Tara Calligan
Reporter/Producer/Social Media ManagerEmail: Tcalligan@wgcu.org
Twitter: @TlCalligan
Tara Calligan is an award-winning journalist and a public media producer, writer and online content creator at WGCU. She started her public media journey as a news intern for the station in 2015 and has been cranking out content ever since.
She has presented at several PBS and NPR conferences, including PBS TechCon. In January 2021, she became a member of PBS' Media & Marketing Advisory Council, providing direct, local station feedback to the Public Broadcasting Service.
She is one of the hosts and producers for the podcast Three Song Stories: Biography Through Music, which brings out the guests’ personalities, and personal histories, by mining the connections music has made during their lifetimes. She is also a producer for WGCU's radio talk show Gulf Coast Life. When she is not writing up a storm, editing, or booking shows, she assumes the alter ego Moria Midnight, Monarch of Macabre, a late-night horror host on WGCU HDTV.
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With a 3-2 vote, Lee County Commissioners formally adopted new county district maps Tuesday, despite cries from the public to reconsider their choice. It’s a choice that some say could result in Lee County’s redistricting process winding up in federal court. -
For more than 15 years as President and CEO of Living Cities Ben Hecht worked to help leaders use proactive measures to combat growing racial disparity, without relying on slow-moving, entrenched policies or the whims of lawmakers in order to make changes in their own cities. In his 2018 book, “Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All” Hecht detailed what he sees as a blueprint for how communities can revive the promise of the American Dream by improving educational opportunities and civic engagement, and providing what he calls ladders to economic security. -
In the early 1980s Sanibel-based artist Lucas Century learned of the effort to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. He believe an engraving technique he'd developed could help the project along, and he was right. All of the more than 58,000 names engraved into black granite were done so using his method, which saved the memorial's timeline and budget. -
Awarded in the Mammals Behavior category and titled “Come High Water,” Mac Stone's photograph shows a mother raccoon rescuing her newborn after a storm likely flooded out her nest. Hear how Stone captured this award-winning image and learn more about his journey through wildlife photography. -
The Florida Center for Government Accountability helps fuel local, on-the-ground reporting by working to assist journalists and everyday citizens to gain access to public records. Executive Director Barbara Petersen joins us to talk about the crucial role investigative journalism plays in a robust democracy. -
Your cellphone may change itself back this weekend for the end of daylight savings time, but the smoke alarm still needs your attention. -
The Lee Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to move forward with Map Alternative 5 as the selected map for the 2021 redistricting process. One commissioner openly expressed his disappointment in the decision, and advocates wanting to reunite Dunbar and Fort Myers say a lawsuit may be incoming. -
Manatees vocalize while feeding, resting, or playing using high-pitched squeaks, squeals, squeak-squeals, and chirps. Learn about innovative research being conducted at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota exploring how and why manatees vocalize. -
Southwest Florida has a few Romeo and Juliet stories, including the tragic tale of lovers Amos and Ingrid. -
Halloween is a fang-tastic time to dig into a few lesser-known Florida ghost stories, myths, and hauntings. Uncover the tale of the cursed children of Coker Cemetery in Arcadia, Florida.
