Diane Rehm
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Diane Rehm (born 1936 in Washington, D.C.) is an American public radio talk show host. Her program, The Diane Rehm Show is distributed nationally and internationally by National Public Radio. It is produced at WAMU, which is licensed to American University in Washington, D.C. It is also available online and via Sirius satellite radio.
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[edit] Personal life
Rehm was born to a Turkish father [1], and an Egyptian mother and raised Arab Christian. [2], She attended William B. Powell Elementary and Roosevelt High School in Washington, D.C. [1] In her autobiography, Rehm recounted one particularly startling story from her childhood, involving an unnamed politician in Washington who molested her in a motel room. To date she has refused to identify who this person was. [1] Upon graduation she was employed by the city's highways department, where she took a liking to working as a radio dispatcher.
Rehm married John Rehm, her second husband, in 1959 and they remain married. She has two grown children, David and Jennifer. [2]
Trouble with her voice forced Rehm to take a hiatus from vocal broadcasting in 1998. Rehm was later diagnosed with Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD). [1]
[edit] Career
Rehm started in radio in 1973 [2] as a volunteer for WAMU's The Home Show. In 1979, she took over as host of WAMU's morning talk show, Kaleidoscope, which was renamed The Diane Rehm Show in 1984.
In the course of the show's current incarnation, Rehm has interviewed high-profile political and cultural figures including Bill Clinton, John McCain, Madeleine Albright, Sandra Day O'Connor, Ralph Nader, Arlo Guthrie, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Maurice Sendak and Maya Angelou. Of all of her interviews, Rehm has said that her most touching interview was that with Fred Rogers of the PBS program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood done just prior to Rogers' death. [2]
She has written two autobiographical books. The first, Finding My Voice, published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, dealt with her traditional upbringing in a Christian Arab household, her brief first marriage and divorce, her 42 year marriage to John Rehm, the raising of her children, and the first 20 years of her radio career, including her battles with depression, osteoporosis, and SD.[3] With her second husband, she later co-wrote a book, Toward Commitment: A Dialogue about Marriage, published by Knopf in 2002. This latter book discusses the skills needed to create and maintain a strong, long-lived marriage.
[edit] Honors and awards
A partial list of Rehm's honors and awards:
- 2003 Calvary Women's Services Hope award. Honoring her volunteer and professional work for women in need.
- 2003 Montgomery County Chapter of the National Organization for Women's Susan B. Anthony Award. Honoring her advocacy of women's right in the community.
- 2002 & 2000 Women in Communications. Honoring excellence in communications.
- 2000 Fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists Honoring extraordinary contributions to the journalism.
- 1999 Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine.
[edit] See also
- The Diane Rehm Show
- WAMU at American University
- National Public Radio
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Weeks, Linton. "Diane Rehm Finds a Voice of Her Own", The Washington Post, 1999, August 23.
- ^ a b c d Gatewood, Miranda. Networking: Whos Whos, Whats What for Business Executives, "The Diane Rehm Show," A WOMAN'S VOICE. Networking Magazine.
- ^ "The Diane Rehm Show: Finding My Voice". WAMU 88.5 FM, American University Radio.
