John Davis
Host, Reporter, Assistant News Directorjrdavis@wgcu.org
John Davis has been a Reporter/Producer for WGCU since 2007. For more than a decade he served as the local host for NPR’s Morning Edition. He currently serves as producer and host of WGCU’s radio talk program Gulf Coast Life Arts Edition with John Davis. Prior to joining WGCU, he worked at WDUQ-FM in Pittsburgh, PA (now WESA) covering local government and general assignments. John studied journalism at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Florida Gulf Coast University. His work has garnered awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and a first-place award and “Best in Show” from the Florida Associated Press for his investigative work in 2011. Davis helped lead news team coverage around the clock during Hurricane Irma in 2017, which won a National Edward R. Morrow Award. More recently, his election and political coverage has garnered awards from the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists.
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Theatre Conspiracy is mounting a production of playwright Mark St. Germain’s romantic comedy “Dancing Lessons.” The two-actor play takes audiences on a deep exploration of vulnerability and risk as the characters’ relationship develops and as they help each other step outside their respective comfort zones. We will talk with one of the stars of the production, actor Steven Coe. -
The League of Women Voters of Lee County, in partnership with WGCU and the News-Press held a forum, July 9, with Lee County School Board candidates. Six of the 11 qualified candidates participated including Carl Baxter, Crystal Johnson, Debbie Jordan, Jenn McDaigle, India Palencia, and Carline Saintilus. We will listen back to a condensed version of the 90-minute forum in a special hour-long episode of Gulf Coast Life. -
Southwest Florida-based singer/songwriter Melinda “Blou Note” Daniel performs live in the WGCU studio. -
Players Circle Theater’s summer performance season continues with a production of the Tony-nominated one-man comedy, “Say Goodnight Gracie,” about the marriage and professional partnership of George Burns and Gracie Allen, whose groundbreaking comedy act evolved across vaudeville, radio, film, and television. We will talk with actor Pasquale LaCorte, who stars in the show, and Players Circle Theater Associate Artistic Director Ted Wioncek III. -
Southwest Florida-based singer/songwriter Melinda “Blou Note” Daniel performs live in the WGCU studio. -
The Bridging the Gap Center for the Arts will host an immersive pop-up art experience titled “In Living Color: A Juneteenth Art Experience,” featuring Southwest Florida-based artist Richard Bravo. Ahead of the event on June 19, 2026, at McCollum Hall, we talk with the featured artist and Bridging the Gap founder and Executive Director Sonya McCarter. -
Southwest Florida-based artist Christian De Jesús has a solo exhibition titled “UN-MASKED” opening June 5, 2026, at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. His unconventional work tends to explore heavy themes of life, death, the complexity of the human condition and the weight of our choices. We will talk with the artist ahead of the show’s opening reception. -
The fourth annual Fort Myers Fringe culminates, May 31, 2026, with a special closing performance of “Josephine: A burlesque cabaret dream play,” honoring the life of dancer, singer, actress, spy, and civil rights activist Josephine Baker. We will delve into the performance in a conversation with the show’s co-creator and star Tymisha Harris. -
Players Circle Theater closes its seventh season with a production of Bernard Slade’s multi award-winning romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year.” The play is about a man and woman who carry on a decades-long clandestine affair, meeting just once a year. It is less about the affair itself, and more about exploring how people change over time. We explore the play in a conversation with the director Ted Wioncek III, and actors Kimberly Suskind and AJ Mendini. -
The 16th annual Fort Myers Film Festival will deliver five days of film screenings, filmmaker panels, and celebration. The festival, which runs May 20-24, 2026, will include 81 selected feature, documentary, and short films from all over the world. We’ll get a preview of the festival in a conversation with Fort Myers Film Festival founder and Executive Director Eric Raddatz. We’ll also talk with multi-award winning filmmaker Jordan Axelrod, whose short film “Szypliski” will be featured at the opening night red carpet gala at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center.
