Lynne Clendenin will retire as VP of programming for Oregon Public Broadcasting effective March 31, according to a spokesperson.
In a note to public media colleagues, Clendenin said her retirement “was something planned before 2020 took hold.” She added, “Public media has a critical responsibility moving forward and in many ways I will miss not being a part of it. I know it’s time to hand the baton to others who can enthusiastically, energetically, knowledgeably and passionately play a role in leading the way forward.”
Clendenin got her start in media as a jazz announcer, jazz director and television host for KBVR, owned by Oregon State University, according to a biography on the university’s website. She was also a part-time announcer, Weekend Edition host and producer for KOAC, owned by OPB. She became a VP for OPB in 2006.
Clendenin also co-hosted OPB television’s Oregon Art Beat and has been station manager for KMHD Jazz Radio. Before working in media, she was a spokesperson for Wildlife Safari in Winston, Ore.
Rebecca Kaplan Haase was hired as SVP of sponsorship for New York Public Radio.
Haase previously worked as VP of sales and distribution at Hearst Communications King Features, which syndicates columns, comics, games, puzzles and editorial cartoons. Before that, she held several roles during an 11-year span with The Washington Post. She started as an account manager and ended her tenure there as head of targeted products and marketplace solutions. Haase also worked at the Gerson Lehrman Group, Dow Jones and The New York Sun.
“Having spent most of her career in media, Rebecca has shown a commitment to the journalistic values we embody at NYPR and a profound respect for the critical role a well-functioning, free press plays in our society,” said NYPR CEO Goli Sheikholeslami in a news release. “We are confident that Rebecca will help us deliver increasingly innovative opportunities for sponsors who want to support our work, and results for the organization across multiple media platforms.”
“As a native New Yorker, I have been listening to WNYC and WQXR for my entire life,” Haase said in the release. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to grow revenue to support NYPR’s noble mission.”
Matt Thompson is leaving his role as editor-in-chief of Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting.
He is joining The New York Times as editor of Headway, a new journalism initiative focused on national and global investigations.
Thompson joined Reveal in 2019, where he oversaw the public radio show and podcast produced with PRX, as well as television and documentary projects.
He previously worked as executive editor at The Atlantic and directed vertical initiatives at NPR, including Code Switch and NPR Ed. He was also a reporter and producer for The Fresno Bee, a deputy editor for the Star Tribune and a fellow at the Poynter Institute.
Kojo Nnamdi will end his run as host of WAMU’s The Kojo Nnamdi Show when the program goes off the air this spring.
Nnamdi became host of the program in 1998. As part of the transition, he will continue to host The Politics Hour on Fridays and will also stay on as the ambassador of the “Kojo In Our Community” event series.
Nnamdi said on Twitter that “the decision to reorder my work life and reduce my presence at WAMU was mine. The station would have loved for the show to continue indefinitely. Together we found a solution that works for me.”
Beginning April 5, the program’s midday time slot Mondays through Thursdays will be filled by The Takeaway. WAMU said in a statement that it has delayed the launch of a new local program in order to assess “the changing needs of our community — including changes to lifestyles, media consumption and community priorities due to the pandemic.”
Content
NPR political correspondents Scott Detrow and Asma Khalid will become White House correspondents covering the Biden administration, according to NPR Chief Washington Editor Shirley Henry, who announced the changes. The reporters previously covered the Democratic primary race and President-elect Joe Biden’s candidacy.
Jamyla Krempel announced that she was named digital content director for WYPR in Baltimore. “Looking forward to helping shape the direction of our site, newsletters, podcasts & social media!” she tweeted. Krempel first joined the station in 2012 as a producer, left in 2014, then returned as a digital producer in 2016, according to her LinkedIn page. She previously worked as a reporter and local host of All Things Considered for Delmarva Public Radio in Salisbury, Md.
Marisol Medina-Cadena joined KQED in San Francisco as a producer for the podcast Rightnowish, an arts and culture show focused on the Bay Area. She previously worked as a contributor to KQED and produced for PBS member station, KCET, in Los Angeles. In addition, Alexander Gonzalez was hired as local feature news editor. Gonzalez previously worked as a producer for WLRN in Miami, where he was a contributor and intern before being hired full-time. He has also been an intern for WNYC in New York City, working in the newsroom and on The Takeaway.
Tracy Mumford, a podcast development producer for American Public Media Group, left the organization to become an audio producer for The New York Times. Mumford joined APMG in 2014 when she was hired as a digital producer for Minnesota Public Radio. She had held the podcast production role since 2017. During her tenure, Mumford also helped launch MPR’s books vertical.
Carla Javier announced that she became community engagement reporter for Southern California Public Radio. Javier, who joined the organization full-time in 2017, previously worked as an arts education reporter and was an intern in 2016.
Elena Moore, an editorial assistant who helped cover the 2020 elections for NPR, joined Morning Edition as a production assistant. Moore previously worked as a desk assistant for NBC News and a politics intern for NBCUniversal.
Marketing
Jen O’Connell Robertson was hired as SVP of marketing for First Look Media, an organization created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. Robertson most recently worked as VP of marketing for PBS Distribution, a position she left in June, according to her LinkedIn page. Before that, she worked as GM of Walter Presents USA, a streaming service for international series.
Governance
Mark Herron was elected board chair for PBS Reno in Nevada. Herron is president and CEO of the Davidson Group, an investment management and philanthropic office for educational software entrepreneur Bob Davidson and his family. Christine Fey was elected vice chair. Fey recently retired as resource development and cultural affairs manager for the City of Reno. Don Kowitz is treasurer/finance and audit chair and Stacey Montooth is secretary.
Fellowships
The Education Writers Association named its winter 2021 class of reporting fellows, which includes two public media reporters. This round of fellowships focused on supporting journalism that examines higher education, according to the organization. Each fellowship provides up to $8,000 to help cover reporting and other costs. The public media journalists selected are Jessica Bakeman, who covers K-12 and higher education for WLRN in Miami, and Elizabeth Gabriel, a journalism fellow for KLCC in Eugene, Ore.
Send news of “comings and goings” to [email protected]