Executive compensation in pubmedia: what station and organization leaders are earning

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Our latest study of executive compensation in public media includes the annual earnings of leaders representing 87 public media stations and major organizations. We included stations that receive CPB support and whose broadcast signals serve the top 25 TV and radio markets. Seven regional and national organizations are also represented.

We gathered the data from a variety of sources, including publicly available IRS 990 forms, databases, press reports, station websites and the leaders or organizations themselves. Depending on the source, the most recent data available runs from 2019 to 2023. We were unable to gather data for leaders of seven stations licensed to private universities. Their institutions’ 990 forms did not include their salaries, and they either declined to share their information or did not respond to requests.

Some of the executives identified in the most recent information available no longer work at the stations indicated. We did not include executives who worked only part of the most recent year available or who were serving in an interim role. 

Salaries of station leaders in the top 25 markets

Station/OrganizationExecutive NameCityStateCompensationYearStation ExpensesSalary as % of expensesLicense TypeRadio/TV/Joint
WETASharon Percy Rockefeller WashingtonDC$803,7602021$128,499,7450.6%Independent NonprofitJoint
WHYYBill MarrazzoPhiladelphiaPA$770,5402021$37,458,2702.1%Independent NonprofitJoint
WNYCGoli SheikholeslamiNew York CityNY$758,3372020$85,393,9170.9%Independent NonprofitRadio
WNET GroupNeal ShapiroNew York CityNY$717,8342020$115,656,8710.6%Independent NonprofitJoint
GBHJon AbbottBostonMA$620,8322020$208,584,7360.3%Independent NonprofitJoint
WBEZMatt MoogChicagoIL$507,7362021$28,483,4791.8%Independent NonprofitRadio
KCETAndrew RussellBurbankCA$505,0002020$42,193,1911.2%Independent NonprofitTV
WEDW / Connecticut PublicMark ContrerasHartfordCT$473,1622020$22,677,1352.1%Independent NonprofitJoint
KQEDMichael IsipSan FrancsicoCA$469,3762020$91,090,7000.5%Independent NonprofitJoint
KERANico LeoneDallasTX$453,1702020$25,240,8271.8%Independent NonprofitJoint
KCTSRobert DunlopSeattle WA$438,6442020$20,835,6132.1%Independent NonprofitTV
KOPBSteve BassPortlandOR$406,9052020$38,346,3361.1%Independent NonprofitJoint
KPCCHerb ScannellPasedenaCA$389,1472020$33,719,3931.2%Community CollegeRadio
Ideastream Public MediaKevin MartinClevelandOH$373,9522020$21,798,8071.7%Independent NonprofitJoint
Detroit Public TelevisionRich HombergDetroitMI$362,9172021$20,514,0231.8%Independent NonprofitTV
WABEWonya LucasAtlantaGA$360,0002019$15,027,5692.4%Independent NonprofitJoint
WPBT2 South Florida PBSDolores (Sukhdeo) Fernandez AlonsoBoynton BeachFL$347,2922020$17,683,4402.0%Independent NonprofitTV
Colorado Public RadioStewart VanderwiltCentennialCO$345,2122020$23,855,2641.4%Independent NonprofitRadio
TPT/Twin Cities PBSSylvia StrobelSaint PaulMN$317,8692020$43,082,8300.7%Independent NonprofitTV
KUOWCaryn G. Mathes SeattleWA$310,5752020$18,047,2221.7%UniversityRadio
Houston Public MediaLisa Trapani Shumate HoustonTX$300,0162020$14,885,9492.0%UniversityJoint
KCRWJennifer FerroSanta MonicaCA$295,4212020$20,702,9241.4%Community CollegeRadio
KPBSDeanna Martin MackeySan DiegoCA$290,0002023$34,678,5180.8%UniversityJoint
KVIEDavid LoweSacramentoCA$287,9832020$11,619,7122.5%Independent NonprofitTV
PBS North CarolinaDavid CrabtreeChapel HillNC$275,0002023$37,117,8400.7%UniversityTV
Nine PBSAmy ShawSt. LouisMO$263,8042020$11,173,0602.4%Independent NonprofitTV
Georgia Public BroadcastingTeya RyanAtlantaGA$252,6892022$35,409,4750.7%StateJoint
All Classical PortlandSuzanne NancePortlandOR$249,2312020$3,734,7566.7%Independent NonprofitRadio
KPACJoyce SlocumSan AntonioTX$248,7232020$6,640,3973.7%Independent NonprofitRadio
WFAEJoe O'ConnorCharlotteNC$232,1952020$7,423,2113.1%Independent NonprofitRadio
KEXPEthan RaupSeattle WA$230,0002023$11,625,1712.0%Independent NonprofitRadio
WDETMary Zatina DetroitMI$209,2022022$4,720,0004.4%UniversityRadio
KNKXJoey CohnSeattle WA$208,0002020$8,093,2972.6%Independent NonprofitRadio
Indiana Public MediaBrad KimmelBloomingtonIN$201,5422021UniversityJoint
Rocky Mountain Public MediaAmanda MountainDenverCO$193,9892020$17,967,4661.1%Independent NonprofitRadio
WFYIGreg PetrowichIndianapolisIN$193,1522020$13,397,2641.4%Independent NonprofitJoint
South Carolina ETVAnthony PadgettColumbiaSC$189,6852022$34,205,5200.6%StateJoint
PBS Western ReserveTrina CutterKentOH$186,6442020$4,637,1224.0%Independent NonprofitTV
St. Louis Public RadioTina PamintuanSt. LouisMO$186,1342023$8,852,1592.1%UniversityRadio
Classical KINGBrenda BarnesSeattle WA$185,3472021$4,599,5634.0%Independent NonprofitRadio
PBS39Tim FallonAllentownPA$183,3342019$9,505,2601.9%Independent NonprofitTV
KLCSJaime JiménezLos AngelesCA$177,9572020$5,189,0523.4%School BoardTV
KVCRConnie LeyvaSan BernardinoCA$172,7382022$5,633,0923.1%Community CollegeRadio
KJZZJon HobanPhoenixAZ$167,8792023$14,325,5181.2%Community CollegeRadio
WTVIAmy BurkettCharlotteNC$159,7402022$5,187,9653.1%Community CollegeTV
WLRNJohn LaboniaMiamiFL$150,2592021School boardJoint
KALWTina PamintuanSan FrancsicoCA$147,4302020$2,268,8486.5%School BoardRadio
KCSMDante BetteoSan MateoCA$147,3842021$2,291,9816.4%UniversityJoint
KMOJGerald EvansMinneapolisMN$144,7162020$1,044,44013.9%Independent NonprofitRadio
PBS12Kimberly JohnsonDenverCO$138,3382020$3,638,6663.8%Independent NonprofitTV
KBTCDeAnne HamiltonTacomaWA$135,1002021$5,787,1832.3%UniversityTV
WBGOSteven WilliamsNewarkNJ$135,0002020$4,889,2102.8%Independent NonprofitRadio
WUMBPatricia DomeniconiBostonMA$130,3572023$1,752,1697.4%UniversityRadio
WEDUPaul GroveTampaFL$130,3552019$9,850,2131.3%Independent NonprofitTV
Northern California Public MediaDarren LaShelleRohnert ParkCA$129,2852020$6,072,8642.1%Independent NonprofitJoint
WFMUKen FreedmanEast OrangeNJ$128,5692020$2,489,0975.2%Independent NonprofitRadio
KNHCH June FoxSeattle WA$118,1832021$1,069,76911.0%School BoardRadio
WBJCRichard MilesBaltimoreMD$118,0002022$1,791,3916.6%Community CollegeRadio
KDHXKelly WellsSt. LouisMO$115,0002023$1,856,9446.2%Independent NonprofitRadio
Ball State PBSPhil HoffmanMuncieIN$111,3142022$3,349,2493.3%UniversityTV
Lakeland PBSBill SanfordBemidjiMN$110,7032020$2,565,3754.3%Independent NonprofitTV
KSDSKen PostonSan DiegoCA$106,4902020$1,637,8746.5%Community CollegeRadio
WDAVFrank DominguezDavidsonNC$102,4622020$1,843,2655.6%UniversityRadio
WDCBDan BindertGlen EllynIL$96,9472020$1,415,5686.8%UniversityRadio
Radio BilingĂĽeHugo MoralesFresnoCA$96,8712020$2,428,3924.0%RegionalRadio
WEFSAndy Chalanick CocoaFL$92,9222022$1,813,1005.1%UniversityTV
WMNFRandi ZimmermanTampaFL$90,0002020$1,605,0155.6%Independent NonprofitRadio
KBCSDana BuckinghamBellevue WA$89,9002020$1,058,5078.5%UniversityRadio
Jazz88Dan LarkinMinneapolisMN$81,2592023$1,261,404School BoardRadio
KPVUJohn HughesPrairie ViewTX$80,2362021$352,86722.7%UniversityRadio
Pioneer PBSJon PanzerGranite FallsMN$67,7592020$3,493,6601.9%Independent NonprofitTV
KGNUTim RussoBoulderCO$60,7072020$1,342,4364.5%Independent NonprofitRadio
KWMRAmanda EichstaedtPoint Reyes StationCA$56,1372020$425,21413.2%Independent NonprofitRadio
WDNAMaggie PelleyáMiamiFL$51,7452020$875,0875.9%Independent NonprofitRadio
KBOOCeleste CareyPortlandOR$44,0412020$828,9615.3%Independent NonprofitRadio

Salaries of leaders of national organizations

Station/OrganizationExecutive NameCityStateCompensationYearOrganization ExpensesSalary as % of expenses
PBSPaula KergerWashingtonDC$963,0992020$448,645,1670.2%
America's Public Television StationsPat ButlerWashingtonDC$571,0602020$4,001,86914.3%
American Public Media GroupJon McTaggartSt. PaulMN$522,1292020$169,774,0200.3%
NPRJohn LansingWashingtonDC$466,2562020$271,150,1840.2%
PRXKerri HoffmanCambridgeMA$396,2022020$42,836,8150.9%
CPBPatricia HarrisonWashingtonDC$362,6182020$729,672,7590.0%
Radio BilingĂĽeHugo MoralesFresnoCA$96,8712020$2,428,3924.0%

Analysis: a boost for female leaders, and other findings

We broke down median salaries by license type and gender and also compared 2015 and 2023 median salaries among station types (radio, TV or joint licensee).

University stations represented in our study are licensed to public institutions. Only two stations in our sample — South Carolina ETV and Georgia Public Broadcasting — are state licensees. (Read more about why salaries at university licensees are lagging behind those at other organizations.)

When we last reviewed executive compensation in 2015, the median salary among female executives was 77% of the median salary among male leaders. This time, the median salary for women exceeds that of men.

And our analysis found that while median salaries for leaders of TV stations and joint licensees rose since our 2015 survey, the median salary for radio executives stayed nearly flat.

Article, table and charts by Digital Editor Mike Janssen. Salary data gathered by Mike Janssen and reporters Tyler Falk and Julian Wyllie.

Correction: A version of the salary data that appeared in Current’s May 15 print edition included incorrect information for WHYY and its CEO, Bill Marrazzo. The station’s expenses in FY2020 were $37,584,084, according to its 990. With that change, Marrazzo’s salary was 1.8% of station expenses that year. The data on this page has been updated with the station’s FY21 990.

A previous version of the salary data above included an incorrect figure for the total expenses of American Public Media Group. The data has been updated.

2 thoughts on “Executive compensation in pubmedia: what station and organization leaders are earning

  1. Can you analyze and share data regarding how many of these 75 executives are people of color? And their median salary? Thanks.

    • Hi Terry — This would be a worthwhile effort, but to do it properly, we would need to ask the executives how they identify in terms of their race/ethnicity, rather than simply guessing based on names, photos, etc. At this point, we aren’t able to take on that effort, but we will keep it in mind if we carry out another similar study in the future. Thanks for the suggestion. — Mike Janssen, digital editor

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