Cameron Risher was named CMO for Milwaukee PBS.
Risher most recently worked as director of communications for Nebraska Public Media. Her previous jobs include communications and event director for the South Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association, station relations and outreach director for children’s program producer Raggs LLC and community relations manager for South Carolina ETV.
In 2021 and 2022, the National Educational Telecommunications Association recognized Risher’s team at NPM for overall excellence in marketing and communications.
“I am very excited to join Milwaukee PBS, a nationally recognized leader in local programming and documentaries,” Risher said in a news release. “Milwaukee PBS’s status as one of the most-watched PBS stations in the country presents a unique opportunity to strengthen its brand and amplify its impact. I look forward to enhancing our platforms and leveraging digital innovation to reach and engage diverse audiences in this dynamic media environment.”
Sesame Workshop hired Onyinye Nwaneri as managing director for its South Africa operations.
Nwaneri, who starts the job in January, will report to Lesley Bourns, SVP of international social impact.
Nwaneri most recently worked as group CEO at Afrika Tikkun, a nonprofit focused on youth development. She’s also been a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme, a business development manager for Regency International and a lawyer for Templars Barristers & Solicitors in Lagos, Nigeria.
“For over two decades, Onyi has built a strong track record as an organizational leader in the social impact sector in South Africa, building and guiding programs that support children’s development starting in the critical early years,” Bourns said in a news release. “Her extensive background in driving strategic, operational growth, along with her passion for impactful development programs, will be invaluable as she leads the Workshop’s South Africa team into an exciting new chapter of growth and innovation.”
Technology
Loretta Rodgers, a stage manager and studio supervisor for WETA in Washington, D.C., is retiring from the station. “Behind every camera cue, every smooth transition, every seamless moment, there’s been one person working behind the scenes to make it all happen,” said PBS News Hour co-anchor Geoff Bennett in a tribute that aired during the Dec. 13 edition of the program. Rodgers has worked for WETA since 1986, and she has served as the production union’s shop steward since 1992. “Early in her career, Loretta was one of very few women of color working in television production in the country. Over the years she has set the standard for excellence,” said co-anchor Amna Nawaz during the broadcast. “We at the News Hour are who we are in large part because of you.”
Development
Blake Zacarias joined PBS Reno in Nevada as a development officer focusing on major donors. Zacarias most recently worked as a sales talent development manager at ITS Logistics in Reno, where he managed a sales team of 25 employees. He’s also been a payroll tax specialist at Intuit QuickBooks and an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada in Reno.
Content
Adam Friedrich was promoted to news PD for Wisconsin Public Radio. He joined the network in 2004 as a senior broadcast specialist and most recently worked as an EP. He previously was an assistant producer for the radio program At Ten, now known as Lake Effect, for WUWM in Milwaukee.
Nina Kravinsky was hired as news director of the Mexico City bureau operated by Phoenix-based KJZZ. Kravinsky most recently worked at NPR as a producer on Morning Edition. Earlier in her career, she was an assistant news director for WORT in Madison, Wis., and a Here & Now production assistant for PBS Wisconsin. The Mexico City bureau is part of the Fronteras Desk, a formerly CPB-funded journalism collaboration. KJZZ has reopened the bureau, which closed in 2021 due to financial challenges.
Fellowships
Bri Hatch, an education reporter for WYPR in Baltimore, was selected as a HEAL fellow for the Solutions Journalism Network. The HEAL program supports reporting about young people who face mental health challenges. Hatch’s project will focus on school-based efforts to address mental health issues with a specific emphasis on LGBTQ+ students. Hatch joined WYPR last year.
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