Former NPR Host Ray Suarez Named Anchor for America Abroad Media's Foreign Affairs Public Radio Program

Former NPR Host Ray Suarez Named Anchor for America Abroad Media's Foreign Affairs Public Radio Program

Suarez Joins Correspondents Marvin Kalb, Steve Roberts, Garrick Utley and Margaret Warner at America Abroad Media to Provide In-Depth Analysis and Coverage of U.S. Foreign Policy

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Former NPR host and veteran Washington journalist Ray Suarez has been named anchor of America Abroad, a leading foreign affairs public radio program, it was announced today by America Abroad Media's founder and president Aaron Lobel. Suarez will provide public radio listeners in the United States and abroad with in-depth, one-hour international affairs programming that focuses on the key issues facing the United States and the world. America Abroad is distributed in the U.S. by Public Radio International (PRI) and internationally by National Public Radio Worldwide.

"America Abroad is a great program for public radio because it helps elevate the public discussion by providing unique depth and thoughtfulness about provocative issues in America's foreign policy and international affairs," says Suarez. "The program will help listeners become better informed about the most important issues facing America in its engagement with the world."

Suarez has more than 25 years of experience in the news business. Since 1999, he has been a senior correspondent for PBS' "The NewsHour," responsible for conducting newsmaker interviews, studio discussion and debates, reporting from the field and serving as a backup anchor. Prior to joining "The NewsHour," Suarez spent six years as host of NPR's "Talk of the Nation." He has also worked at CNN, ABC Radio Network, CBS Radio, WMAQ-TV/Chicago, and various American and British news services.

"Ray Suarez is a great journalist who always brings to the table an in- depth knowledge of the issues at hand, the curiosity to learn more, and a real public radio sensibility," said Aaron Lobel, President of America Abroad Media. "He has tremendous credibility among public radio listeners and we are delighted to welcome him to America Abroad."

Suarez's work in journalism has won numerous awards including the 1996 Ruben Salazar Award, Current History Magazine's 1995 Global Awareness Award, and a Chicago Emmy Award. He also shared in NPR's 1993-94 and 1994-95 duPont- Columbia Silver Baton Awards for on-site coverage of the first all-race elections in South Africa and the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, respectively. He holds a B.A. in African History from New York University and an M.A. in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, where he studied urban affairs.

As anchor of America Abroad, Suarez will host the upcoming program Evangelicals and the New Global Mission, which will address the increasing involvement of America's evangelicals on global human rights issues such as religious freedom, human trafficking and aid for Africa, and the influence of evangelicals on the Bush Administration's foreign policy. The program will begin airing on public radio stations nationwide on October 25th (check local listings at http://www.americaabroadmedia.org/). Other recent America Abroad radio programs include: Running on Empty: America's Energy Security; The Neoconservatives and America's Foreign Policy; Battling for Hearts and Minds: America's Public Diplomacy; The U.S. and China: Bush's Next Test; Pakistan: America's Unstable Ally; Intelligence Failure: From Pearl Harbor to 9/11 and Iraq; and Globalization and the World's Poor.

Funding for America Abroad Media is provided by the Ford Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, The Economist, the Draper Richards Foundation, The Starr Foundation, the United States Institute of Peace, and the Arthur B. Schultz Foundation, as well as private sources.

America Abroad Media is a non-partisan, independent media organization dedicated to informing and educating the American people about international affairs and facilitating cross-cultural discussion about international issues and America's role in the world. Founded in 2001, America Abroad Media productions include: America Abroad, an international affairs public radio program distributed in the United States by Public Radio International (PRI) and internationally by National Public Radio (NPR) Worldwide; AAM Television which brings together students from America and around the world with senior policymakers and experts to discuss important issues in international affairs; and AAM YouthSPAN, a global videoconferencing project that facilitates thoughtful discussion and direct interaction between U.S. students and their counterparts around the world.

More information about America Abroad Media can be found at http://www.americaabroadmedia.org/.

Source: America Abroad Media

CONTACT: Kelly Keane, +1-410-321-0137, kkeane@goodmanmedia.com, for America Abroad Media

Web site: http://www.americaabroadmedia.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: To set up interviews with Ray Suarez to discuss his new role at America Abroad Media and, or his upcoming program on Evangelicals and their Influence on U.S. Foreign Policy, please call Kelly Keane at (410) 321-0137.

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