Her voice is instantly recognizable, her passion for the arts seemingly inexhaustible. Lois Reitzes, host of the WABE-FM weekday interview show, City Lights with Lois Reitzes, is one of five radio personalities to be inducted into the inaugural Friends of Georgia Radio’s Hall of Legends, Class of 2022, on Saturday, August 27. Other inductees are Charles Giddens, Bob Houghton, Sandra Parrish and Neil Williamson.
Reitzes has had a long and illustrious career at WABE-FM and is known for her insightful coverage of the city’s arts and culture scene, including theater, film, music, dance and the visual arts.
When she joined the NPR affiliate in 1979, it was an all-classical music station. From 1982 to 2015, she hosted the much-loved weekday morning program Second Cup Concert becoming an Atlanta icon. When the station shifted to talk radio, Reitzes shifted too, becoming the host of City Lights. Her many other contributions to WABE and the arts were celebrated in a 2018 ArtsATL Legacy Series story. Editor-at-large Gail O’Neill was the writer.
O’Neill has been interviewed by Reitzes on several occasions too, talking about books, fashion, the arts. “Lois is to public radio what Steph Curry is to basketball: a peerless practitioner who makes the job look effortless to casual observers,” O’Neill says. “Her job requires over-preparation, a willingness to listen and an ability to improvise, when necessary, without missing a beat. But her greatest assets cannot be taught. She is fundamentally kind, putting her guests at ease and allowing conversation to flow naturally. And like her inner 7-year-old, she is always eager to learn, open to being awestruck, and perpetually ready to play.”
The Friends of Georgia Radio’s Inaugural Hall of Legends Induction Gala will take place at the Metropolitan Club in Alpharetta on August 27. Jeff Foxworthy hosts. General admission is $95.90 and includes dinner. Friends of Georgia Radio is a new nonprofit. A previous organization, the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame, stopped inducting new members after 2020.
