Amy Wielunski is leaving her position as VP of membership for Chicago Public Media.
Wielunski was hired as executive director of VocalEssence, a nonprofit choral music organization in Minneapolis. She joins the organization in June.
Wielunski joined Chicago Public Media in 2017 as director of membership growth and acquisition and was promoted to her current role in 2021.
She previously worked in the membership departments for Minnesota Public Radio; WQXR in New York City; WSKG in Binghamton, N.Y.; and WTMD in Towson, Md. She started her career in public media in 2002 with WAMU in Washington, D.C.
Michael Krall will join Cincinnati Public Radio’s WGUC as classical music director in June.
Krall will succeed John Clare, who left the station in March to become artistic director of Gretna Music, a live music venue in Mount Gretna, Pa.
Krall is currently interim PD for WAMU in Washington, D.C. Before that he was PD for WBHM in Birmingham, Ala., until he was laid off last year. He has also been PD for WCBU in Peoria, Ill.; music director for WKNO in Memphis, Tenn.; and an announcer for Delmarva Public Media in Salisbury, Md.
Bob Boilen will become PD of WOWD, a low-power FM radio station in Takoma Park, Md.
On June 1, Boilen will succeed Steve Hoffman, who has served as PD since 2017.
Boilen most recently worked as an NPR host, producer and director. He created All Songs Considered and co-founded the network’s Tiny Desk Concerts. He left NPR last year.
Boilen will continue to host My Tiny Morning Show, a one-hour weekly program on WOWD.
“After 35 years at NPR, it’s a thrill to be a part of community radio with a spirit of commitment and imagination that this station and its volunteers offer,” Boilen said in a news release.
Technology
Chuck Cooper was hired as director of technology for Northern California Public Media in Rohnert Park. Cooper previously worked as chief broadcast engineer for Basin PBS in Midland, Texas. He has also been audio visual sales and design engineer for Lubbock Audio Visual. Cooper is a “well-respected broadcast engineering professional, IT manager, and innovative designer of broadcast center and studio design,” said NorCal CEO Darren LaShelle in a news release. “He brings a high level of technical expertise to our organization, as well as a proven track record of staff mentoring and a deep understanding of small station needs and challenges that will help move NorCal into the future.”
Content
James Hider was hired as NPR’s Middle East editor. Hider has been filling in as a temporary Middle East editor since January and succeeds Larry Kaplow, who became an editor for NPR’s National Desk on the States Team. Hider previously worked as a Middle East editor and Latin America editor for The Times in London. He was also the deputy bureau chief for Agence France-Presse in Jerusalem.
Amanda Michelle Gomez announced that she’s leaving her role as a general assignment reporter for WAMU in Washington, D.C. “It’s bittersweet. I believe in the mission of local journalism [and] I respect and admire my colleagues … but I need to step away from WAMU and the news industry,” she said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “What’s next for me? Two weeks of reading, gardening, and walking my dog. Then after a much needed break, I’m pivoting to full-time union work. I would love to connect with folks in my new field!” Gomez joined WAMU in 2021. She previously worked as a fellow for Kaiser Health News, a city desk reporter for Washington City Paper, a health policy reporter for ThinkProgress and a production assistant for PBS NewsHour.
Kennedy Vincent was named host of Dialogue, a weekly news and public affairs magazine produced by Illinois Public Media in Urbana. The program’s launch is part of Illinois Soul, a radio format designed for Black audiences. Vincent joined the station last year as a producer for The 21st, a daily program.
Colleen DeGuzman announced on X that she was hired as an enterprise reporter for Houston Public Media. DeGuzman previously worked as a Peggy Girshman Fellow at KFF Health News. She has also been a reporting fellow for the Texas Tribune and a reporter and designer for The Monitor in McAllen, Texas, and she participated in the NPR Next Generation Radio program in 2020.
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