Gianna Volpe’s morning radio show, Heart of the East End on WLIW-FM (88.3/88.7/96.9), has been showcasing interviews with community members and playing great music since 2019.
Volpe brings an extensive background in reporting to the nonprofit station, starting at the Shelter Island Reporter in 2011 and winning a New York Press Association “Rookie Reporter of the Year” award for her work at The Suffolk Times and Riverhead News-Review in 2012.
She continued her work for numerous East End publications, including the East Hampton Star, Southampton Press, Sag Harbor Express, East End Beacon, RiverheadLOCAL, Dan’s Papers and Long Island Business News, garnering recognition for her writing and photography as well as her radio and video interviews.
Volpe’s first broadcast was on March 26, 2019, after she was hired to replace veteran weekday morning show host Bonnie Grice. “It was then that I began developing the Heart of the East End, which features music from all decades and genres as well as folks from all walks of life,” Volpe says.
A year later, the WNET Group acquired the station, which became WLIW-FM. The WNET Group not only retained local programs but added more to the schedule. The station turns six this spring.
Volpe notes that she learned to do a radio show while on the job, producing weekly radio program The Freelance Report and The Gianna Volpe Report on 1390 WRIV from 2014 to 2019. “I also did guest appearances on KOPN 89.5 in my college town — Columbia, MO.,— while [obtaining] a degree in photojournalism with a minor in creative writing from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism,” she says.
Some of Volpe’s recent Heart of the East End guests include artists, doctors, shellfish farmers, members of environmental groups and Montauk Lighthouse keeper Joe Gaviola. In 2025, she interviewed more than 600 people, including a handful of dogs and a chicken named Flower. “I tend to conduct two interviews per show, with one guest by phone or up to three in person,” she says.
A master interviewer, Volpe loves an origin story. “I’m as fond of asking transplants how they found their way to the East End as I am asking locals how the region has changed since they grew up,” she says.
What does Volpe value most about her job? “Our listeners are, hands down, my favorite part of the job,” she says. “I love getting to connect with them because they aren’t like a bot-ridden comment section — they’re educated, empathetic and cultured critical thinkers who care deeply about investing in a better tomorrow.”
Volpe also values being a part of WLIW-FM, Long Island’s only public radio station. “As a journalist, I could not be more fortunate to work in public radio because getting to showcase the reporting process live every morning is a real treat for a nerd like me,” she says. “I can’t thank all of you out there quite enough for donating to WLIWFM.org because, while public media was defunded, we aren’t defeated and are continuing to grow thanks to everyone who supports [our] station.”
WLIW-FM’s Forces of Nature program, which ran for the past few years, consisted of a special collection of interviews about issues affecting our natural world. For 2026, Volpe notes they “have a special historic-themed program on the horizon for this fall.” The best way to stay informed, she says, is to “sign up for our newsletter the same place you donate: WLIWFM.org.”
In the meantime, Volpe continues to upload videos of her in-studio interviews on the WLIW-FM YouTube channel. “If I had the bandwidth, I’d use choice clips from the show for social media, but I have my hands full planning and producing the program,” she says.
You can stream Heart of the East End on WLIW-FM.org and tune in live Monday through Friday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. with a midnight replay on 88.3 FM through the East End, 96.9 FM in central/western Suffolk County and across the Sound, or 88.7 FM from Montauk to Rhode Island.
