‘Marketplace Morning Report’ Names Its First Black Woman Host

American Public Media announced Kimberly Adams as the next host of its flagship weekday program

American Public Media announced on May 7 that Kimberly Adams has been named the next host of its flagship weekday program, Marketplace Morning Report. Adams, currently senior Washington correspondent and host of the popular podcast Make Me Smart, will officially step into her new role June 8. This is the first time a Black woman has been named host of one of Marketplace’s flagship shows.

Marketplace Morning Report is included every weekday morning on Morning Edition on nearly every NPR affiliate across the country. It’s heard by 8 million public radio listeners live every weekday morning across the U.S. and is on podcast platforms worldwide, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with more than 76,000 downloads each day across platforms.

“I grew up in St. Louis, where the economic divides across race, class, and geography were always present and visible. Those lessons have informed my decades of work as a journalist. While many people think about business and economics news as being focused on markets and companies, there’s really not many stories that don’t in some way circle back to money and power—and who has it and who doesn’t,” Adams told BLACK ENTERPRISE exclusively.

“I’ve focused my work at Marketplace thus far on translating economic policy into what it means for people’s everyday lives, and I’m looking forward to expanding that remit to include not just what policymakers are doing in Washington, but also what company leaders are doing in boardrooms, what consumers are doing at the grocery store, and what living in this economy means for all kinds of people,” she continued.

Before her tenure as a D.C. correspondent, Adams worked as a freelance journalist, winning awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, the Religion Communicators Council, and the Association for Women in Communication.

She’s also been a regular weekend fill-in host on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal and serves on the board of the International Women’s Media Foundation.

American Public Media noted that since joining Marketplace more than a decade ago, Adams has become a trusted voice to audiences for her sharp economic analysis.

“Beyond her diligent reporting, listeners have embraced Kimberly’s leadership and versatility as the host of Call to Mind, Marketplace Tech, and Make Me Smart,” said Neal Scarbrough, vice president and general manager at Marketplace, in a statement. “Kimberly has distinguished herself as a ground-breaking, multiplatform correspondent and host who has built an unwavering connection with our audience.”

Adams is looking forward to helping people start their day with a better understanding of how the global economy affects them personally:

“In this moment of economic transition, it’s vital our community has access to the best journalism about how money is moving in our society. I feel incredibly honored to step into this role at this time to help bring timely and relevant information to the folks who need it most.”