Herb Scannell, CEO of Southern California Public Radio since 2019, will retire, the organization announced Wednesday.
He plans to stay in the leadership role until SCPR names his successor.
“I’m immensely appreciative of being a part of SCPR and to have helped enhance our role as an essential voice of and for Los Angeles,” Scannell said in a press release. “I will retire with confidence that the extraordinary team at SCPR can continue to bring a multiplicity of compelling voices and programming to an ever-more diverse audience within Los Angeles and beyond.”
Scannell succeeded Bill Davis as CEO in February 2019.
During his tenure, the organization rebranded its radio station KPCC as LAist 89.3. It also secured a two-year, $500,000 CPB grant to grow its podcast studio LAist Studios, which launched months after Scannell began in the role.
Earlier this year, Scannell announced a reorganization and downsizing that cut 21 positions in response to a budget shortfall.
SCPR Board Chair Drew Murphy said in the release that Scannell “has laid the foundation for the next era of contributions SCPR can make in the community as a reliable news source for everyone, even while managing effectively through the pandemic.”