Kate Taylor, an influential children’s media executive and producer at WGBH, is leaving public broadcasting in July after 42 years.
Taylor
Taylor joined the Boston pubcaster’s mailroom in 1972. She worked on the original version of Zoom from 1973-77 and executive-produced the updated version in 1997.
She also served as associate director of children’s and cultural programming at PBS from 1982-86 until returning to WGBH as director of children’s programs.
During her long career, she won a Peabody Award and multiple Emmys.
“The productions that have benefited from Kate’s talents have changed the face of children’s media,” said Brigid Sullivan, WGBH v.p. for children’s media and educational programming, in a note to colleagues, citing Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Peep and the Big Wide World and Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman. “Kate has led the creation of programs of substance that young people learn from, parents rely on, and teachers mine in their classroom value.”
“I can’t imagine a more interesting, exciting and worthwhile career than producing educational media for children,” Taylor said in the note. “I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had at WGBH over the years, the creative environment that has allowed me to thrive, and the talented and dedicated colleagues who have made these years such a joy.”
Taylor said she plans to do media consulting, continue working with boards of nonprofits and pursue her “passion” by becoming a life coach.
Management
WRVO Public Media, based in Oswego, N.Y., has named Bill Drake as station manager. Drake will administer programming strategies for the network, provide leadership for audience growth, and work with development, fundraising and special projects. Over the past 25 years he has held positions in programming, operations and consulting, most recently as program director for Northern Public Radio in DeKalb, Ill.
Melanie Sill, former executive editor at Southern California Public Radio, has stepped up to v.p. of content in Pasadena, Calif. She succeeds Russ Stanton, who left the station at the end of June “to pursue a communications career in the commercial, for-profit space,” according to an announcement. Sill arrived at SCPR in 2012 after serving as editor at the Sacramento Bee and the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C.
Sarah Gilbert, managing editor at Marketplace, will leave the show effective July 3 for “personal reasons,” according to an American Public Media spokesperson. Gilbert joined Marketplace in December 2012 from NPR’s Weekend Edition, where she was senior editor. Before NPR, she worked at the BBC in roles including executive director of BBC Americana.
Development
Karen Chong shifted her responsibilities at PBS June 1 to work as senior director, corporate sponsorship, station relations, at headquarters in Arlington, Va. She now oversees national, regional and local partnership activities and tools, focusing on sponsorship and underwriting initiatives for local stations. Since 2005, Chong had directed program underwriting policy at PBS; previously she worked as corporate support director. She also spent a year as managing director, corporate development, at Maryland Public Television in Owings Mills.
Graziano
Programming
Public television veteran Steve Graziano is now programming Western Reserve Public Media in Kent, Ohio, through his P3 Public Media consultancy. He also programs WHUT in Washington, D.C., Wyoming PBS and WKYU in Bowling Green, Ky. Graziano spent 20 years at Nebraska’s NET, leading the promotion, research, traffic and TV programming departments. He also served as c.o.o. at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
KQED Public Radio journalist Rachael Myrow has moved from her morning hosting duties on The California Report to a newly created position as lead reporter for the San Francisco station’s new multimedia Silicon Valley News Desk. Myrow previously reported at KPCC in Pasadena before joining KQED in 2007.
Marketing
WSOU-FM, the student-run radio station of Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., has hired Jennifer Kajzer to manage underwriting sales and marketing. Kajzer most recently managed integrated media for CBS Radio in New York. She’s a 1999 Seton graduate. While a student, she worked at WSOU as promotions director and program director and after graduation served as the station’s business and sales manager.
Marcia Harrington is now v.p. of marketing and communications at WCNY in Syracuse, N.Y., overseeing communications, content and marketing strategy. Previously she directed public relations at Long Island University and served as v.p. of marketing and communications at United Way of Central New York.
O’Reilly
Governance
Twin Cities Public Television’s Chief Content Officer Terry O’Reilly was elected president of the Upper Midwest Emmy Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) June 5. He also serves on the NATAS Board of Trustees, the 36-member governing body overseeing Emmy Awards and operations of NATAS chapters nationwide.
Academia
Bill Goodman, host and managing editor of Kentucky Tonight on KET, has joined the mass communication department at Campbellsville University as an adjunct faculty member. He will teach a fall-semester course, “Selected Topics: Politics and Journalism in the Age of Social Media,” which will examine “how journalism must change in order to better serve the times and the public,” Goodman said in an announcement.
Nonprofit news
Andrew Becker, who covers border and national security issues for the Center for Investigative Reporting in Emeryville, Calif., will serve on a 20-member federal Freedom of Information Act Modernization Advisory Committee. The group, under the auspices of the National Archives, will meet quarterly in Washington, D.C., over the next two years to improve and upgrade FOIA and examine how journalists and others request and receive information through it. Becker is one of two reporters on the panel, which also includes representatives from government agencies and NGOs, as well as academics and attorneys.
John Temple has joined First Look Media as president, audience and products, reporting directly to founder Pierre Omidyar. Temple spent the last year in residence at Stanford University in the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships program. In 2010, he helped launch Omidyar’s first journalism start-up, Honolulu Civil Beat. He previously was managing editor at the Washington Post and editor, president and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News.