Royal blue with a large delivery-style basket at its helm, the official newsgathering bicycle of WLRN's Keys bureau was delivered in style Friday to veteran journalist Nancy Klingener.
"It shows that they get Key West and how we live here," said Klingener, a Massachusetts native who has called Key West home for 25 years.
WLRN News opened the bureau on the third floor of The Studios of Key West in early March.
But on Friday, the station's top brass welcomed the public to tour its new digs, updated with four studio microphones and a mini-sound control master that will enable Klingener to broadcast live from the Southernmost edge of the Florida Keys.
"It's a great presence," said Sue Sullivan, a 16-year Key West resident who recalls when public radio's signal didn't reach the island city.
Based in downtown Miami with a studio inside the Miami Herald's newsroom in Doral, WLRN decided to make an investment in its Florida Keys reporting by renting the studio space.
Tom Hudson, vice president of news for WLRN, said the Key West news studio comes equipped for recording, editing and live broadcast in case of threatening weather or regular programming such as The Florida Roundup, which airs Fridays at noon.
"She could host the show from there," Hudson said.
