After resolving disagreement, Apsell retires from WGBH

Paula Apsell is retiring from her position as senior EP at WGBH in Boston following the resolution of a dispute with the station.

The dispute “has now been resolved and withdrawn to the parties’ satisfaction,” said WGBH spokesperson Jeanne Hopkins, who declined to provide details. WGBH News had previously reported that WGBH put Apsell on leave in November 2018 following complaints that she had violated the station’s respectful workplace policy.

The station announced Apsell’s retirement Tuesday and said that she has been named senior executive producer emerita. Apsell will end her involvement with Nova, which she has led for 33 years. WGBH is establishing an annual scholarship in her name for Boston public school students who plan to focus on STEM subjects at the college level.

Apsell joined WGBH after graduating from Brandeis University. She reported for WGBH Radio and developed a children’s drama series, then joined Nova as a production assistant in 1975. She became EP in 1984 and senior EP in 2006.

WGBH appointed co-EPs to lead Nova: Deputy EP Julia Cort and Senior Producer Chris Schmidt. Cort joined Nova in 1991 and has been deputy EP since 2014. “Since 2017, Cort has played a key role overseeing NOVA’s expanding digital video production across multiple digital and social platforms,” WGBH said in a release.

Schmidt began working with Nova in 1999 as an independent filmmaker. His films for the series have included Making Stuff, Making Stuff 2 and Hunting the Elements. He joined the show full-time in 2012 as senior producer.

“Cort and Schmidt’s joint vision for NOVA promises a more personal approach to story-telling, a multi-platform strategy to deliver those stories, and a continuing solid commitment to deep, credible reporting at a time when science has become so much more important for understanding the world,” WGBH said.