For over a decade, I’ve enjoyed convening on-air conversations on the region’s biggest issues every weekday afternoon.

Starting next year, my team and I are about to do much more of that –only, we’ll be doing it without our 1 to 2 p.m. hour, which focuses on national and international issues.

The show’s dual personality came at a time when the second hour was distributed around the country. That ended some years ago and now we want to launch a new approach to local news. The new one-hour Kojo Nnamdi Show will allow me and my production team to focus on what we do best: convening discussion on critical regional issues.

We’ll also be able to focus on four new goals:

• Applying proportionally greater resources to the hour-long broadcast and making it a stronger show;
• Working more closely with WAMU’s regional newsroom to define coverage of the Washington region and increase its impact;
• Increasing Kojo In Your Community events to at least 10 throughout the region in 2016;
• And devoting more time to develop our digital content and grow our digital audience.

Beginning Monday, January 25, The Kojo Nnamdi Show will air from noon-1 p.m. The “Politics Hour” with political analyst Tom Sherwood will continue as always at noon on Fridays.

For the 1 p.m. hour, WAMU is carefully considering options to air a national show that will enhance the station’s schedule from 1-2 p.m. Stay tuned for updates on that front.

Lastly, it’s my name on the show but the fact is, what we do every day belongs to all of you: our listeners who listen, call, write and attend our events.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you as the new Kojo Nnamdi Show evolves in 2016! Send us your comments, and tell us how we can better serve you, at feedback@wamu.org.