Former New Jersey Gov. Jim Florio will co-host on Tempo and the Times, a podcast that explores the collision of popular culture with news, politics, and business.
Tempo and the Times was launched in February by Bob Gatty, Myrtle Beach, SC, editor and publisher of Not Fake News, who was Florio’s Congressional office chief of staff from 1976-78, and musician/writer Scott Ramminger, Nashville, TN. It is hosted on Spreaker and available on most major podcast streaming services.
Gatty and Ramminger, who worked together for many years in Washington, DC, began Tempo and the Times to help bring perspective to current developments and provide a platform for dialogue they hope will help reduce the divisions that beset America today.
Tempo and the Times streams every Friday with guests from the worlds of politics, the arts, technology, and business. The plan is for Governor Florio to be a guest co-host for every other episode.
“As a co-host of our podcast, we believe Governor Florio’s experience, credibility, vast political knowledge, and sharp perspective will enable Tempo and the Times to achieve our objectives,” Gatty said. “I’m thrilled to be working closely with him again after all these years.”
Florio was a recent interview guest on Tempo and the Times, where he observed that many problems affecting the nation today actually provide opportunities. Climate change and the need to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuel is one example.
That’s why the first episode April 9 with Gov. Florio as co-host will feature Kris Ohleth, executive director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind (SIOW), a leading policy group providing expertise, analysis, information sharing, and strategic partnership support for key offshore wind stakeholders. She previously was Senior Manager of Stakeholder Engagement at Ørsted, the global leader in offshore wind. Ohleth will discuss the opportunity that harnessing wind energy offers the nation. President Joe Biden in late March announced his administration will make developing wind energy off the Atlantic coast a major priority.
“Just as such innovations like podcasts are providing new ways to communicate ideas, we need innovative policies to address longstanding problems,” Florio said. “I look forward to sharing —and hearing — ideas.”
About the hosts:
Jim Florio was New Jersey Governor, 1990-1993 after serving eight terms in the US House of Representatives. An ardent environmentalist, he sponsored the legislation that created the federal Superfund to force polluters to pay for the damage they cause. He practices law in New Jersey.
Bob Gatty met Florio while covering politics as United Press International bureau chief at the State House in Trenton, NJ. Florio then served in the New Jersey State Assembly.
He later established an editorial services firm that covered the federal government for numerous industry magazines and provided communications assistance to trade organizations. In 2016 he created the Not Fake News blog, which provides political commentary; the NFN Radio News podcast and with Ramminger, the Tempo and the Times podcast. He is the author of Hijacked Nation-Donald Trump’s Attack on America’s Greatness, published in 2020. A new book on politics, also from the pages of Not Fake News, is in the works.
Scott Ramminger began his career as a newspaper reporter and held senior public affairs and marketing positions at several business trade organizations. A longtime musician and writer, Ramminger has released five records, all of which received critical acclaim. His 2017 CD, “Do What Your Heart Says To,” held the top position on the Roots Music Report R&B Album Chart for several months He performs primarily around the South and Mid-Atlantic as solo guitar/vocal act; as a singer and sax man with his band, “Scott Ramminger & The Temporary Condition;” and as a saxophonist in other bands. He has received several awards for his songwriting.
For more information about the podcast, please visit https://tempoandthetimes.com.