Comings and goings: NPR appoints National Desk chief editor, Nebraska Public Media hires CTO …

NPR promoted Catherine Laidlaw to chief editor of its National Desk.

Laidlaw was named acting chief editor in January and previously worked as deputy national editor.  She succeeds Ammad Omar, who had held the chief national editor position since July 2022.

Laidlaw has also worked for NPR as supervising editor of Morning Edition. She was also an editor for the San Diego Union-Tribune, the San Francisco Examiner, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Industry Standard.

“She is unfailingly collegial and instinctively collaborative — traits that will be essential as we evolve and deepen our relationships with member station colleagues to serve every nook and cranny of this country,” said Eva Rodriguez, VP and executive editor, in a news release. “She is also a top contender to be the James Brown of the newsroom — one of the hardest-working colleagues in our midst.”

Duane Smith was hired as CTO for Nebraska Public Media.

Smith most recently worked as VP of technology and CTO for Oregon Public Broadcasting. Before that, he was engineering manager and later director of technology for WJCT Public Media in Jacksonville, Fla. He also served as an electronics technician in the U.S. Navy.

“I’m excited for Duane to bring his experience to Nebraska,” said NPM CEO Stacey Decker in a news release. “He has a strong background in managing emergency communication systems and fostering high-performing, collaborative technology teams that will enhance service, resilience and innovation, and help us meet the needs of our audiences in both urban and rural Nebraska communities.”

Traffic

Firdnito White joined PBS Reno in Nevada as a traffic assistant. White most recently worked as master control operator for KVEW/KAPP in Yakima, Wash. “Firdnito brings in over six years of professional experience including video production, broadcast operations/engineering, and sports broadcasting,” said Traffic Manager Melissa Peel in a news release. “We are excited for him in his new role as Traffic Assistant, building PBS Reno’s daily broadcast logs.”

Content

Nathan Collins announced that he’s leaving his position as an accountability reporter for KERA in Dallas to become an investigative reporter for The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. “I’ll leave you with this,” he said on Bluesky. “Keep the pressure on, Dallas. Keep the momentum. Be your own City Hall watchdog. It’s the only way change happens.” In a separate post about his new job, he said “I’m excited to dive deep with the rest of the team — and eager to learn how to be a better journalist from them too.”

Kansas Public Radio hired Matthew Algeo as local Morning Edition host. Algeo, an author of several books, most recently lived in Botswana and has been traveling around the world with his family for the past 20 years. He previously worked as a part-time associate producer for NPR and has also been a host for The Public’s Radio in Rhode Island, Marketplace and Maine Public. “I believe deeply in the mission of public radio and in the importance of local news. My family will put down deep roots here and we look forward to engaging with the many vibrant communities that KPR serves,” Algeo said in a news release.

The SoCal Sound in Los Angeles announced that Matt Pinfield will become host of The Matt Pinfield Show starting in June. Pinfield joined the station last year as an afternoon drive host and will continue to co-host The Drive with PD Marc “Mookie” Kaczor. He stepped away from hosting work in January due to a stroke. “I am so excited and looking forward to getting back to work and on the air talking about music and doing what is truly in my heart,” Pinfield said in a news release. “Lucky to be alive — I came out of that coma and woke up grateful and, to no one’s surprise, quoting lyrics. I really missed it. Love my friends, family and coworkers — so much to catch up on!!!”

Fellowships

Four public media journalists are among the 25 leaders selected for the Poynter Institute’s Leadership Academy. They are: 

• Joseph Hren, assistant news director and anchor for WFIU/WTIU in Bloomington, Ind.
• Abby Killingsworth, development director for High Plains Public Radio in Garden City, Kan.
• Theresa Knight, senior producer and director for Iowa PBS
• Tania Ralli, managing editor of arts and culture for WBUR in Boston

Send news of “comings and goings” to people@current.org