Veteran broadcaster Mitch Wertlieb will become the new host of Vermont This Week, according to Vermont Public, ending the station’s nearly year-long search for a moderator.
Since longtime host Stewart Ledbetter stepped down last May after nearly 17 years, the weekly television show has relied on a rotation of guest hosts, including Wertlieb, to helm the program.
Wertlieb’s first show in his new role is expected to be Friday, May 10 at 7 p.m.
“If it’s possible to be thrilled, inspired, and nervous all at once, I’ve hit the trifecta in finding out that I’ll be taking on the role of host of Vermont This Week,” Wertlieb, a longtime local host of NPR’s Morning Edition, said in a written statement.
Vermont This Week is a news roundtable featuring a panel of journalists — often from VTDigger — to discuss the news of the week on Friday evenings.
Wertlieb will be the program’s fourth host since its debut in 1982 on Vermont Public Television. All four have been men.
“We’re glad to have Mitch in a strong slate of female hosts across Vermont Public’s programming,” said vice president for content Angela Evancie in an emailed response to questions.
Evancie wrote that Wertlieb was chosen after “a competitive internal search,” which involved a review of the programs that each candidate had guest-hosted.
Last summer, Wertlieb ended a 20-year run behind the microphone at Morning Edition to become host and producer of Vermont Public’s daily news podcast, The Frequency, which he plans to continue to host.
And although Vermont This Week will remain a weekly roundtable featuring reporters from the state’s press corps, Evancie indicated that the show might evolve.
“We’re in the early stages of conceptualizing potential changes to the program, either within its existing format or featured in an expanded version of the show,” she wrote.
Vermont This Week airs weekly on Vermont Public’s main radio station at 7 p.m. and on its main television channel at 7:30 p.m. The show is also available via video on demand and podcast.
Disclosure: VTDigger has partnered with Vermont Public to share a reporter.
