Longtime co-host of ‘The Walt Bodine Show’ to return to 10 a.m. slot
Gina Kaufmann, a veteran broadcaster who co-hosted “The Walt Bodine show’ on KCUR Public Media from 2008 to 2010, is returning to the station – and the 10 a.m. time slot – as the new host of “Central Standard.”
Kaufmann and the production team have been given a mandate by the station to create a totally new program that will combine news reporting on local issues and people, with real-time public engagement via phone and social media, incorporating elements of the old “Central Standard” and the former KCUR program “KC Currents.”
Kaufmann will begin hosting the 10 o’clock hour the week of March 31, although the new format will not debut until late spring or early summer.
Kaufmann said the show will feature live, in-studio conversations with newsmakers and personalities from Kansas City and beyond. Meanwhile, “KC Currents”-style features will take listeners outside the studio for voices and stories that come straight from our communities, adding dimension and diversity to the talk show format.
“I have been really impressed by the team working on this show. It is an exceptionally dynamic, visionary and energetic group of people,” Kaufmann said. “Everyone contributing to the new 10 o’clock hour has a unique relationship with Kansas City, and one of my driving goals as host is to create a lively platform where each of those distinct voices can be heard. I expect that the fresh, creative energy that emerges from genuine collaboration will surface as a defining characteristic of the show. The authenticity of our contributing voices will be felt and appreciated by our listeners. My voice will tie it all together, but this won’t be a solo act.
“My time working with Walt, day-in and day-out, was my broadcasting education,” Kaufmann added. “The new show will have its own identity, but if listeners hear Walt’s influence on my style and my philosophy, I will take that as a huge compliment.”
In addition to her radio experience, Kaufmann also brings an added perspective as an award-winning storyteller. Since 2003, she has organized a local live storytelling series, gathering characters and stories around provocative themes for live audiences. The series won the Pitch Mastermind Award for literary arts in 2011. Kaufmann is also the author of More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Nineteenth Century Kansas Women (Globe-Pequot Press, January 2012).
“I love live radio, and I love searching for unexpected stories hidden in nooks and crannies throughout Kansas City,” Kaufmann said. “The longer I spend searching for stories in Kansas City, the more inspired I am by how many stories this city has to share. This is an incredible opportunity to bring these two loves together.”
Kaufmann is a Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude graduate of Columbia University; and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.