Our new talk show, "On Track," debuts next Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. The 30-minute show three nights a week will cover many topics. LPM News host Bill Burton spoke with Ayisha Jaffer, the host of the show, to learn more about it.
Bill Burton: We are thrilled to be able to announce that we've got a new talk show that is starting this Monday. It's called "On Track," and you can listen Monday through Wednesday night at 6 p.m. here on 89.3 WFPL. It's going to be hosted by Ayisha Jaffer, and she joins me to talk about the show. Good morning, Ayisha.
Ayisha Jaffer: Good morning, Bill.
BB: Everybody here at Louisville Public Media is really excited about this show. So tell us a little bit about it. What can we expect?
AJ: Well, it's a hyper local show, so amplifying our local community, finding out what matters to you, and, you know, investigating it or talking about it, whether it's public service, civic engagement, or something really cool happening right here in your own backyard.
BB: And it's not just you, of course, you are the host of the show, but you've got a lot of people helping you.
AJ: Oh my gosh, we have one of the coolest teams I think I've ever worked with, a very diverse team, all walks of life. Laura Ellis, she is our supervisor. She's overseeing everything that we're doing. Alex Biscardi, our technical director, Jacob Munoz, who is our associate producer and our senior producer, that would be Michelle Tyrene Johnson. I love this team so much. Not only are they fun, but they have all kinds of perspectives and they're bringing that all to the table, which is just great because we need all of those perspectives to really authentically serve our community.
BB: The show debuts this upcoming Monday. Can you give us a preview of week one?
AJ: One of the shows I'm excited about is National Make a Friend Day is coming up in that week, and we're going to talk about the loneliness epidemic and how to make a friend. We have, we're getting into downtown Louisville and it's revitalization. We're talking about the state of Louisville. There's a lot of public service, civic engagement, and then like I said, really fun things, but things that really matter to us. Like I've thought about that myself like since the pandemic, how to make a friend. You know, social anxiety, all the things that come with that.
BB: It isn't easy.
AJ: No, it really isn't, and especially as we get older, but really at any age level. So kind of these things that you might be curious about, that could be helpful.
BB: And what is it that drew you to wanting to host a talk show?
AJ: So I found that I've lived many lives. I, you know, radio host, of course, but park ranger. I worked in film, I worked in music, just all over the place, and I sat down once, actually I broke my leg and I couldn't move and I was like, I need to figure out like what, what I really want to do. And I found that my passion is living like every perspective and I felt that radio is the perfect place to sort of visit all these different perspectives and lives and amplify those stories. It's a great place to really be an observer of life. And so that's what drew me to hosting this show.
BB: We will get to learn a little bit about you just listening to "On Track," but tell us a little bit about Ayisha Jaffer away from the mic.
AJ: Oh, well, I'm, I'm the type of person who will talk to strangers.
BB: Inquisitive mind, that's good.
AJ: So you might have met me already. I just like, I really do like trying all the weird and wonderful things. So I've, I've learned about a lot of things that are Louisville specific, but I'm also a super outdoors person. As a former park ranger, I love to go hiking and, kayaking any river. I have a dog named Yukon that I absolutely adore, but I'm just interested in music shows, culture, anything that is curious and different, I want to be there and be a part of it.
BB: "On Track" debuts Monday night at 6. You'll hear the show every Monday through Wednesday on 89.3 WFPL. You can also download the podcast version at lpm.org. Ayisha, I am so excited about this new show. I cannot wait to hear it. Good luck with it and thanks for your time.
AJ: Thanks for having me.
This transcript was edited for clarity.
