Comings and goings: WXXI GM to retire, EIC leaves WNYC …

Susan Rogers, EVP and GM of WXXI in Rochester, N.Y., will retire at the end of September.

Rogers joined the station in 1996 as COO and was promoted to EVP in 1999. She was named EVP and GM in 2008. She will continue as a part-time consultant to the CEO.

During her tenure, Rogers helped lead WXXI’s transition from analog to digital and worked on two capital campaigns. She also helped secure broadcast partnerships with the University of Rochester and WRUR, as well as Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ WEOS/WITH.

Rogers also assisted with the acquisition of The Little Theatre movie venue in 2011 and helped establish Rochester Area Media Partners, a for-profit subsidiary of WXXI, which led to the acquisition of CITY Newspaper, now CITY Magazine. She was also instrumental in the purchase of an FM signal for NPR and WXXI News.

“Sue’s history with WXXI is remarkable—her vision and leadership over nearly three decades have shaped this organization in ways that will resonate for generations. As someone new to WXXI and to Rochester, I have been deeply grateful for Sue’s guidance,” said WXXI CEO Chris Hastings in a news release. “She has helped me connect not only with the history of this institution but also with the spirit of the community it serves. Her steady hand has made it possible for me to step into this role with confidence, knowing that I am building on a foundation she helped create.”

Before joining WXXI, Rogers was an associate professor and director of the office of distance learning at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has also been board chair for Eastern Region Public Media.

“It has been my privilege and honor, and most of the time a great pleasure, to work in public media, specifically at WXXI. Its importance to our culture and democracy has never been clearer,” said Rogers in the release. “I intend to remain an avid supporter and cheerleader as the valuable work educating the community continues.”

Audrey Cooper is leaving her position as editor-in-chief of WNYC in New York to take the same title at the Baltimore Banner.

Cooper joined WNYC in 2020 after serving as editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, which she joined in 2006. She has also been a reporter for the Tri-Valley Herald in Pleasanton, Calif., and the Associated Press in Sacramento, Calif., and she also worked for The Record in Stockton, Calif.

In an interview with The Banner, Cooper said, “If you look across the country to where people are doing it right, it’s not a coincidence that everybody’s first answer is The Banner. It’s a really talented staff and a super-devoted leadership team. There’s nothing not to like.”

The Banner has a partnership with WYPR in Baltimore.

Milos Maldonado was hired as CFO of Louisville Public Media in Kentucky.

His first day is Oct. 20.

Maldonado most recently worked as CFO of the Filson Historical Society, a nonprofit in Louisville. Before that, he worked for Volunteers of America Mid-States, first as controller and later as associate CFO. He has also held finance and accounting positions for Churchill Downs Incorporated and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He previously served as an elected commissioner on the City of Wellington’s council.

“Public media was already facing disruption from industry changes and emerging technologies, and now we’re doing it all without federal funding,” said LPM CEO Kenya Young in a news release. “We needed someone who could work side by side with our leadership team as a strategic business partner to figure this out, and Milos is exactly that person.”

Content

Laurel Wamsley, a Business Desk correspondent covering personal finance for NPR, announced on Bluesky that she’s leaving the organization. “I’m excited to be joining Cloudflare as editor-in-chief, overseeing the Cloudflare Blog,” she wrote. Wamsley first joined NPR as a Weekend Edition Saturday intern in 2007 and has also worked as a producer for the Washington Desk, a reporter for the News Desk and a National Desk correspondent reporting on cities and housing.

Clay Masters was named All Things Considered host for Minnesota Public Radio’s MPR News. Masters succeeds Tom Crann, who stepped down to become a host for YourClassical MPR. Masters joined MPR last year as a senior politics reporter. Before that, he was a Morning Edition host and political correspondent for Iowa Public Radio. He has also been a reporter and producer for Nebraska Public Media. Masters was part of the first group of journalists to work for Harvest Public Media, a CPB-funded collaboration among stations that focused on agriculture reporting in the Midwest. Masters “brings not only hosting experience, but decades of reporting expertise,” said MPR News PD Stephanie Curtis in a news release. “We needed someone who connects with audiences on a personal level and embodies our commitment to fact-based, non-partisan journalism. Clay is exactly that.”

Sarah Petrowich was hired as Maryland state government and politics reporter for Baltimore Public Media, which operates NPR station WYPR. Petrowich previously worked as state politics reporter for Delaware Public Media. Before that, she was a reporter and podcast producer for KBIA in Columbia, Mo. “At a time when public media’s mission of providing trusted, community-focused journalism is under unprecedented threat, I take more pride in this role than ever before,” she said in a news release. “Local government and civic engagement is one of the cornerstones of democracy, and I am excited to join a community of journalists empowering the Baltimore area through insightful coverage of the policies and political decisions impacting their lives.”

Fellowships

All Classical Radio in Portland named Kirsten Volness a composer in residence and flute, piccolo and saxophone player Dana Sparling a young artist in residence. Additionally, Kristen Kim and Kaden Prichard were named 2025–26 young artist ambassadors. Volness will assist with the development of All Classical Radio’s third album and have an original work featured on the album, which is set to be released next year. Sparling will appear next year on Thursdays @ Three, ACR’s flagship live performance radio show, and will be invited to perform at events and concerts. Kim and Prichard will receive mentorship and coaching.

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