WABE to launch ‘The City Lights Collective’ in July, following Lois Reitzes’ retirement

WABE has announced plans for the replacement for retiring host Lois Reitzes’ City Lights.

Beginning July 7, the new show will be called The City Lights Collective and will be hosted by City Lights producer Kim Drobes, along with Atlanta poet, playwright and author Jon Goode.

Unlike the current format, the new hour-long show will bring in a list of contributors, including ArtsATL Executive Editor Shane Harrison, who previously worked for the AJC. Other contributors include local writer, playwright and ArtsATL Editor-at-Large Kelundra Smith and Rough Draft Atlanta Editor-in-Chief Beth McKibben.

Reitzes announced her retirement in early March.

At the time, Reitzes noted that the show would continue in some form and that the door was open for her to make occasional appearances, which Drobes has confirmed with the announcement of the new format.

“The station’s leadership is fully committed to arts and culture,” Reitzes told ArtsATL when her retirement was announced. “I think it will evolve in another iteration, maybe with more contributors. I have the welcome and encouragement of my team and our leadership to contribute to City Lights whenever I like, so that is pretty exciting.”

“Lois Reitzes set the gold standard for arts coverage in Atlanta — championing creativity, elevating artists and building a community through conversation,” said WABE CMO Sherri Daye Scott. “The City Lights Collective honors that legacy by expanding the dialogue to include more voices, reflecting the collective spirit that has always made Atlanta’s arts scene so dynamic.”