The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionannounced today that legendary Atlanta broadcaster Monica Pearson will join the AJC as the host of a new weekly video program and podcast, The Monica Pearson Show, and as an AJC contributor. Pearson will also write a regular lifestyle newsletter and column for both AJC.com and the newspaper, in addition to hosting AJC Live events.

Pearson has been an icon in local broadcasting for nearly four decades, spending much of that time informing and entertaining the community on WSB Television. Currently, she hosts Monica Pearson One on One on PeachtreeTV. She will bring her talent and experience to the AJC during a time of investment and innovation.

"This is a full circle moment for me since I started my paid journalism career in 1969 as a reporter for The Louisville Times newspaper in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. This is another opportunity for me to do what I love doing – interviewing people. After an interview, my slogan simply is, ‘You know the name and now you will know the person.’”

Pearson’s arrival comes as the AJC is charting a course to transform the storied 155-year-old newspaper into a modern media company. In addition to bolstering the world-class journalism the AJC is known for, the organization is also expanding its content offerings and investing in audio, video, newsletters, and live events. Pearson’s show will live alongside the AJC’s expanded podcast slate, which includes Politically Georgia and Breakdown, and it will mark the first weekly video program in the AJC’s history.

“We’ve established a mission to be the most essential and engaging source of news for the people of Atlanta, Georgia, and the South,” said AJC President and Publisher Andrew Morse, who joined the organization this year. “That effort begins here in our community. And nobody is more Atlanta than Monica. We are thrilled for her to bring her talent to the AJC.”

Pearson has won 33 regional and local Emmy awards for her work, including being inducted into the Atlanta Press Club, National Association of Black Journalists, University of Kentucky Journalism, Georgia Association of Broadcasters, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In addition to her broadcast career, she hosts a monthly radio segment, titled "A Monica Moment.”

Pearson’s arrival is just the latest prominent editorial hire for the AJC.Leroy Chapman Jr. was named editor-in-chief in March, becoming the first Black editor in the paper’s history. Earlier this month, Chapman announced the hiring of Sharif Durhams from the Washington Post to be the AJC’s Managing Editor for news.