language
Association honored her with a Media Award. ABC’s “Nightline” host Ted Koppel devoted an entire program to a conversation with Rehm about her disorder.
In 1999, Rehm was named a “Washingtonian of the Year” by “Washingtonian” magazine. She was named a Paul H. Nitze Senior Fellow at St. Mary’s College, and was inducted into the Class of 2004 Hall of Fame by the Washington, D.C., Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She was also honored as a fellow by the Society of Professional Journalists,
the highest honor the society bestows on a journalist.
In 2006, she became the inaugural recipient of the Urbino Press Award, headquartered in Urbino, Italy, which recognized her “long and prestigious career in journalism and…special focus on the problems of human frailty.”
Also in 2006, “Washingtonian” named her one of Washington D.C.’s “100 Most Powerful Women.”
Additional sponsors of Rehm’s appearance are Detour Farm Publishing, Debora Zalaznik, CPA, Whitman College, the Walla Walla Community College Foundation, Banner Bank, the Walla Walla Union Bulletin and the Blue Mountain Community Foundation.
Her program is heard on all six stations of Northwest Public Radio’s “NPR News” service (KWWS, 89.7FM, Walla Walla/Tri-Cities; KWSU, 1250AM, Pullman/Moscow; KLWS, 91.5FM, Moses Lake; KQWS, 90.1FM, Omak; KMWS, 90.1FM, Mount Vernon; and KNWY-HD, 90.3, Yakima).
