Tabitha Safdi was promoted to CCO for South Carolina ETV.
Safdi joined the station in 2005 and has worked as a producer, editor, digital media manager and director of digital strategies.
She is also a Riley Institute fellow for Furman University’s Diversity Leaders Initiative and is chair of the PBS Digital Media Advisory Council.
Nashville Public Radio announced the team that will work on This Is Nashville, a daily news program that debuts in early 2022.
Steve Haruch will be senior producer. He previously worked as an editor at the Nashville Scene, an alt-weekly, and was director for Parnassus Books. He also edited the essay collection Greetings from New Nashville: How a Sleepy Southern Town Became “It” City.
Anna Gallegos-Cannon was hired as digital lead. She previously worked as a digital producer for The Tennessean. She has also been a copy editor for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a reporter for the Oakland Tribune and a hockey writer for Sports Illustrated.
Tasha Lemley became a multimedia producer. She co-founded The Contributor, a newspaper that supports homeless people in Nashville, and has also been a field producer for Nashville Public Radio’s Versify podcast. Rose Gilbert was also hired as a multimedia producer. She most recently worked as a reporting intern for The Tennessean and was a senior producer for the USA Today podcast Changing the Game.
Mikayla Elias will be the technical director. Elias has been a producer for commercial stations in Nashville, including WSM and SiriusXM.
The station announced in August that Andrea Tudhope will be EP and the host will be Khalil Ekulona.
Technology
Todd Cima was promoted to director of technology for KVIE in Sacramento, Calif. Cima joined the station in 2014 as a broadcast engineer and most recently worked as assistant chief engineer. Before KVIE, Cima was a broadcast engineer and technician for Gocom Media in Chico, Calif., and Springfield, Ill.
Events
Lia Crockett was hired as senior manager of events for NPR. Crockett will oversee live events for Code Switch, the Politics Podcast, Trivia Night and NPR Music, according to a staff memo. Crockett most recently worked as director of performing arts and senior music producer for BRIC, an arts nonprofit in Brooklyn, N.Y. She has also been a producer and account manager for Remezcla, a Latin-focused media company, and marketing manager for the Austin Chronicle.
Content
Laurie Johnson-Ramirez became news director for Houston Public Media. Johnson-Ramirez, who joined the station in 2002, most recently worked as interim news director. As EP from 2016–21, she led daily breaking news coverage and also worked on The Texas Newsroom, a collaboration among Houston Public Media, NPR and public media stations in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
Libby Denkmann was hired to host The Record, a midday news program produced by KUOW in Seattle. The Record, which returns in early 2022, went on hiatus in June to relaunch with a new format and host, according to a news release. Denkmann most recently worked for KPCC in Pasadena, Calif., as senior politics reporter. Bill Radke, who previously hosted The Record, is developing a new program with KUOW. He will also continue hosting Week in Review.
Joni Deutsch announced on LinkedIn that she left her positions with WFAE in Charlotte, N.C. Deutsch joined the station in 2017 and worked as on-demand content/audience engagement manager and host of Amplifier, a music podcast. “It’s been an absolutely wonderful 4 years at WFAE (which falls within my 10th anniversary of working in public radio), and I’m so grateful for the stories and songs amplified along the way,” Deutsch said on LinkedIn.
Rosemary Misdary became a reporter for WNYC in New York City. Misdary, who previously worked as a civil engineer, has been an intern for WNYC and the New York Daily News. She was also on the city desk for the New York Post and was a 2020 NPR Kroc fellow.
Eva Tesfaye became an assistant producer for Short Wave, the NPR science podcast. Tesfaye previously worked as a producer, programmer and news head for WKCR, Columbia University’s station. She was also a 2020 NPR Kroc fellow.
William Marcus is retiring as host of Backroads of Montana, produced by Montana PBS. Marcus has hosted the program since it premiered in 1991. He previously worked for Montana Public Radio and was director of the University of Montana Broadcast Media Center. John Twiggs, a producer for Montana PBS, will take over hosting duties in 2022. Backroads of Montana will celebrate Marcus’ time as host during a special pledge event Dec. 1.
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