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WXXI names World Channel executive Chris Hastings as next CEO
Chris Hastings, EP and chief editor of GBH’s World channel, has been named the new president and CEO at WXXI in Rochester, N.Y. He takes the helm at the dual licensee Nov. 11, succeeding Norm Silverstein, who is retiring after nearly 30 years with the station, WXXI announced Tuesday.
How Vermont Public is creating community picnics to engage its audience
Earlier this year, a team from Vermont Public joined five other organizations in participating in a live event sprint for alumni of the American Press Institute’s Table Stakes Local News Transformation Program. The goal of the five-month cohort was to help news organizations design and market live events within their communities. On a recent episode of the podcast Better News, Amy Zielinski, senior event producer for Vermont Public, discussed her station’s live events strategy and what it learned from participating in the sprint. Better News is produced by It’s All Journalism in partnership with the American Press Institute. This transcript is published here with their permission and has been edited for clarity.
Kate Riley named CEO of America’s Public Television Stations
Kate Riley was appointed president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, the advocacy organization for public media. Riley will succeed Pat Butler, CEO since 2011, who is retiring. Riley was the unanimous choice by APTS’ board and will assume her leadership duties on Oct. 1. “Kate Riley...
Comings and goings: NPR announces board elections, Alaska Public Media appoints chief editor …
NPR announced the result of recent elections for its board of directors. The four member directors who will serve three-year terms are Debbie Hiott, GM of KUT Public Media in Austin, Texas; Maria O’Mara, executive director of PBS Utah; Tina Pamintuan, CEO of St. Louis Public Radio; and Shawn Turner, GM of WKAR Public Media in East Lansing, Mich.
Unions for freelance writers seek new deal with GBH, WNET and PBS SoCal
Unions representing 150 freelance writers are working with three public television stations on a new contract. Writers Guild of America East and Writers Guild of America West are negotiating with GBH in Boston, the WNET Group of New York City and Public Media Group of Southern California to renew their public television freelance agreement expiring Oct. 9, according to Sam Wheeler, executive director of WGA East. The contract has been in effect since July 2019.
What visiting 13 radio stations taught me about serving our communities
This commentary first appeared on the website of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and is republished here with permission. Thirty-five years ago, I was sitting in my fourth-grade classroom. My teacher handed out “How I spent my summer vacation” worksheets, and I think I wrote about going to the beach.
CPB defunding and reauthorization are scary. We should talk about them anyway.
When I started writing this column about the future of federal funding, President Biden was trailing in the polls, Donald Trump had just survived an assassination attempt, and unified GOP control of Congress seemed more likely than not. What a difference a few weeks can make! Now, the Democrats seem...
Valley PBS names Robert Mollison CEO
Robert Mollison was promoted to president and CEO of Valley PBS in Fresno, Calif. Mollison succeeds Jeff Aiello, who announced earlier this year that he would step down. “We are excited to welcome Robert as our new President and CEO,” said Valley PBS Board President Jody Graves in a news release. “His extensive experience, deep community ties, and unwavering dedication make him exceptionally well-suited to lead Valley PBS forward.”
KDHX settles lawsuit, but critics of leadership question whether change is possible
Leaders of St. Louis community radio station KDHX and several former DJs and volunteers have settled a lawsuit, clearing the way for two of the plaintiffs to join the station’s board. The parties in the lawsuit announced the settlement last month. In an email to Current, they said they...
Comings and goings: Carla McCabe to join PBS board, NPR hires ‘Backstop’ editor …
Carla McCabe, CEO of WVIA Public Media in Pittston, Pa., will join the PBS board of directors. Later this month, McCabe will take the seat held by Kevin Martin, CEO of Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland, who will reach the end of his term. McCabe was appointed CEO of WVIA...
New podcast from Brian Reed probes big questions about journalism
Podcaster Brian Reed re-examines everything he thought he knew about journalism in Question Everything, a show launching Sept. 12 with biweekly episodes. Reed, a former This American Life producer who co-created and hosted S-Town, asks existential questions about the industry he’s worked in for 15 years and his own decisions as a producer. “The show is me having a midlife career crisis as a journalist,” Reed tells Current.
HBCU Week initiative receives $1.2M from CPB, plans local programming around 2025 Thurgood Marshall doc
For the second consecutive year, CPB has announced grants to support the HBCU Week programming initiative led by Maryland Public Television. The corporation is providing $1.2 million for HBCU Week programs over the next two years. About half of the money will support the production of 24 short films relating to historically Black colleges and universities. The shorts will be published on the HBCU Week NOW YouTube channel, which at the time of this article’s publishing has nearly 10,000 subscribers.
StoryCorps scales up initiative to bridge political divides
The StoryCorps initiative that unites people with differing political views in conversation is now open to anyone interested in connecting with someone across the aisle. One Small Step America, which launched in July, has begun rolling out a multi–million-dollar PSA campaign to encourage people to sign up for virtually moderated one-on-one discussions with people of different political persuasions anywhere in the U.S.
NPR budget boosted by development revenue
NPR expects to close its current fiscal year with revenues about 2% over budget due in part to growth in development. In a report to the NPR board’s finance committee Wednesday, CFO Daphne Kwon described NPR’s year-to-date performance as “strong.”. “We’re doing well in fundraising and development...
Comings and goings: Arizona Public Media appoints chief engineer, WBUR names ‘Morning Edition’ host …
Greg Gutierrez was promoted to chief broadcast engineer at Arizona Public Media. Gutierrez succeeds Frank Fregoso, who joined the station as a transmitter engineer in 1996 and was promoted to the chief role in 2007. Gutierrez joined AZPM in 2022 as a broadcast engineer. He previously held engineering roles for...
Michael Ziegler, station exec who guided WSKG through digital transition, dies at 85
Michael Ziegler, CEO of WSKG in Binghamton, N.Y., during two decades of dramatic changes, died Aug. 19. He was 85 years old. The cause of death was not disclosed, but Ziegler had been in hospice care, according to an obituary published by the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Homes of Pennsylvania.
PBS and APTS advocate for pubcasters in proposed FCC local content incentive
PBS and America’s Public Television Stations want noncommercial educational stations to be on equal footing for proposed FCC incentives aimed at stations with a minimum amount of local content. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted in January invited comments on an FCC plan to give processing priority on license...
How these new station leaders are expanding community service while managing change
Consider the to-do list of a public broadcasting station leader: Deepen community engagement. Grow audience. Unlock the potential of digital platforms — and balance these goals while staying financially sound in an unpredictable media environment. On occasion, we check in with leaders who are relatively new in their roles...
How public media can balance AI innovation and public trust
As AI technology continues to advance rapidly, public media is beginning to explore its potential to enhance content creation, improve operational efficiency and engage audiences in new and innovative ways. However, with this exploration comes the responsibility to ensure that AI is used in a manner that aligns with the core values of public media — values that include diversity, inclusivity and a commitment to serving the public interest.
Comings and goings: Gary Knell joins QCatalyst, GBH appoints statewide editor …
Gary Knell, former CEO of NPR and Sesame Workshop, has joined the consulting firm QCatalyst as partner. QCatalyst, based in Washington, D.C., is led by CEO Jason Seikin, former PBS chief of digital. Other staffers include senior consultant Nathan Tobey, a former director of podcasts for American Public Media, and CTO Jon Brendsel, who was VP of products for PBS.
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