NPR hired Collin Campbell as SVP for podcasting strategy and franchise development.
Campbell will report to a new CCO who has yet to be named. He was selected by acting CCO Edith Chapin.
NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik reported that Campbell’s position is “refashioned” from the role held by Anya Grundmann, SVP of programming and audience development, who is leaving the network by the end of the year.
Campbell most recently worked as executive editor for new show development at Gimlet, which was acquired by Spotify in 2019. In June, Spotify announced it would merge Gimlet into Spotify Studios while cutting 200 jobs in its podcast division.
Campbell was also EP of original content development for Audible. Before joining Audible, he worked in public media as managing director for audio content and strategy at Southern California Public Radio. He also held several roles with WNYC in New York, including EP of Freakonomics Radio and senior producer for The Takeaway.
“People who are looking for news and information on topics are just facing a really confusing mix,” Campbell in an interview with Folkenflik ahead of the announcement. “You can’t sort between the output of a group of journalists that have the goods and have the boots on the ground, and a bunch of people [simply] talking about it. We have to really look at ways to stand out and show what we do and how we do it.”
“I think media with a sense of mission will prevail,” he added.
GBH in Boston hired Julius Harper as EP for GBH Kids.
Harper will lead a multiplatform project under development based on the children’s book Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band, written by Kwame Alexander. Harper will report to Creative Director Dorothea Gillim.
Harper previously worked as senior director of development and production for Nickelodeon. He was also a creative executive of interactive content for Netflix and held various titles in children’s programming at Disney.
“Julius Harper brings a deep breadth of talent in developing content for kids, both for TV and for streaming, critically important in today’s multiplatform environment,” said Terry Fitzpatrick, VP of children’s media and education, in a news release. “We are thrilled to have him join the team.”
Content
Avery Keatley rejoined NPR as a producer for All Things Considered. “Beyond thrilled to be back in the building with some of my former colleagues, and back on the airwaves making cool stories for your ears,” she said on LinkedIn. Keatley first worked for NPR as a production assistant and assistant producer from 2020–22. She most recently worked as a temporary producer for The New Yorker Radio Hour, produced at WNYC in New York.
Sam Brewer, a spokesperson for GBH in Boston, will transition to the newly created role of deputy GM for GBH Music. Brewer will report to Anthony Rudel, GM of GBH Music. Brewer joined the station in 2018 as assistant director of media relations and most recently worked as associate director of external communications. Before GBH, he was a senior publicist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Michael Hayes was hired as a reporter for New York Public Radio’s New Jersey and Suburbs team. He will focus on affordability and equity topics, such as housing, immigration, the workforce and education policy. Hayes most recently worked as a freelance journalist for CNN, The Appeal, Gothamist and ProPublica. He has also been a senior reporter for BuzzFeed News and is the author of The Secret Files: Bill de Blasio, the NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform, published earlier this year.
Dan Polletta rejoined Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland as a senior producer and jazz host, according to his LinkedIn profile. Polletta first worked for Ideastream from 2009–20. He has also worked as a host for The Landscape, produced by Crain’s Cleveland Business. Dee Perry also rejoined Ideastream after retiring from the station in 2016. Perry previously worked as host of The Sound of Applause. Stacey Vaselaney, a spokesperson for the station, said in an email that Polletta and Perry’s exact roles will be announced in coming months.
Lori Gilbert was hired as Morning Edition host for KNCC in Elko, Nev. KUNR/KNCC GM Brian Duggan told the Elko Daily Free Press that Gilbert’s hire is part of a larger effort to revitalize the station, which signed on in 1992. The goal for KNCC is to bring “original content stemming from Elko,” Duggan said. “What can public radio do to bolster the civic conversation in town and assist other journalistic outlets in town? How can we be collaborative and work with others so that we can provide independent, free accessible public service-minded journalism information and cultural content?” Gilbert previously worked as news director for the Elko Broadcasting Company. She has served on the boards of CPB and PBS Reno in Nevada.
Governance
Tina M. McDuffie joined the board of directors of the National Press Photographers Association. McDuffie is a host of Local, USA, which airs on GBH’s World Channel.
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