Comings and goings: Kaplan resigns from CPB board, PRX appoints sales SVP …
Kaplan
Diane Kaplan announced that she has resigned from the CPB board of directors effective Monday.
“I am proud to have been the first and only Alaskan to have served on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board of Directors,” she wrote in an email to Current. “I thank Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Dan Sullivan for nominating me and for their steadfast support for my service.”
In her email, Kaplan said she remains “committed to supporting the brilliant and necessary work of America’s public radio and television stations and producers, particularly those that serve rural and Native communities. … At this juncture, I feel my efforts are better spent pursuing political and philanthropic strategies leading towards the restoration of support for American public media.”
Kaplan was confirmed to her seat on the board in 2022.
Chris Bowlby announced on LinkedIn that he became SVP of sales for PRX.
PRX acquired Soundrise, the company where Bowlby previously worked, last year.
“Being acquired by PRX means same title, same team, but a different organization,” he wrote. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to join some of the smartest public media professionals at one of the most important networks in the industry. The best part is I get to continue representing the next generation of public media audio content while partnering with great agency and client partners.”
Bowlby joined Soundrise in 2024. He has also held sales positions with The Information, Spotify, Flipboard, The New York Times, Time and Univision.
WXXI in Rochester, N.Y., reorganized its staff and announced promotions.
Greg Carter became CTO. Carter joined WXXI in 2018 as chief engineer and was promoted to VP of technology and operations in 2023. Before joining WXXI, he led engineering at WHEC, an NBC affiliate in Rochester.
Todd McCammon was promoted to VP of programming and content partnerships. He most recently worked as VP of television. McCammon joined the station in 2006 as assistant VP and was promoted to his most recent position in 2019.
Veronica Volk was named EP and director of podcast strategy. She joined WXXI in 2014 as a general assignment reporter and has also been an editor and senior producer.
Ryan Williamson was promoted to executive director of CITY Magazine and director of digital products. Williamson joined CITY in 2015 as art director and production manager before it was acquired by WXXI. He later worked as creative director and operations manager and was most recently strategy and operations director.
Rhonda Austin, radio operations manager, was promoted to senior director of audio operations and programming. Austin, who joined the station in 1988, will oversee the radio traffic/operations manager and on-air talent for WXXI Classical and The Route, the station’s Triple A radio service.
Katie Epner was promoted to director of video production. Epner joined WXXI as a videographer and later worked as a producer. Her most recent role was creative content producer.
Jon Haliniak was named director of brand strategy and creative services. He started working for the station 20 years ago and previously worked as creative director.
Kristin Tutino was promoted to director of communications. Tutino joined the station in 2002 as a publicist and most recently worked as communications manager.
Jim Malley, previously facilities manager, became facilities director. In addition to overseeing maintenance and safety, he will manage staff and contractors and lead capital projects. Malley joined WXXI in 2015.
Sarah Wolcheski became senior manager for membership. She joined the station in 2022 and previously worked as digital and on-air fundraising manager.
Management
Chad Lampe became director of public media partnerships for PRX. Lampe previously worked for CPB as director of radio system investments. “While my tenure [at CPB] was shorter than I hoped, cut short by Congressional defunding, it was deeply meaningful to me both personally and professionally,” he said on LinkedIn. Lampe had a previous stint working for PRX from 2022–24 as manager of station services. He also worked for WKMS in Murray, Ky., as news director, assistant station manager and station manager.
Joel Patterson became audio strategy director for Frontline, the news and public affairs documentary series produced by GBH in Boston. Patterson joined Frontline last year as a contract podcast producer. He previously worked as senior producer for The Gist; managing editor for The Pulse, produced by WHYY in Philadelphia; senior producer for LAist in Pasadena, Calif.; and producer for Marketplace.
Content
David Lee was hired as news director for Arizona Public Media in Tucson. Lee previously worked as executive editor for Cascade PBS in Seattle, which he joined in 2021. Before that, he was news director for WFRV, a CBS affiliate in Green Bay, Wis.; and news director for WTXL, an ABC affiliate in Tallahassee, Fla. “David’s deep journalism background and proven leadership in public media make him an outstanding choice to lead AZPM’s newsroom,” said AZPM CEO Jack Gibson in a news release. “His commitment to thoughtful, community-centered reporting aligns perfectly with our mission to serve Southern Arizona with trusted, in-depth news.”
Bianca Hillier, a reporter for The World, co-produced by PRX and GBH in Boston, is leaving the program. Hillier joined the program in 2019 as a producer and host of The Number in the News, a daily news podcast distributed on Amazon and Google devices. She became a reporter in 2020. “I’m incredibly proud to have been part of this show’s history, and trying to name my most memorable stories would be a losing game,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “I plan to listen to The World for years to come, but public media needs support to keep going. If The World, GBH, or your local public radio station has ever informed you, challenged you, or kept you company, please consider donating what you can.”
Governance
Ernesto Aguilar was elected board chair for the Public Media Content Collective. Aguilar, who most recently served as board secretary, succeeds Jenell Walton. Aguilar is executive director of radio programming and content innovation initiatives for KQED in San Francisco. He joined the Bay Area station in 2021 as director of radio programming after working as executive director for the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.
Send news of “comings and goings” to people@current.org
Thank you for your service Diane!