Obituaries
Former PBS president Bruce Christensen dies at 79
|
PBS President Paula Kerger called Christensen “a giant of public television.”
Obituaries
Wallace Smith, radio manager who stretched ‘towards something different and bolder,’ dies at 87
|
“Public radio … is a better thing both for Wally Smith’s successes, but also for the failures where he was willing to take on something that others were not,” said Tom Thomas, former CEO of Station Resource Group.
Obituaries
Alan Ross, host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s ‘Spectrum West,’ dies at 73
|
During his 14 years at WPR’s Eau Claire studios, Ross hosted a regional arts series and co-created a live variety show.
Obituaries
Jim Russell, creator of ‘Marketplace,’ dies at 76
|
“He was thoroughly devoted to public media. And that was infectious.”
Obituaries
KPVU GM John Hughes dies at 71
|
Hughes joined KPVU in 2016 and helped the station program more modern R&B and hip-hop music.
Obituaries
Larry Josephson, pioneering producer and freeform host, dies at 83
|
“He was the original politically incorrect guy on the radio, and that’s why I loved him,” said former WBAI producer Caryl Ratner during a tribute to Josephson that aired Thursday.
Obituaries
Mable Haddock, founding president of National Black Programming Consortium, dies at 74
|
“A true trailblazer, she was a warrior in the fight for equity in public media, and a friend to all,” said Leslie Fields-Cruz of Black Public Media.
Obituaries
Elaine Harbison, former director of learning services for WILL-TV, dies at 83
|
After retiring from WILL-TV, she started Harbison Learning Systems, where she was able to continue building the web-based Instructional Technology Marketplace.
Obituaries
David Liroff, former VP and CTO for GBH, dies at 77
|
Liroff worked for GBH for nearly 30 years.
Obituaries
Julie Glenn, news director for WGCU Public Media, dies at 50
|
Glenn, an award-winning journalist who co-created a podcast about wine, previously served on the board for the Public Media Journalists Association.
Obituaries
Leo Eaton, producer who led international co-productions for Maryland Public Television, dies at 76
|
After an early career in British television, Eaton reinvented himself as a prolific producer of documentary films for PBS.
Obituaries
Connie Goldman, former MPR reporter and ‘ATC’ host, dies at 91
|
“When I think of Connie, I think of somebody who was buoyant, bubbly and excited even if people were depressed and concerned or worried about whether NPR would exist,” said Jonathan “Smokey” Baer, who worked with Goldman as a production assistant on “All Things Considered.”
Obituaries
Emilio Delgado, ‘Luis’ for 44 years on ‘Sesame Street,’ dies at 81
|
On “Sesame Street,” Delgado was able to build a character who challenged stereotypes. Luis was a business owner, a neighbor, and later a husband and father.
Obituaries
Melody Walker, radio journalist and producer, dies at 62
|
“Melody was a gifted journalist with great storytelling skills and a sense of humor,” said Jim Russell, founding EP of “Marketplace.”
Obituaries
Victor Holliday, longtime producer of on-air fundraising for NPR, dies at 61
|
“When Victor walked into the room, the whole room just lit up.”
Obituaries
Bob Dambach, retired director of TV for Prairie Public, dies at 70
|
Dambach’s many award-winning productions for Prairie Public include a series of documentaries on Germans from Russia.
Obituaries
Walt Gillette, longtime WAMU fundraiser, dies at 64
|
Colleagues knew Gillette for his passion for public radio, his wry wit and a sanguine nature that never waned even during tough fundraising campaigns.
Obituaries
NPR editor Petra Mayer dies at 46
|
“She was ferociously intelligent, sardonically funny and made your day better by merely existing.”
People
ITVS controller Michael Shiro dies at 59
|
Shiro “brought analytical acumen, ethical rigor and humor to the sober business of managing the federal public funds that supported 1,000-plus independent documentary filmmakers over his tenure.”
Obituaries
Michael Soper, fundraising consultant who led PBS development in its formative years, dies at 71
|
Through his efforts to share best practices in public TV fundraising, Soper gained “a wonderful perspective on stations across the country and their different kinds of needs,” said former PBS COO Neil Mahrer.