GBH in Boston announced changes to its children’s media and education department.
EP Dorothea Gillim was promoted to creative director. Gillim joined the station in 2011 as a producer for Curious George. She has also been EP for Pinkalicious & Peterrific and Molly of Denali.
EP Marisa Wolsky was promoted to director of children’s STEM media. Wolsky joined the station in 1989 and has held several production roles, including developing the Scribbles and Ink video game, the science series Peep and the Big Wide World and the engineering web series Design Squad. She is also a producer for Wombats!, the upcoming Ready To Learn–funded series.
Lisa A. Jones rejoins the station as GM for GBH Kids. Jones previously worked as project director for Zoom and Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman from 2004–07 and business manager for Masterpiece from 2017–18. She most recently worked as deputy port director at the Massachusetts Port Authority and was an assistant administrator of communications for the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The expansion of GBH Kids through the promotion of tremendous talent within our children’s media team and the creation of the general manager role reflects that exciting things are ahead for one of our fastest-growing departments here at GBH,” said CEO Jon Abbott in a news release. “As we continue to evolve and grow, I’m looking forward to working with our team to find new and innovative ways to educate, inspire, and entertain young audiences for years to come.”
Also, Senior EP Carol Greenwald, creator of the series Arthur, will step into a consulting role as creative advisor. Greenwald has worked for GBH since 1985 and has also been director of production for children’s and educational projects and director of development for children’s programs.
“For over 35 years, Carol has brought her creative ideas to life, earning multiple awards for her brilliant leadership and production of some of the world’s most popular and iconic children’s programs,” said Terry Fitzpatrick, VP for children’s media and education, in the release. “No amount of accolades can truly capture the impact that she has made on children’s lives throughout her remarkable career. On behalf of everyone at GBH, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Carol for her countless and groundbreaking contributions to our organization.”
Rick Holter, VP of news for KERA in Dallas, is leaving the station.
Holter said on Twitter that he and his wife are moving to Pagosa Springs, Colo., to build a house on land they purchased. His last day with the station is Aug. 20.
“… These 9 (!) years at KERA have been an incredible journey, from stepping into a 12-person newsroom (that didn’t have wifi – arrrgh…) to building a nation-leading news collaboration and now leaving a diverse, 35-person news team and ambitious 100+-person station…” he wrote.
Holter joined KERA in 2012.
PBS NewsHour announced a promotion and a hire.
Richard Coolidge, senior producer and head of NewsHour West, will relocate to Washington, D.C., to become senior managing producer, a new position. Coolidge joined the program in 2015 after holding producer positions for ABC News.
Phil Maravilla succeeds Coolidge as a senior producer for NewsHour West, a bureau based at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Maravilla most recently worked as a freelance producer. He has also been a politics producer for KUSA, an NBC affiliate in Denver, and an investigative producer for Rocky Mountain PBS.
Alexandra Burke was named content director for Valley Public Radio in Fresno, Calif.
Burke most recently worked as an underwriting account executive for KAZU in Pacific Grove, Calif., and as station manager for KUSP in Santa Cruz, whose license was sold in 2016 to a religious broadcaster.
“I am so impressed with the strides Valley Public Radio has made in growing their regional news service in recent years, while continuing to offer the signature arts and cultural programming that the station has built its legacy on,” Burke said in a news release. “Valley Public Radio is doing a better job than ever at providing timely, relevant content to San Joaquin Valley residents, and recent audience growth proves it. I can’t wait to help amplify and build on the great work that’s already happening here.”
Liz Felix was promoted to PD for WYEP in Pittsburgh.
Felix joined the station in 2019 as host for The Evening Mix. She has also been host for the Pittsburgh Music Hour on Monday evenings and Block Party, a Thursday-night program.
“It’s very exciting to have someone as knowledgeable and talented as Liz to take over programming for WYEP,” Station Manager Mike Sauter said in a news release. “Although we are navigating a historically challenging time for media organizations, I am confident that Liz will be able to guide the station toward greater success in our efforts to serve music fans in southwestern Pennsylvania with music discovery and to help make the Pittsburgh region’s music ecosystem stronger and more vibrant.”
Lisa Rayam will co-host Political Breakfast, a podcast produced by Public Broadcasting Atlanta.
Rayam succeeds Denis O’Hayer, who is retiring from full-time hosting. She joined PBA in 2018 as a Morning Edition host and senior producer.
“Lisa brings years of experience covering Georgia news and politics to the role of lead host of Political Breakfast,” said CCO Scott Woelfel in a news release. “If you look at her career—her recent Atlanta Press Club moderation of the U.S. Senate debate, her time on anchor desks, and, of course, her role here as host of Morning Edition, you’ll see why she was the perfect addition to the show’s strong team of political thinkers and analysts.”
Development
Brendan Kinney was promoted to SVP of development for Vermont Public Radio/Vermont PBS, which merged this month. Kinney, who joined VPR in 2010, most recently worked as SVP of development and marketing.
Content
Joanna Hernandez was hired as an on-air reporter for Chicago Tonight, produced by WTTW. She will also write and produce segments for Latino Voices, a Saturday-evening program. Hernandez previously worked as reporter for News 12 in New York City and was also an assignment editor for WXTV, a Univision affiliate in Paterson, N.J. “I am eager to venture into Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods to provide insightful and accurate coverage of current events to inform and engage the public, and create opportunities for real conversation and a platform for different voices and perspectives,” Hernandez said in a news release.
Deepa Shivaram joined NPR as a digital reporter. Shivaram, who joined NBC News in 2017 as a producer, most recently worked as a politics and campaigns reporter covering the 2020 presidential race.
Manola Secaira announced that she’s leaving her role as Indigenous affairs reporter for Crosscut in Seattle to become an environment and climate change reporter for CapRadio in Sacramento, Calif. Secaira, whose first day with CapRadio is in September, joined Crosscut in 2018. “Working for this newsroom was my first job out of college and I’m so lucky I had the freedom to pursue the stories I did, and with some really amazing people these past three years,” she said on Twitter. “I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Mohammed Kloub left his role as audience engagement editor for Crosscut to become a social media specialist for ESPN in Los Angeles. “I’m sad to be leaving some truly incredible people doing great journalism. I see only good things ahead for them — and hopefully a good, deserved contract for @Crosscut_Union,” Kloub said on Twitter, referring to ongoing union negotiations with management.
Sean McMinn, who previously worked as a data editor for NPR, was hired as a data and graphics editor for Politico. McMinn joined NPR in 2018 after working as a data reporter for CQ Roll Call. “As someone who didn’t grow up in the backseat listening to public [radio] — NPR is a far more valuable public resource than I realized,” McMinn said on Twitter. “For those of you who knew me in college, you knew that WaPo and Politico were where my eyes were set toward. I didn’t know if I’d get the chance to make that come true — let alone manage a team there. 21-year-old me wouldn’t believe it, and it still perhaps hasn’t totally sunk in.”
Laura Yuen announced that she is leaving her role as an editor for Minnesota Public Radio to become a features columnist for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. She starts the newspaper job in August. Yuen joined MPR in 2008 as a correspondent and became editor for race, class and communities in 2019.
Governance
Radio Catskill in Jeffersonville, N.Y., announced new board of trustees officers and board members. Kirsten Harlow Foster becomes board president, Sally Stuart was named VP, Duncan Cooper will be treasurer and Kathy Geary was named secretary. Foster succeeds outgoing president Thane Peterson. She is co-founder of Foster Supply Hospitality, a group of hotels and restaurants, and was also a senior financial specialist for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and senior policy advisor for the U.S. Treasury Department. Stuart is VP of operations for the New York Immigration Coalition, Cooper is content strategist and former editor-in-chief of The Fader, and Geary is a producer, musician and software engineer.
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