The next GM of Baltimore’s WYPR will be LaFontaine E. Oliver, now GM of WMFE in Orlando, Fla.
Oliver will begin at WYPR July 1, succeeding Tony Brandon, who has led the station since 2002. Oliver was previously GM of Baltimore’s WEAA-FM from 2007–13.
“I’m excited to join the talented staff, board and dedicated community of listeners and supporters of WYPR to continue building the area’s preeminent public service media organization,” Oliver said in a WYPR press release. “It will be a great privilege to return to a community that I love and that has helped to shape me as a leader. It was in Baltimore that I truly developed an understanding of the powerful role that public media can play in fostering an engaged and well-informed citizenry.”
“We are delighted to welcome LaFontaine home to Baltimore,” said WYPR Board Chair Darcy Carroll. “His enthusiasm and vision for the various platforms where public radio can engage and inform its community makes him the ideal choice to continue the transformational leadership that WYPR has experienced under Tony Brandon.”
Oliver also serves on NPR’s board and is president of the Central Florida Association of Black Journalists.