Soterios Johnson is an American radio journalist and the former local host of National Public Radio's Morning Edition on New York City public-radio station WNYC. [1] [2]
A Highland Park, New Jersey native, Johnson graduated from Highland Park High School, where he participated in the school's radio station. [3] He worked at a small FM station in his hometown while earning his undergraduate degree in American history from Columbia University in New York City, granted in 1990. [4] While there he was active at the institution's radio station WKCR-FM (89.9 FM). [2] Subsequently, he received a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. His first name comes from his Greek heritage.
The New York Sun newspaper has claimed: "A steady, soulful tenor of a voice — combined with a first name that is as mellifluous as it is unusual — has won public radio host Soterios Johnson a legion of devoted fans, some of whom have gone so far as to write songs in his honor and name pets after him." [1]
He has reminisced: "As a kid, I always wanted to be in the know... and to spread the word."
In the summer of 2016, Johnson left WNYC to join the University of California, Davis as Director of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Programs. He moved to join his husband, who had been based in California since December 2014.
Influence on music
His name is the inspiration for the name of New York City three-piece band Satirius Johnson. [1]
Jonathan Coulton, a folk-rock artist also based in New York, wrote a song called "Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance", which presents a fictionalized secret life of Johnson as a club-goer. [1]
Awards
- 2006 New York Press Club award
References
- ^ a b c d "Soterios Johnson: 'It's Like He's a Rock Star' - The New York Sun". www.nysun.com. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
- ^ a b "People - Soterios Johnson". www.wnyc.org. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
- ^ "Soterios Johnson" Archived 2016-11-29 at the Wayback Machine, The Highland Park eNews, November 7, 2016. Accessed February 7, 2020. "For nearly two decades, listeners of WYNC would wake up to Soterios Johnson’s voice every day at 6am. Johnson was a radio journalist and local host of NPR’s Morning Edison on WNYC until August 2016. He got his start in radio at Highland Park High School, where he participated in the high school’s radio station after school."
- ^ "Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
External links
- American people of Greek Cypriot descent
- Columbia College (New York) alumni
- Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni
- LGBT people from California
- LGBT people from New Jersey
- LGBT people from New York (state)
- Living people
- NPR personalities
- Highland Park High School (New Jersey) alumni
- People from Highland Park, New Jersey
- University of California, Davis faculty