Longtime New England Public Radio reporter and interim Morning Edition host Carrie Healy has been hired to anchor the morning news program on a full time basis. Heather Brandon also joined the NEPR newsroom in September. She is the station's first Digital News Editor.
"Carrie has excelled in many areas including hosting, reporting, as a board operator and doing a myriad of things at the station over the years," said John Voci, Executive Director of Programming for NEPR. "She's graciously filled-in as Morning Edition host over the past couple of months and I'm thrilled that she will assume the host chair full-time."
Before coming to New England Public Radio, Carrie worked in commercial radio, and public access television. She has been working at NEPR long enough to have fond memories of editing sound on reel-to-reel tape with a razor blade. In 1996 Carrie contributed original research on 18th century holiday revelry in Deerfield, MA, to Stephen Nissenbaum's book The Battle For Christmas. She has filed many popular stories for NEPR over the years, on topics ranging from baseball to agriculture, and has been hosting NEPR's Monday morning segment "The Week Ahead on Beacon Hill" since April.
Heather Brandon comes to NEPR from NPR affiliate WNPR in Hartford, Connecticut, where she worked as Digital Content Manager and Digital Editor, spearheading many of the station's digital initiatives. She also previously produced WNPR talk shows and news broadcasts.
"Heather is a fantastic talent who knows this region well, and thinks critically and creatively about all parts of journalism," said Sam Hudzik, NEPR's News Director. "We are so excited to have her on board."
Before moving to public media, Heather created and authored the Hartford and Springfield blog Urban Compass, which focused on local urban development, politics, and community building. She also co-owned a graphic design and website development business, and founded and edited an all-volunteer youth 'zine. She lives in Hartford with her husband and three children.
NEPR's newsroom covers stories from all corners of the station's broadcast area, and is part of the New England News Collaborative, a regional news collaborative that includes eight public media stations in New England.