Emily Loya left her position at PBS El Paso in Texas last month.
Loya is now district director for the office of Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents Texas’ 16th congressional district.
Formerly KCOS, PBS El Paso rebranded after it was acquired in October 2019 by Texas Tech Public Media in Lubbock. Loya had served as the station’s GM since 2014 and became director of development and communications after the acquisition as part of an organizational restructuring.
Loya joined KCOS in 2013 as chief marketing officer. As GM, she was among public TV’s youngest station leaders.
“We wish Emily well in her new role,” said Paul Allen Hunton, GM of Texas Tech Public Media, in a statement to Current. “As much as I believe public media can make a difference in the lives of those who watch it, working for Representative Escobar will give Emily new opportunities to make an even greater impact, not only in El Paso but in our country. Emily will be missed and her legacy at PBS El Paso will go on through the different content and fundraising initiatives that she started.”
Before joining KCOS in 2013 as chief marketing officer, Loya worked as a field associate for New York Life Insurance Company.
Joe Goetz was hired as music director for Classical MPR, effective Nov. 16.
Goetz will leave his position as music director for WFIU in Bloomington, Ind. He has also been a host for KCME in Colorado Springs, Colo.; a host and producer for Vermont Public Radio; and a host for KBAQ in Phoenix.
“We are delighted to welcome Joe and his talents to Classical MPR,” said Brad Althoff, interim director and managing producer for national programs. “Our music director needs to have an immense knowledge of classical music, as well as what’s on the horizon from emerging artists, and they also need to have an understanding of our audience’s expectations and how we can best meet their needs, and Joe has all of those skills.”
Bill Rappleye and Michelle San Miguel are the hosts of Rhode Island PBS Weekly, a new half-hour newsmagazine that debuted Wednesday.
Rappleye and San Miguel will also report for the program. Rappleye has reported for several commercial stations, including WJAR, an NBC affiliate in Providence, R.I. San Miguel was a multimedia journalist for WJAR and a Telemundo anchor for KRDO-TV in Pueblo, Colo.
Barbara Dury will be EP of the program. She has also been an EP, director and writer for CGTN America, a producer for Retro Report and a producer, writer and director for 60 Minutes. Senior producer Bartley Price previously worked at ABC News producing, shooting and editing for Good Morning America, Nightline, This Week and other programs.
Bill Bartholomew will be a contributing reporter. Bartholomew is the host and producer of The Bartholomewtown Podcast, a news and culture podcast. He began his career as a musician.
Development
Monica Medina, director of community development and engagement for KPBS in San Diego, will retire at the end of the year. Medina joined the station in 1995 as an outreach coordinator and has also worked as director of diversity, engagement and grants. She is credited with helping the station secure its largest gift, a $15 million donation from an anonymous donor in 2017, according to a spokesperson. She previously worked at KCTS in Seattle as an assistant director of communications and at CPB as a station relations associate.
Content
Denise Guerra is leaving her positions as a producer and reporter for NPR in December to relocate to Los Angeles. Guerra joined the organization in 2014 and has worked for Weekend Edition and Weekend All Things Considered. She previously worked as a producer for KPCC in Pasadena, Calif.
Andrew Clarke was hired as a communications editor for American Public Television. Clarke previously worked as a research assistant for Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., and as a website editor for the school’s newspaper.
Shannon Dooling will join the investigative team at WBUR in Boston. The reporting role is part of a partnership with ProPublica to produce investigative audio storytelling. Dooling joined the station as a freelance producer in 2012 and became a Morning Edition field producer in 2013. She has been a reporter covering immigration and local news since 2016.
Mary Tyler March became a strategic planning editor for WAMU in Washington, D.C. She joined the station last year as a digital news producer after working as an associate editor for The Hill and Industry Dive. Also, Alexander W. McCall is leaving his position as an audience producer for WAMU to relocate to Austin, Texas. His last day with the station will be in March, he announced on Twitter. Before joining WAMU, McCall held several roles with NPR, including associate editor, assistant producer, editorial assistant and social media desk intern.
Ruth Gebreyesus announced on Twitter that she is ending her work as a columnist and food writer for KQED in San Francisco. Gebreyesus started writing for the station in 2017. In addition to being a freelance writer for the Guardian and The Fader, she has also been an arts editor for East Bay Express.
Kayla Randall was hired as an editorial researcher for NPR. She will work with Kelly McBride, NPR’s public editor and an SVP at the Poynter Institute. Randall previously worked as an editorial fellow for Washingtonian and as an arts editor for the Washington City Paper.
Governance
Sandra Kiely Kolb was elected chair of the board of trustees for ideastream in Cleveland. Kolb previously served as vice chair and has been a board member since 2014. She has also been a board member for the Saint Luke’s Foundation, Saint Luke’s Hospital, the Cleveland Children’s Museum, the Cleveland Restoration Society and the Wesley Senior Foundation. Kolb replaces Julie Adler Raskind, who was chair for three years and has been a board member since 2012.
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