Ethan Toven-Lindsey was promoted to VP of news for KQED in San Francisco.
Toven-Lindsey joined the station in 2016 as managing editor and most recently worked as executive editor of news. Before KQED, he worked as senior managing editor of Here & Now, the national program produced by WBUR in Boston. He also held producer and editor positions for American Public Media and Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The station’s newsroom staff has doubled since Toven-Lindsey joined the station, according to a memo from CCO Holly Kernan.
Lynne Cook was hired as CDO for Houston Public Media.
Cook previously worked as VP of communications and chief brand officer for United Way of Greater Houston, a nonprofit she joined in 2012. She has also been executive director for Sheltering Arms Senior Services and worked for the Houston Chronicle from 1982–2005, where her roles included VP of advertising.
Content
NPR hired Pablo Valdivia as an engagement editor. “I’ll be working across digital, radio, and [podcasts] to elevate and tell Latino stories, as well as help call in the community across the network,” he said on Twitter. Valdivia previously worked as senior Latinx culture editor for BuzzFeed, where he oversaw the digital platform Pero Like. He joined the company in 2015.
NPR hired two assistant editors for its NPR One app. Jack Mitchell most recently worked for WBUR in Boston as a producer, first for Here & Now and also on Project Citrus, a Google-funded initiative to explore the future of on-demand audio on emerging platforms. Anandita Bhalerao joins NPR after finishing a master’s program in media innovation and content strategy at Northwestern University’s Medill School. She previously interned for Southern California Public Radio.
Chris Nolte rescinded his retirement announcement to rejoin Lakeshore Public Radio in Merrillville, Ind. Nolte announced that he was stepping away from the station earlier this year but decided to come back as Morning Edition host. “We’ve missed him. Welcome home Chris,” said VP of Radio Tom Maloney in a news release. Nolte joined the station in 2009 and was also host of Regionally Speaking, a local news and public affairs program. Before working in public media, Nolte was a host for WKBV in Richmond, Ind., and served in the U.S. Navy.
Kim Shine was hired as production manager for Hyfin, Radio Milwaukee’s Urban Alternative channel. Shine previously worked as a reporter for WDJT, a CBS affiliate in Milwaukee. She has also been an anchor, reporter and producer for commercial stations in South Bend, Ind., and Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
Maria Scapellato, Morning Edition host for WESA in Pittsburgh, will retire from the station this fall. Scapellato has hosted the morning program since 2017. She began her radio career at a commercial station in 1985 and was also a host of All Things Considered for WITF in Harrisburg, Pa. “While we’ll be sorry to lose Maria as the morning voice and host on WESA, we honor her long service, both on our air and for many years in Pittsburgh,” said CEO Terry O’Reilly in a news release. “She is a terrific journalist, and she will be missed at Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting and by all of our listeners in Western Pennsylvania each morning.”
Haya Panjwani announced that she was hired as Travis County reporter for KUT in Austin, Texas. Panjwani previously worked as a reporter for Houston Public Media and was also a breaking news reporter for KERA in Dallas.
Alexis Young became a multimedia reporter and engagement producer for New York NOW, a public affairs program produced by WMHT Public Media in Schenectady, N.Y. In May, she received a master’s degree in mass communications and investigative journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She also held several positions for Cronkite News, led by Arizona PBS.
Wisconsin Public Radio hired Evan Casey as a reporter to cover the southeast corner of the state. Casey previously worked as a communities reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which he joined in 2019. He has also been a multimedia journalist and web editor for Shepherd Express, an alt-weekly in Milwaukee.
Zoe Kurland left her position as a news producer for Southern California Public Radio. Kurland joined the organization in February and previously worked as a host and reporter for Marfa Public Radio in Texas. “Endless thanks to the people who showed me the ropes, brought me into the world of LA news, and encouraged my ~wackiest~ ideas,” she said on Twitter.
Louisville Public Media announced three host changes to music station 91.9 WFPK. In the Pocket, hosted by DJ Destiny Carter, will air Thursday nights at 10 p.m. with a lineup of soul, R&B and funk music. 502unes, hosted by musician and DJ Sam Sneed, will air Sunday nights at 9 p.m. In addition to the new programs, musician Kimmet Cantwell will be a host for WFPK Sundays 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Governance
Courtney Greene was elected board president for Iowa PBS. Greene succeeds Gary Steinke, who became board president in 2013 and will remain a board member. Greene is director of external partnerships and community engagement for UnityPoint Health and has served on the board since 2013. She had served as board VP since 2019. Angie Anderson succeeds Greene as VP. Anderson, who owns APS, a tax-services business, joined the board in 2020.
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