Diane Rehm

Diane Rehm ( /ˈriːm/; born Diane Aed on September 21,^[1] 1936) 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.

Personal life

Diane Rehm was born in Washington, D.C. to Wadie Aed and Eugenie Zouekie, ethnic Assyrian/Syriac Christians from Mersin, Turkey. She attended William B. Powell Elementary and Roosevelt High School in Washington, D.C.^[1] Upon graduation, she was employed by the city's highways department, where she became a radio dispatcher.^{[citation needed]} She never attended college.

Diane married John Rehm, her second husband, in 1959. She has two grown children, David and Jennifer.^[2]

In her autobiography, Rehm said she had been molested at the age of nine by a congressman whose identity she has not revealed.^[1]

A voice problem led Rehm to take a hiatus from broadcasting in 1998. She was found to be suffering from spasmodic dysphonia. Rehm sought treatment which allowed her to resume doing her show.

Career

Rehm began her radio career in 1973^[2] as a volunteer for WAMU's The Home Show. In 1979, she took over as the host of WAMU's morning talk show, Kaleidoscope, which was renamed The Diane Rehm Show in 1984.

Rehm has interviewed many political and cultural figures, including John McCain, Barack Obama, Madeleine Albright, and others. She has said that her most touching interview was with Fred Rogers of the PBS program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, conducted just before his death.^[2] Rehm considers her interviews with Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton to be "amazing experiences."^[3]

She has written two autobiographical books. The first, Finding My Voice, dealt with her traditional upbringing in a Christian Arab household, her brief first marriage and divorce, her 50-year marriage to John Rehm, raising her children, the first 20 years of her radio career, and her battles with depression, osteoporosis, and spasmodic dysphonia.^[4] Together with John Rehm she co-wrote Toward Commitment: A Dialogue about Marriage, which was published in 2002.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting report

In 2005, a private study funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting said Rehm booked 22 liberal guests for every 5 conservative guests. The study was criticized as a politicized attempt to, in Rehm's word, "scare" journalists with the accusation of liberal bias. One criticism of the study concerned its criteria of what constituted "liberal" – a category which seemed to include moderate Republicans such as Senator Chuck Hagel and former Representative Bob Barr.^[5] The study was commissioned by Kenneth Tomlinson, whose appointment to the chairmanship of the CPB by George W. Bush had been criticized by liberals as politically motivated. Tomlinson hired Indiana consultant Frederick W. Mann, a conservative thinker previously associated with the Young America Foundation, which has described itself as "the principal outreach organization of the Conservative Movement".^[6] A report on the study by the CPB's Inspector General, Kenneth Konz, criticized Tomlinson's methods; the report led to Tomlinson's immediate resignation in November, 2005.^[7] According to the Washington Post, Diane Rehm herself "called Mann's findings 'unprofessional and simplistic.' [and] added 'I've been booking shows for 25 years. I don't think they have any idea what it takes to achieve the professionalism and expertise and the right people to express a variety of points of view. . . . What [Kenneth Tomlinson]'s doing, I think, is trying to scare public broadcasters.' "^[5]

Honors and awards

A partial list of Rehm's honors and awards:

• 1999 Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine.
• 2000 Fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists, honoring extraordinary contributions to journalism.
• 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.
• 2006 Urbino Press Award
• 2009 Peabody Award (presented in 2010)^[8]
• 2010 Foremother Award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Research Center for Women & Families

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Weeks, Linton (1999, August 23). "Diane Rehm Finds a Voice of Her Own". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/features/daily/rehm0823.htm. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Gatewood, Miranda. "Networking: Whos Whos, Whats What for Business Executives, "The Diane Rehm Show," A WOMAN'S VOICE". Networking Magazine. http://www.networkwomen.com/0904/coverstory/0904_coverstory.html. 
3. ^ Ruben, Barbara (2010, January). "Rehm is the queen of talk radio". The Beacon. 
4. ^ "The Diane Rehm Show: Finding My Voice". WAMU 88.5 FM, American University Radio. http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/diane_rehm/finding_my_voice.php. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Washington Post
6. ^ Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism
7. ^ Washington Post
8. ^ Complete List of Recipients of the 69th Annual Peabody Awards

External links

• The Diane Rehm Show official site
• Diane Rehm at the Internet Movie Database

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Name	Rehm, Diane
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Date of birth	September 21, 1936
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