NPR hired Jay Shaylor as EP of Morning Edition and Up First.
Shaylor succeeds Erika Aguilar, who left NPR in December. He previously worked as EP of CBS Evening News. He’s also been EP of The Situation Room hosted by Wolf Blitzer at CNN and was a senior producer for Good Morning America.
“For more than 45 years, the Morning Edition team has helped set the agenda for the day—informing, engaging and delighting listeners fairly and accurately,” Shaylor said in a staff memo. “I’m excited to be joining this iconic broadcast and its companion podcast, Up First, at this critical moment, helping the team to report the news that matters to our listeners without fear or favor.”
Jim Allison was promoted to VP and GM for WETA Classical in Washington, D.C.
Allison will succeed Dan DeVany, who is retiring as VP and station manager of radio. DeVany started working for WETA in 1990.
Allison joined WETA 17 years ago as PD. Before that, he was music director and PD for classical music station WGMS in Washington, D.C, which ceased broadcasting in 2007. During his WGMS tenure, he created VivaLaVoce, an online radio station. Allison is also a classically trained pianist who occasionally performs in concert venues in the U.S. and abroad.
“Jim brings a breadth of management experience and industry expertise to this role along with a lifelong passion for classical music. Most importantly, he also has a deep understanding of and appreciation for the communities we serve,” said Miguel Monteverde, WETA SVP and GM, in a news release. “All of that, combined with his background as a seasoned executive and talented artist, makes him the perfect leader to guide WETA Classical through its next chapter.”
Louisville Public Media in Kentucky announced staff changes at WFPK, its alternative music station.
Kyle Meredith was promoted to PD. Meredith joined LPM in 2008 as a part-time host and became music director in 2010. Before that, he worked as music director for commercial station WLRS in Louisville.
Meredith succeeds Stacy Owen, who is stepping back to become promotions director. Owen joined the station in 2000. “For a while now, I’ve been thinking about making a shift—not because I love this place any less, but because I want to keep finding new ways to make an impact,” Owen said in a news release. “After a lot of thought, I kept coming back to one thing: better communication—both within our amazing team and with the artists, venues, and labels that make our music community thrive.”
Meredith said, “I’m pumped to steer this ship into a new era, one that’s been brewing in the back of our minds for years. Massive hat tip to Stacy Owen, the boss legend of two decades who’s shaped this place into what it is. She’s not exiting stage left but stepping into a new role where we’ll be partners in crime, scheming to catapult WFPK to heights only seen in our daydreams.”
Engagement
PBS Reno in Nevada hired Chris Roach as community partnership coordinator. Roach most recently worked as a content planning manager for Disney, where he worked on the company’s streaming service Disney+. He’s also been a sales and distribution coordinator for Fremantle, an entertainment company, and a production coordinator for El Rey Network. “I’ve long wanted to use my experience in the entertainment industry to make a positive impact on my community, and I can’t imagine a better place to do that than PBS Reno,” Roach said in a news release.
Content
Tim Lambert, host of Morning Edition and the Morning Agenda podcast for WITF in Harrisburg, Pa., is leaving the station. Lambert joined WITF in 2001 as host of All Things Considered and has also been a senior reporter, multimedia news director and special projects editor. “It’s bittersweet for me,” Lambert said in a WITF news story. “Talking to the listeners — they’re there every day. Whether the news is good or bad or it’s just a typical day. That’s who I want to thank, because without them, there’s no reason to do this job. And it’s not a job, it’s a privilege to do every day.”
Governance
Jon Abbott, former CEO of GBH in Boston, was appointed to the board of directors for American Documentary, the nonprofit behind POV, POV Shorts and America ReFramed. Abbott previously served on the organization’s board from 2008–17 and officially rejoined in December. In 2023, he was the inaugural recipient of the Trailblazer Award at the AmDoc Gala. “I’m looking forward to helping American Documentary again. The role of documentaries in examining our lives and the stories of those we share the world with is a vital one,” Abbott said in a news release. “AmDoc and public media play a unique and distinctive role supporting and amplifying the reach and resonance of these films.”
WDIY in Bethlehem, Pa., announced the result of recent board elections. Scott Dams, VP of enrollment and marketing for Moravian University, was named board president. He succeeds Karen El-Chaar, a professor at Cedar Crest College and a former executive director for Friends of the Allentown Parks. Kevin Nadolski, a new board member and a priest with the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, was elected vice president of the board. Kamran Afshar, host of WDIY’s weekly segment “Economic Pulse,” was elected second vice president. Shane McGee, a director for Air Products, was elected treasurer, and Sharon Ettinger, a part-time host for WDIY’s folk music show Unlimited Possibilities, was elected secretary.
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