Gina Kaufmann, a veteran broadcaster and former co-host of The Walt Bodine Show on KCUR, will return to the station as host of the 10 a.m. weekday program, Central Standard.
Earlier this year, KCUR announced the merger of Central Standard and their weekly newsmagazine, KC Currents.
In a release Thursday, KCUR said Kaufmann and the combined teams will move forward with the station's plan to create a new program that combines news reporting with real-time public engagement via phone and social media. Kaufmann will begin hosting Central Standard the week of March 31, although the new format will not debut until late spring or early summer.
“I have been really impressed by the team working on this show. It is an exceptionally dynamic, visionary, and energetic group of people,” Kaufmann said in the release. “Everyone contributing to the new 10 o'clock hour has a unique relationship with Kansas City, and one of my driving goals as host is to create a lively platform where each of those distinct voices can be heard."
In addition to broadcasting, Kaufmann is also the curator of a popular local live storytelling event, and is the author of More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Nineteenth Century Kansas Women. She graduated from Columbia University and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.
