The WNET Group, parent company of Long Island’s only NPR Station WLIW-FM, and The Express News Group announced the launch of Behind the Headlines, a new one-hour, weekly public radio program featuring conversations about the local and regional news of the week. Behind the Headlines premieres on Saturday, January 16, at 10 a.m. on 88.3 WLIW-FM and wliw.org/radio. The program will encore on Sundays at 10 a.m. Episodes will also be available to stream on-demand at wliw.org/radio. Check the schedule for encore broadcasts.

Providing analysis of the latest local and regional and cultural issues, Behind the Headlines is  hosted by Express News Group editors Bill Sutton and Joseph P. Shaw. To  bring listeners a diversity of perspectives, voices and views, each  week Sutton and Shaw will host a rotating panel of esteemed guest  journalists and colleagues, from a robust collection of East End, Long  Island, and regional news and public affairs outlets. Confirmed  participating organizations include The Times-Review News Group, The  East End Beacon, Newsday, The East Hampton Star and Riverhead Local.  Other reporters from the Express News Group and WLIW-FM will also  participate in the roundtable rotation.

“We have actively been seeking ways to expand our local news coverage  and are pleased to partner with The Express News Group to make that  vision a reality,” said Long Island native and resident Diane Masciale,  Vice President & General Manager of WLIW21 and 88.3 WLIW-FM and  Executive Producer of local productions at WLIW. “We have a shared  mission to educate, inform and empower our local community through  quality media content.  With Behind the Headlines,  listeners can expect more coverage of the issues and topics that are  important to the diverse East End community of Long Island.”

“We’re excited to partner with WLIW and reach an entirely different  audience with our news reporting, and even our lifestyle coverage from  time to time,” Express News Group Co-Publisher Gavin Menu said. “The  East End of Long Island is blessed with some of the best community news  outlets in the entire country, and bringing reporters and editors from  across the region together to discuss important and timely issues will  be of great value to the listeners of WLIW and beyond as the program is  shared across different platforms.”

“We’ve always enjoyed the panel conversations on the radio station  with our colleagues, and we’re excited to keep it going forward in a  new, more formal presentation,” said Joseph Shaw, Executive Editor of  the Express News Group. “The camaraderie among South Fork journalists is  remarkable — even as we compete against each other, we really do  support and respect one another. It will be an honor to bring so many  perspectives together on a weekly basis.”