Comings and goings: ‘1A’ hires EP, Ari Shapiro joins CNN as contributor …

Christopher Turpin was hired as EP of 1A, the daily public affairs program produced by WAMU in Washington, D.C.

Turpin succeeds Rupert Allman, the show’s founding EP, who left last year to become founder and EP of Clarke Place Productions.

Turpin previously worked for NPR for 23 years. His roles included EP of All Things Considered, interim VP of editorial innovation and special projects, and chief of staff to the president and CEO. He left NPR in 2024.

“There aren’t many people who have run a flagship daily program, led a newsroom and driven major strategic change at the same organization,” said WAMU CCO Michael Tribble in a news release. “Chris has done all three, and he’s done it across podcasting, investigative reporting, collaborative journalism and member station relations. That breadth is what will help take 1A from a great program to an essential one, and I’m glad he’s the one leading that work.”

“1A is a gem,” Turpin said in the release. “At a moment when we are awash in misinformation and disinformation, the show’s daily commitment to civil discourse grounded in the facts is more essential than ever. I’m excited to get to work with Jenn White and the exceptional 1A team on bringing the program to new audiences and deepening its already considerable impact.”

Ari Shapiro, former co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered and Consider This podcast, joined CNN as a contributor.

Shapiro, who is set to appear on CNN’s broadcast and digital programs, was also hired as co-host of the video podcast Engagement Party alongside former ATC host Audie Cornish. Engagement Party will premiere May 22.

Shapiro joined NPR in 2001 as an intern to legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. He also worked on the editorial side of Morning Edition, reported from London and covered the justice beat and the White House.

NPR promoted Senior White House Correspondent Tamara Keith to senior political correspondent.

Keith, a Politics Monday panelist for PBS News Hour, announced her promotion on the program. “I’m going to get out into the country more, talk to voters even more regularly,” she said. 

Keith, who also co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast, joined the organization in 2009 as a business reporter. She has also covered Congress.

Matt Franklin was named GM of Panhandle PBS in Amarillo, Texas.

Franklin, who starts the job in May, succeeds Julie Grimes, who left the station earlier this year to become executive director of Texas Tech Public Media in Lubbock.

Franklin most recently worked as communications manager for Wabash, a trucking company. Before that, he worked for Lakeshore Public Media in Merrillville, Ind., for 16 years. At Lakeshore, he was VP, producer of town halls, director of television operations and director of production and creative services.

Towards the end of his tenure at Lakeshore, Franklin was host and EP of Lakeshore Classic Movies, a show for public TV stations that highlights films from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s.

“I look forward to listening, learning, and collaborating with a dedicated group of individuals to help tell the stories of Amarillo and the Panhandle,” Franklin said on LinkedIn. “Excited for what lies ahead. Stay tuned.”

Content

Madeline Fox became news director for KCUR in Kansas City, Mo. Fox first joined the station in 2017 as a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration among four public radio stations. She left in 2019 to become a reporter for WLRN in Miami and was also a K-12 education reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio before returning to KCUR in 2022 as news editor. She has also been interim news director and assistant news director. “Madeline has put in the work to truly earn this newsroom’s trust. She has proven herself over and over,” said KCUR Director of Journalism Lisa Rodriguez in a news release. “She’s sharp, talented and has clear eyes toward the future of KCUR and public media. There’s no better fit to lead this newsroom into our next chapter.” Fox was among Current’s 2024 Rising Stars.

Neena Satija was hired as an investigative editor and reporter for The Texas Newsroom, a public radio collaboration co-led by NPR and affiliate stations in the state. Satija previously worked as an investigative reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She was also an investigative reporter for the Washington Post, an investigative reporter and environment reporter for The Texas Tribune, and a reporter for a collaboration between Connecticut Public and the Connecticut Mirror.

Chris J. Gauthier was hired as EP of WAMC in Albany, N.Y. He previously worked as a freelance senior producer for Wondery and has also been a senior producer for the production company WaitWhat, a video and audio production manager for the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and a producer for Middle Ground, a show distributed by PRX.

Joe Goetz was hired as a full-time announcer and host for WSMR in Sarasota, Fla., a classical music station owned by WUSF in Tampa. Goetz joined WUSF/WSMR on contract in December. Before that, he was a music director for Minnesota Public Radio’s YourClassical. He was also music director for WFIU in Bloomington, Ind., and a host for Vermont Public, KJZZ in Phoenix and KCME in Colorado Springs, Colo. “Joe is a treasure to the classical music world,” said WUSF GM Leslie Laney. “He is not only a fantastic programmer, but he is also a wonderful host who engages with audiences on a personal level.”

Fellowships

The Poynter Institute selected two public media employees for its 2026 Leadership Academy. Iowa Public Radio host Charity Nebbe and Erin Texeira, senior editor and director of the local journalism initiative for Frontline, produced by GBH in Boston, will attend courses at Poynter this month.

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