Chet Tomczyk, president of WTVP in Peoria, Ill., is now serving double-duty as interim general manager of Illinois Public Media in Urbana, reports the Peoria Journal Star.
Tomczyk, who has been with WTVP for 19 years, began managing WILL as of Sept. 3, stepping in for previous station chief Mark Leonard, now head of Nebraska Educational Telecommunications in Lincoln.
“This collaboration offers an unprecedented opportunity for two neighboring public broadcasting entities to jointly increase their relevance and value to the many communities they serve,” Tomczyk said in the announcement.
“WILL and WTVP have strong programming and community support, and will retain their independence,” said University of Illinois College of Media Dean Jan Slater. “This unique cooperative administrative arrangement increases the opportunities to broaden the collaborative efforts that are already under way between the two stations, benefiting the viewing audiences and communities across the coverage area.”
The stations are 90 miles apart in central Illinois.