The pilot for the hour-long show, which is to be called "the real story", will air on Sunday, April 1, at 2.00pm.
"The date is useful," Gilson explained with a chuckle, "if people don't like it, I'll just say it was an April Fool joke!"
With his trademark deadpan humor, Gilson continued, "Mind you, George Bush has a satellite over your house - and we will know if you're listening or not!"
Gilson gained some notoriety with his previous talk show, "The ESP Show," on WCOM 103.5 FM, the local community radio station.
"I don't know why people call me 'controversial.'" Gilson said, "I believe the job of the political media is to hold accountable those in charge.
"In Washington, that is the Republicans.," explained Gilson. "In Carrboro and Chapel Hill, it is the local Progressive Establishment.
"My tough questions may make them uncomfortable. But that shouldn't be controversial."
However, continued Gilson, "the real story" will not just be about politics. "Like ESP, it will be a general community magazine.
"It will be a show for ordinary people, about ordinary people - ordinary people who have something of the extraordinary about them. Because we all have something of the extraordinary about us.
"I just cover politics from time to time, to remind local politicians that they too are ordinary people. That they serve ordinary people. And that sometimes, they forget to listen to ordinary people."
Gilson says that "the real story" will deal with the same range of issues as ESP, which was a rough anagram for 'Events, Sex, Politics, Prose and Poetry.'
The pilot show, explained Gilson, deliberately includes a little piece of everything, to give listeners a foretaste of what is to come.
Guests include: Joanna Catherine Scott (author of "The Road From Chapel Hill"), Carrboro Alderman Alex Zaffron, and Jamie Daniel, the defeated Republican Candidate in last year's election for the Orange County Board of County Commissioners.
Refusing to be drawn further, Gilson added that the pilot show, which has already been recorded, contains a major public announcement, concerning a well-known local political figure.
"'It is my intention that "the real story" will continue to make headlines, as well as simply discussing them."
The show has a companion blog, to allow listeners to continue discussions among themselves - and to give Gilson a chance to post any material he was unable to broadcast.
"I lose so many good jokes because there's never enough time!"
The blog states that Gilson "asks the tough questions, but with a gentle touch. And he always gets to the real story behind the people, and the real people behind the story."
Gilson reckons it took him about 30 hours to prepare, record and edit the pilot show. And he believes that this will be the norm for future shows.
"Whatever guests think of my questions, they always know that I do my homework."
Gilson is hoping that eventually the show's production will become financially self-supporting. As with all local commercial radio stations, the budget of WCHL does not allow for much spending on the local production of original material.
"I'm not getting paid, which is kind of difficult, since it means I have to hold down a full-time job, alongside the talk show."
Gilson is already looking to find ways of funding his radio production effort with grants and sponsorship.
"I believe there is tremendous interest in locally-produced programming." Gilson said. "There is as much gripping material, as many characters - as much soap opera - in local affairs as with national events.
"The knack is to find a way to break the cycle where a good local radio broadcaster is forced to move onto the regional or national radio scene, just so that he can get paid."
Gilson and WCHL welcome feedback on the pilot show for "the real story". If listeners want to express their opinion, or if they have suggestions, they can e-mail WCHL's Station Manager, Christy Dixon, at: cdixon@wchl1360.com.
Geoff Gilson is an English-American writer and broadcaster, who lives in Chapel Hill, and has been getting some attention with another blog, watch on the ninth (W9), which he launched on the same day that John Edwards announced his Presidential bid.
Gilson says that the purpose of W9 is to keep a friendly but gently irreverent eye on John Edwards, and to ensure that he stays on message with his promise to help those Americans who live in poverty.
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