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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This week the Fort Myers Film Festival will screen three environmental documentary selections from award-winning filmmaker and conservation and science communicator Sonny DePasquale. We’ll explore these documentaries with the filmmaker. -
The Florida Repertory Theatre in Fort Myers closes its 24th season with a production of the authentically Southern romantic comedy “Maytag Virgin,” by playwright Audrey Cefaly. We take a closer look with the play’s stars and only actors Tyler Layton and Duke Lafoon. -
A new chamber orchestra in Southwest Florida called Camerata of Naples will hold the final concert of its debut season on Mother’s Day, May 8. The concert will include the U.S. premiere performance of “Rhapsody on a Theme of Albinoni for Violin, Cello and Harpsichord,” composed by Alexander Goldstein. We’ll talk with the composer and the musician co-founders of the chamber orchestra violinist Boris Sandler and pianist Bella Gutshtein. -
Federal loans available for Southwest Florida residents and businesses impacted by January tornadoesThe U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved Florida’s request for a disaster declaration stemming from tornadoes that touched down in Southwest Florida in January. The declaration opens the door for impacted residents and businesses to apply for SBA disaster loans. -
Governor Ron DeSantis was at Lovers Key State Park in Lee County Tuesday to announce the award of nearly $20 million in grant funding for Florida communities to better assess the risks to critical infrastructure posed by flooding from sea level rise, storm surge, and rainfall events. -
As Florida Gulf Coast University’s academic year comes to a close, we reflect back on the first year of the university Journalism program’s “Democracy Watch” initiative. It’s a collaboration between FGCU’s Journalism BA program and the WGCU-FM news team designed to give exceptional upper-level students real-world experience reporting in the field while also enhancing and expanding WGCU’s coverage of important local government actions that often go overlooked and unreported. We reflect back on this first year of the program with members of the inaugural class of “Democracy Watch” fellows. -
We get a preview of the 12th annual Fort Myers Film Festival, which runs May 18-22. The festival includes screenings of more than 70 films in seven categories and includes submissions from all over the world as well as films about and shot here in Southwest Florida. We’ll talk with the festival’s founder Eric Raddatz. -
As April marks Autism Acceptance Month, we talk with the founders of the Southwest Florida-based nonprofit Family Initiative about the broad scope of services they provide to empower ASD kids and their families. -
The risk of harm from pesticide exposure in the U.S. is up to five times greater for people of color and that a weak regulatory environment and lax enforcement of existing protections play a significant role in the disproportionate risk faced by Black, Indigenous and people of color, as well as people in low-income communities. We’ll explore the comprehensive study’s findings and recommendations. -
We’ll feature music from South Florida-based rap, hip-hop, and EDM artist, performer and producer Nory Aronfeld ahead of his album release party April 24 at the iconic Faena Theater on Miami Beach. From lo-fidelity beats to psychedelic instruments, to songs heavy on lyricism and wordplay, his original compositions are genre blending and genre bending.
