Celebrate The Holidays With WABE
As we bring 2020 to a merciful end, with no holiday parties or large family gatherings, there’s still plenty of reason to celebrate. Join WABE for a series of special programs to close out December and ring in the New Year. To hear it all, simply tune to 90.1FM, stream us online at WABE.org, or ask your smart speaker to “Play WABE.”
Wednesday, December 23 – 9 p.m.
A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play
Don’t miss the Alliance Theatre’s drive-in production of the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play.” Experience this sound-rich performance while actors retell the beloved holiday story.
Wednesday, December 23 – 10:30 p.m.
The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert
Hear this virtual holiday show as the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates 25 years performing in the Cathedral of St Philip. In these strange and difficult times, creating beautiful art is a challenge but the men of the AGMC have risen to that challenge. The show features beautiful music and hilarious holiday antics that the chorus is known for.
Thursday, December 24 – 10 a.m.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Share in a world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal ‘classical’ music (anthems a cappella and with organ accompaniment, and congregational hymns), presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in King’s College Chapel in Cambridge – an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue.
Thursday, December 24 – 1 p.m.
Tinsel Tales 1: NPR Christmas Favorites
This program features stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas. David Sedaris, Bailey White, John Henry Faulk — these and other NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Thursday, December 24 – 8 p.m.
Tinsel Tales 2: NPR Christmas Favorites
NPR fills millions of homes each holiday with humor, warmth, and a host of festive voices. This special hour is a collection of some of the best and most requested holiday stories, including “Santa Claus: Private Eye,” and “The Night Before Christmas, Latin Style.” Joy, hope and childhood memories overflow as NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Thursday, December 24 – 9 p.m.
A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play
If you missed this radio play on Wednesday, we have a Christmas Eve rebroadcast of the Alliance Theatre’s drive-in production of the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play.” Experience the sound-rich performance while live actors retell the beloved holiday story.
Thursday, December 24 – 10:30 p.m.
Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs
One of the great holiday traditions in America, the choirs of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges — two of the most prestigious historically black institutions in the nation — get together to present a spine-tingling concert program. This encore presentation features the best works of the last several years. It’s a joyous celebration of the schools’ tradition of singing excellence, with their trademark mixture of spirituals and carols. NPR’s Korva Coleman hosts.
Thursday, December 24 – 11 p.m.
Christmas with H. Johnson: A Jazz and Blues Celebration
Legendary WABE music host H. Johnson helps Santa boogie down the chimney with three hours of jazz and blues on Christmas Eve. This special program includes Christmas-themed songs from Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck, Jimmy Smith, Ahmad Jamal, Eartha Kitt, Johnny Mathis, and more.
Friday, December 25 – 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays
Chicago Tribune film critic and renowned film authority Michael Phillips has put together the perfect soundtrack for your holiday celebration. Selections range from beloved standards (White Christmas from Holiday Inn) to the excitingly unexpected (Bernard Herrmann’s sleigh ride accompaniment for Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons).
Friday, December 25 – 1 p.m.
Tinsel Tales 3: NPR Christmas Favorites
Listeners tune to NPR for extraordinary Christmas stories that transport you to unexpected places. Baxter Black ponders the meaning of Christmas for Cows, Bailey White sneaks into her neighbor’s yard in search of an elusive hemlock tree; Julie Zickefoose serenades her neighbors on the coldest night of the year. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Friday, December 25 – 8 p.m.
Tinsel Tales 4: NPR Christmas Favorites
In keeping with a well-loved NPR holiday tradition, hear the fourth collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. NPR’s past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them from our broadcast archives — or you might fall in love with them for the first time. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Friday, December 25 – 11 p.m
The H. Johnson Blues Christmas Special
Celebrate the holidays with four hours of blues, with songs from Mahalia Jackson, Eric Clapton, Dinah Washington, Ramsey Lewis, Sonny Rhodes, James Brown, and more.
Monday, December 28 – 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Safe Space Radio: Profiles in Mental Health and Courage
Courage is the choice to act even when we feel afraid. It gives us the ability to address shame, stigma and silence—and to feel our own strength. This hour-long show is about how accessing our courage supports our mental health and well-being. Safe Space Radio combines compelling storytelling with practical expert guidance to give you the tools you need to find your own courage.
Monday, December 28 – 10 p.m.
A Season’s Griot
A Season’s Griot is public radio’s only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa program. Hosted for 25 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, this annual one-hour special captures the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples. The show’s poet laureate, Beverly Burnette, and other members of the Season’s Griot family return with familiar and favorite elements of Griot.
Tuesday, December 29 – 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Safe Space Radio: From Violence to Voice
The experience of violence is shaped by shame and silence. We’ll hear stories about how silence and shame define the experience of violence for everyone involved: the victim, the perpetrator and the bystander, with a special focus on white bystanders and racist violence. This hour long show is about the power of overcoming shame and silence by telling the truth about violence. Through compelling stories and expert reflection, we explore how speaking out and bearing witness can become part of recovery for both individuals and communities.
Wednesday, December 30 – 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Safe Space Radio: Saying Goodbye
How do we prepare to say goodbye at the end of someone’s life, and how does that goodbye impact our mental health as we grieve? This hour-long show is about the challenges and benefits of saying a good goodbye. Safe Space Radio combines compelling storytelling with practical expert guidance to give you the tools you need to start your own difficult conversations.
Thursday, December 31 – 11 a.m.
Joy To The World – A Holiday in Pink
The internationally acclaimed “little orchestra” Pink Martini bedecks the airwaves with festive holiday songs from across the globe. From timeless classics to rarely heard gems, hear a multi-denominational, multi-cultural jubilee, overflowing with enough holiday spirit to warm your entire family. Hosted by All Things Considered’s Ari Shapiro.
Thursday, December 31 – 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.
A Marketplace Special: “How We Survive: Adapting to Climate Change”
Climate change is here. We hear about it more than ever. And experts say we need to adapt—but what does that actually look like? This one-hour special from Marketplace, led by Molly Wood, explores the role of technology in helping humanity weather the impacts of climate change. The time of complete prevention has passed, and we must turn towards adaptation. In this solutions-based report, Wood and team speak with Bill Gates, among other tech leaders, about the climate crisis and what innovations can help us adapt to an already changing climate, with efforts to curb emissions still years away.
Thursday, December 31 – 9 p.m.
New Year’s Eve Special with H. Johnson
Legendary WABE music host H. Johnson pulls out some of his favorite holiday recordings from past years to bring you an hour of jazz and blues music. It’s a great way to bring 2020 to a close. Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Anita O’Day, Clark Terry, Chet Baker, and many other jazz and blues musicians.
Thursday, December 31 – 11 p.m.
- Johnson’s New Year’s Eve Spectacular Jazz and Blues Celebration
Legendary WABE music host H. Johnson helps you swing into 2021 in style. His “New Year’s Spectacular” includes songs from Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Miles Davis, Lou Rawls, Sonny Stitt, Ray Charles, Art Blakey, Sarah Vaughan, and more.
Friday, January 1 – 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
New Year’s Day from Vienna 2021
The ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti. You’ll hear your favorite waltzes, polkas and more — a great way to start off 2021. Hosted by WBUR’s Lisa Mullins.
Friday, January 1 – 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Kelly Corrigan Wonders — Finding Common Ground with Wanda Holland Greene
Renowned educator Wanda Holland Greene joins host Kelly Corrigan to dig into finding common ground with absolutely anyone, even people we think we hate. They discuss the transformative power of discovering the many things we all share.
Happy holidays from everyone at WABE and Public Broadcasting Atlanta!
