Julie Grimes to lead Texas Tech Public Media

Julie Grimes was hired as executive director of Texas Tech Public Media in Lubbock.

Her first day is Feb. 1. Grimes’ title is a new position for the dual licensee that oversees a TV and radio station in Lubbock, as well as PBS El Paso and KNCH-FM in San Angelo. The station’s previous leader, GM Paul Hunton, left in 2022 to lead WUNC in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Grimes is a graduate of Texas Tech University, which holds the license for TTPM. In 2023, she became GM of Panhandle PBS in Amarillo, Texas. She previously worked as senior food editor for Southern Living magazine and Cooking Light magazine.

“I hope to bring some of the connections that I have in Lubbock, and just build more community consensus, as well as find new and collaborative ways to tell amazing stories from West Texas,” Grimes told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, which broke the news of her hiring. 

Grimes told Texas Tech Now, the university’s online news hub, that “public media service is really important, especially in rural markets like Texas Tech Public Media services. It’s important nationwide, but it’s critical in rural markets, and the chance to serve those residents is of utmost importance.”

“I think we can build a strong local network in the Lubbock community and expand on our network in El Paso,” Grimes added. “I think those are some of the most exciting opportunities available to us.”