Talk radio host Diane Rehm had a lot to celebrate this week—her birthday was on Monday, and last night WAMU 88.5 hosted a sold-out gala at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium to recognize the 30th anniversary of The Diane Rehm Show. More than 400 guests and fans of the radio program gathered to toast Rehm, with proceeds from the formal reception and dinner benefiting her radio station, American University’s WAMU.
“We wanted to celebrate Diane and her show and what she brings to listeners,” said Carey Needham, director of business administration at WAMU, noting that her show reaches more than two million listeners weekly. “I think she’s thrilled to have the opportunity to be in the room with a group of individuals who have been supportive of her and her show, and to be able to thank all of the people who over the years have contributed to the civil discourse that Diane has set the standard for.”
Needham and a 12-member committee that included Rehm and her staff worked with Campbell Peachey & Associates' Carolyn Peachey and National Public Radio for the past year and a half to plan the celebration. The decor focused on all things pink, with Frost supplying the hot pink uplighting that bathed the venue's columns and ornate architecture. The pink theme extended to the programs and invitations, both of which had pink star borders and a caricature of Rehm by political cartoonist Kevin "Kal" Kallaugher.
Last night was Rehm’s third anniversary celebration—WAMU also hosted a gala to celebrate the show’s 20th and 25th anniversaries. In light of the economy, the committee decided to drop this year’s individual ticket prices to $250 (the 25th fete was $500 a head), which resulted in a sold-out event. Another draw included the addition of eight NPR table hosts: Guests who donated at the benefactor ($25,000 for a table of 10) or founder ($10,000 for a table of 10) levels were guaranteed the chance to dine with NPR personalities such as Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg, and Juan Williams.
The glowing praise for Rehm continued over Design Cuisine's dinner of peach-glazed guinea fowl while speakers such as American University president Dr. Neil Kerwin, NPR’s Susan Stamberg, Congressman John Dingell, and M.C. Roger Mudd toasted Rehm and her contributions to public radio. The woman of the hour received several gifts during the evening, including a pendant necklace with a South Sea pearl that, fittingly, took 30 months to mature. And guests left with a gift of their own, a silver star-shaped keychain engraved with the words, “The Diane Rehm Show–30 Years.”
