Simeone to stay on as “World of Opera” host, WDAV to distribute show

NPR is dropping distribution of World of Opera as of Nov. 11. The new distributor will be WDAV Classical Public Radio in Charlotte, N.C., and licensed to Davidson College. Lisa Simeone will continue as the show’s host, the licensee said. Simeone, a freelance radio broadcaster, was fired Oct. 19 from Soundprint, the independently produced long-form doc series, for violating NPR’s ethics code due to her role as spokesperson for “October 2011,” an anti-war group aligned with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Dana Davis Rehm, NPR’s s.v.p. for communications, said the change in distribution was made due to NPR and WDAV’s “different views about the role of a program host.” She said NPR believes hosts “represent NPR regardless of the type of program they host,” and are barred from any political activity.