Kyra McGrath was named president of new ventures and enterprises for WHYY in Philadelphia. McGrath previously served as the station’s EVP and COO. She will retain her role as general counsel.
“As part of her new role, McGrath will lead the organization’s new operating division New Ventures & Enterprises (NV&E) with a focus on getting the organization out in front of any number of business opportunities, such as the Fresh Air Archive and ancillary products for hit kids podcast Eleanor Amplified, that will keep WHYY in its leadership position in the marketplace,” the station said in a press release.
Renard Jenkins left PBS to become VP of content transmission at WarnerMedia.
At PBS, Jenkins held the role of VP of operations, engineering and distribution. He spent more than nine years with the network in several director and VP roles. He was previously project manager of production facilities for TV One and a supervising manager with Discovery Communications.
Content
Sasha-Ann Simons was named a national correspondent and substitute host for NPR and WAMU’s 1A. She starts April 1 and will be a daily host for most of the month. Simons has worked for WAMU since 2017 as a fill-in host and multimedia reporter. She has also been a host, multimedia reporter and producer for WXXI in Rochester, N.Y.
Andrea Gutierrez was hired as an assistant producer for NPR’s It’s Been a Minute. She previously served as an assistant producer for KPCC in Los Angeles and was also an apprentice news clerk for The Frame, a KPCC podcast that covers the entertainment industry. She has also been a freelance producer, writer and editor and was copy desk chief for the Los Angeles Review of Books. Hafsa Fathima also joined It’s Been a Minute as an intern. She was previously an intern for the San Diego Union-Tribune and for KCRW in Los Angeles.
Alicia Montgomery left NPR to become the new EP for Slate Podcasts. She was a senior supervising editor and producer of Morning Edition and had also held production and editing roles with Code Switch and Tell Me More.
Tom Posey, director of news for South Carolina ETV, will become the station’s director of government transparency. He joined SCETV in the late 1980s. Aimee Crouch will replace Posey and oversee news. She started her career at SCETV and has been with the network for more than two decades as a producer. In a press release, the station said the change was part of an effort “to further elevate its status as a statewide resource for news.”
Rocio Hernandez joined KJZZ in Phoenix as a reporter. She was previously a reporter for KUER in Salt Lake City. She has also been a news associate for the Associated Press and a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Reno Public Radio and the East Bay Times.
Dani Matias became the morning edition host and reporter for KUT in January. Matias formerly interned for the Austin-based station in 2017 and also interned for KERA in Dallas and WAMU in Washington, D.C. She was also a news desk fellow for NPR. Meanwhile, DaLyah Jones left KUT to become a staff writer for the Texas Observer in December. She was an evening host and assistant producer for local All Things Considered broadcasts.
Austin PBS promoted Samantha Guzman to assistant news manager last month. She previously served as a producer for the station and has also worked as an associate producer for KERA in Dallas.
Austin PBS also hired Amarachi Ngwakwe as a production assistant. She was most recently a multimedia intern with KUT and is a student at the University of Texas at Austin.
Development
Vera Turner joined Maryland Public Television as managing director of membership. Turner was previously a project manager at the School Superintendents Association. She was also director of individual giving at PBS, director of basic membership at WNET and membership director for WQED.
Human resources
Alana Adams joined NPR in March as a corporate recruiter. She previously worked as a corporate recruiter for Choice Hotels International and has also been a talent acquisition coordinator for Saks Fifth Avenue.
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