PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Live Wire Radio is getting intimate as distribution grows. Two years after host Luke Burbank took the helm and one year after getting picked up for distribution by Public Radio International, the Portland-based entertainment upstart is moving to a new, smaller venue in 2016 and shifting to weekly live show recordings.
Moving the show, an engaging hour of cultural commentary, musical performances, comedy and interviews with artists, writers and celebrities, to the intimate, 175-seat Mississippi Studios brings radio listeners closer to the action and gives live audiences even greater access to such high-caliber guests as Janeane Garofalo, Sherman Alexie, Cheryl Strayed and Neko Case. Similar formats have helped propel hit shows such as Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me (on which Live Wire host Burbank frequently serves as a panelist) and This American Life.
“Mississippi Studios is such a great space for us to make a radio show,” said Burbank. “The acoustics are incredible, and our live audience will be so close to the stage they’ll be able to count our guests' nose hairs. Please don’t though, it makes them uncomfortable.”
Live Wire’s reputation for attracting cultural notables over the past decade has established the show as a national player in the competitive landscape of public radio and podcasts. In the past year alone, its listenership has doubled to 100,000 per show via 69 radio stations from coast to coast and its podcast listenership has increased 60 percent.
Live Wire wraps the current 2015 season at Revolution Hall with the recording of its 300th episode on December 5 with special guest John Hodgman and the season finale December 19. The new 2016 season kicks off February 17 through June 1 with weekly 90-minute show recordings at Mississippi Studios every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at www.livewireradio.org.
“Our emphasis is on making the best, most authentic radio show, highlighting Luke’s strengths as an interviewer and personality, while giving live audiences the thrill of an intimate experience with amazing talent,” said founder and executive producer Robyn Tenenbaum.
About Live Wire
With a dozen years in production, Live Wire is radio variety for cultural omnivores: music from up-and-coming bands, original comedy, performance and scintillating interviews with writers, filmmakers, comedians and people who think cool thoughts. Hosted by Luke Burbank (Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me, Too Beautiful to Live), the show is taped in front of a live audience and aired on public radio stations around the country and available for download on iTunes. www.livewireradio.org.
