Cristy Meiners was named interim station manager for KUER in Salt Lake City.
Joel Meyer, previously station manager, is leaving the station to become CCO for Freakonomics Radio.
Meiners most recently worked as EP of RadioWest, produced by KUER. She previously worked as an editor for the Deseret News, a producer for SiriusXM and an editorial and production assistant for NPR.
Tricia Bobeda, director of audience development, also left KUER to become a senior producer for Freakonomics Radio. She joined KUER in 2019 as managing producer of podcasts and special projects. She previously worked as a reporter, producer and editor for WBEZ in Chicago.
KUER announced additional promotions.
- Katherine Ellis will become audience development and communications manager.
- Chelsea Naughton was promoted to digital content manager.
- Roddy Nikpour was named programming and production manager.
- Palak Jayswal became a full-time digital producer.
Kate Sickora was hired as chief development officer for WVIA in Pittston, Pa.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to work with Kate and proud that we can attract such talent to join the WVIA team” said CEO Carla McCabe in a news release. “Kate brings the perfect mix of fundraising experience and commitment to the public media mission.”
Sickora most recently worked as a consultant. Earlier in her career, she held development roles with NPR, Oregon Public Broadcasting and KLRN in San Antonio. She joins WVIA in July.
“I am thrilled to join Carla McCabe and her strong team at WVIA,” said Sickora in the release. “The station has such a great history, a talented and committed board of directors, and a long history of loyal support from the community. To me this signals WVIA’s value as a very special regional treasure and I believe in Carla’s vision for making the station even stronger for the future. My children and I are looking forward to embracing the NEPA community as our new home.”
Content
Jasmine Garsd will become a national correspondent for NPR. Her first day is May 24, according to a staff memo from Chief National Editor Vickie Walton-James. Garsd most recently worked as a senior reporter for Marketplace. She previously produced stories for Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Tell Me More and Embedded.
Shannon Rhoades left her position as senior editor of interviews for NPR to become a development executive for a media company led by filmmaker John Ridley. News of Rhoades’ departure was first reported by Deadline. Rhoades joined NPR in 2000 as an editorial assistant and has held several roles, including senior supervising editor for Morning Edition.
Louisville Public Media hired Clare Roth as news editor. Her first day with the station is May 24. “I really can’t express how excited I am to move to Louisville and join this news team,” Roth said on Twitter. Roth most recently worked as afternoon host of All Things Considered and host of the monthly talk show All Sides Weekend for WOSU in Columbus, Ohio. Before that, she worked as a producer for Iowa Public Radio.
Ben Johnson joined Louisiana Public Broadcasting as a senior producer. Johnson will work on the news and public affairs program Louisiana Public Square and contribute to other programs, including Louisiana: The State We’re In. Johnson previously worked as a videographer and editor for the New Orleans Saints, a DJ for WTUL in New Orleans and music assistant for the HBO series Treme. “There is no shortage of great stories in our state, but there is a lack of outlets to tell them,” Johnson said in a news release. “That’s why I’m honored to be a part of LPB where I can continue to showcase the rich history, unique characters, and complex current issues across Louisiana.”
Jeremy Bernfeld was hired as investigative editor for Rhode Island Public Radio. He previously worked as director of collaborative reporting and lead editor for Guns & America, a reporting project led by WAMU in Washington, D.C., that ended last year. Before that, he worked as an editor for Harvest Public Media, a collaborative network of journalists in the Midwest and Plains.
Walter Smith-Randolph was hired as an investigative editor and lead reporter for Connecticut Public. He will work on The Accountability Project, an investigative reporting team. Smith-Randolph has been a reporter and anchor for commercial stations in Cincinnati; Elmira, N.Y.; and Flint and Grand Rapids, Mich. “This investigative reporting team is part of our larger strategic plan to expand news and information gathering statewide, and restore trust and accountability in our state. We feel very fortunate to have a journalist of Walter’s caliber to lead this critical effort,” said CCO Tim Rasmussen in a news release.
Venice Buhain was hired as an education reporter for Crosscut/Cascade Public Media in Seattle. Buhain previously worked as a digital news content producer for King 5, an NBC affiliate in Seattle. She was an editorial director for the Seattle Globalist and a reporter for Patch.com.
Grace Walker announced that she left her position as a reporter and producer for Public Broadcasting Atlanta to become an associate producer for CNN’s podcast unit. She joined the station as an intern and recipient of the Atlanta Press Club fellowship for 2018.
Fellowships
The Association of Independents in Radio and the Editors Collective, founded by four current and former public media professionals, announced the debut class for its audio fellowship. The 10 fellows will each receive a $1,000 stipend to participate in “Edit Mode: Story Editor Training for Narrative Audio,” a seven-week program hosted by SoundPath, AIR’s training platform. The fellows are:
- Abukar Adan, an associate producer at Campside Media and former reporter for WJCT in Jacksonville, Fla.;
- Christina Cala, a producer for NPR’s TED Radio Hour and former producer for All Things Considered;
- Jenny Casas, a producer for the New York Times Opinion audio team and former reporter for The United States of Anxiety, produced by WNYC in New York City;
- Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong, a former producer for KUOW in Seattle;
- Jess Jupiter, a producer for Pineapple Street Media;
- Neena Pathak, a producer for The Daily and former producer for Another Round at BuzzFeed;
- Lisa Phu, a former reporter for KTOO in Juneau, Alaska, and 2017 AIR New Voices scholar;
- Adreanna Rodriguez, an associate producer for Vice and former reporter for KALW in San Francisco;
- Aisha Turner, a senior producer for the Into America podcast from MSNBC and former reporter for PBS NewsHour and Milwaukee Public Radio; and
- Sharif Youssef, formerly a producer for 99% Invisible.
Send news of “comings and goings” to [email protected]