On Point is a two-hour call-in radio show produced by WBUR-FM in Boston and syndicated by National Public Radio. The show addresses a wide range of issues from news, politics, arts and culture, health, technology, environmental, and business topics, to many others. It is distributed to over 290 public radio stations across the United States by NPR. On Point averages more than two million podcast downloads a month. The show was originally created by Graham Griffith, and first broadcast on September 17, 2001, to provide special coverage in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The show's popularity led to it becoming a standalone program, first broadcasting under the On Point name on 4 February 2002.
Tom Ashbrook
was the long-running host from 2002 to 2017. Prior to that he was a foreign editor at Boston Globe. Ashbrook hosted most weeks during his time with the show, but went on medical leave in November 2007, to undergo heart bypass surgery. He resumed full-time broadcasting January 2, when he discussed his medical journey in a show with his doctors and nurses. On November 5, 2014, Ashbrook announced a period of personal leave to care for his wife, Danielle, who had been suffering from cancer. She died the next day, November 6, 2014, at age 60. After nearly two months away, Ashbrook returned to On Point on January 2, 2015. Ashbrook was put on leave from On Pointat the beginning of December of 2017, when a group of current and former WBUR employees alleged he created a "toxic and emotionally unsafe work environment" for staff through bullying and publicly humiliating colleagues. Specific allegations filed by initially 11 staffers included "Tirades directed at young women in the studio, name-calling, belittling critiques of show ideas during meetings, 'creepy' sex talk, inappropriate touching, hugs and back or neck rubs after a dressing down.". Ashbrook denies the allegations. In 2018 the program commenced being hosted by fill-in hosts including Ray Suarez and Jane Clayson. On February 14, 2018, WBUR announced they had dismissed Ashbrook as a result of the complaints of the work environment. On July 25, 2018, WBUR's Meghna Chakrabarti and David Folkenflik were announced as the new hosts of the program starting August 20. Chakrabarti will host Mondays through Thursdays while Folkenflik will host Fridays and remain as NPR's media correspondent.
On Point is broadcast live from Boston, Massachusetts on WBUR FM from 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET, occupying the former time slot of The Connection, and repeated from 7 to 9 p.m. Most frequently, each two-hour broadcast is divided into two separate hour-long standalone segments, with the first hour tending to be more serious and news driven, and the second often focusing on an entertainment figure or cultural phenomenon. The host interviews guests who are experts on topics being discussed, and listeners are invited to call in discuss their thoughts. The first hour segment of Friday's show almost always consists of an analysis of the previous week's news headlines. The Friday news analysis segments usually feature senior editor of The Atlantic Monthly and historian Jack Beatty as a news analyst, as well as, typically, two or three other guest commentators. Jane Clayson, former CBS morning anchor and correspondent, is commonly the show's fill-in host; NPR's Jacki Lyden, John Harwood, Anthony Brooks, Jessica Yellin, James Hattori, and Ray Suarez have also hosted. It is led by senior producer Karen Shiffman and directed by Eileen Imada. The On Pointtheme music, "Everything Is Alright", comes from the Four Tet album Pause.
