Comings and goings: STLPR adds editorial leader, WAMU hires reporters …
Edwards
St. Louis Public Radio announced changes to its editorial staff effective Aug. 11.
Rob Edwards was hired as the station’s first managing editor of news. Edwards, who will lead a dozen reporters and three news editors, most recently worked for KSDK-TV in St. Louis as managing editor and EP. He was also a producer for commercial stations KOMU in Columbia, Mo.; WTVG in Toledo, Ohio; and WMC-TV in Memphis, Tenn.
As part of the restructuring, Brian Heffernan, interim news director since 2023, will co-lead as managing editor of audience and product. Heffernan joined the station in 2018 and has also been digital and special projects editor.
“Rob is an exceptional journalist and newsroom leader and I am looking forward to beginning this new chapter for STLPR in partnership with him,” Heffernan said in a news release. Edwards said, “We will push to hold public officials accountable and stand up for St. Louis. I’m confident the team at STLPR is ready to take on that challenge.”
WAMU in Washington, D.C., hired two journalists.
Darryl C. Murphy was hired as an arts and culture reporter. Murphy most recently worked for WBUR in Boston, where he hosted The Common, a news and culture podcast, and was also business and transportation reporter. Before that, he was a reporter for PlanPhilly, a reporter and photographer for the Philadelphia Public School Notebook and a freelance reporter for WHYY in Philadelphia.
Jenny Abamu became Maryland policy and politics reporter. She most recently worked as editor-in-chief and co-founder of JAM CQ, a publication focused on technology and entrepreneurs. Abamu was also a WAMU education reporter from 2018–19, a foreign service officer for the U.S. State Department and a freelance reporter for NPR, WAMU, Fortune and Chalkbeat.
Technology
Dan Whealy became owner and president of Heartland Video Systems in Plymouth, Wis., a video-systems consulting firm that has helped build ATSC 3.0 facilities for Kentucky Educational Television and Public Media Connect stations in Ohio. Dennis Klas, former owner and president, will stay on through the summer of 2026 to support the leadership transition. Whealy joined HVS last year as director of business development and technology. He was also CTO of Allen Media Broadcasting and worked in engineering for Quincy Media; KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa; and WREX in Rockford, Ill.
Development
Barbara Winter joined PBS Reno in Nevada as director of membership. Most recently, she served as impact director for CoPeace Capital, an impact investing fund. She also led Green Dining Nevada as project manager at greenUP!, a Nevada-based nonprofit. “I am honored to join the PBS Reno team and contribute to an organization deeply rooted in service to its community,” Winter said in a press release. “Originally from Brazil, I have had the privilege of living in diverse cultures around the world. These experiences have shaped my belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of inclusive, community-driven storytelling. At PBS Reno, I’m excited to help foster a sense of belonging and amplify the voices and stories of our neighbors.”
Content
Laura Lee left her position as news director for Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, N.C., to become editorial director of NC Local. She joined BPR in 2023 as interim news director and was promoted to a permanent role later that year. She has also been a producer for NPR; managing editor for WUNC in Chapel Hill, N.C.; and an editor for Edutopia. “We are incredibly grateful for Laura’s leadership and wish her continued success in her next chapter,” said CEO Ele Ellis in a news release. “She leaves behind a stronger newsroom and a lasting legacy of integrity, innovation and service.”
Soreath Hok became a host of All Things Considered for KVPR in Fresno, Calif. Hok first joined the station in 2020 as a reporter. She left in 2023 and has been working as partner and co-founder for Disrupt Marketing, based in Sacramento, Calif. She has also been a producer for several commercial stations in Sacramento and Fresno.
Governance
New York Public Radio announced changes to its board of trustees. John Rose, a senior advisor to the Boston Consulting Group and CEO of Spectrum Advisors LLC, was named chair. He has been a trustee for the organization for three decades and succeeds Timothy A. Wilkins. Anna Quindlen, a novelist and former New York Times columnist, was named co-vice chair, along with Carl Weisbrod, former chair of the New York City Planning Commission. NYPR also added three members to its board: Gary Knell, former CEO of Sesame Workshop and NPR and chair of National Geographic Partners; Jenna Weiss-Berman, co-founder of Pineapple Street Studios and head of podcasts at Paper Kite Productions; and Jeremy Kuriloff, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group.
The board of trustees of WPBS in Watertown, N.Y., appointed Bill Roberts chair. Roberts joined the board in 2019. He most recently served as vice chair and previously worked as CEO of VisionTV, based in Canada.
New Hampshire PBS appointed three new members to its board of directors: Cynthia Fenneman, president emeritus of American Public Television, who previously worked as an EP and director of broadcasting for the station; Mark E. Doyle, director of the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s division of emergency services and communications; and Kristen Nevious, director of the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce University, who stepped down as chair of the station’s community advisory board and transitioned to the board of directors.
Send news of “comings and goings” to people@current.org
