Let's talk about your background.  Where did you grow up?

I grew up the son of a news broadcaster and so we moved around a lot as my dad went from station to station to grow his career. We started out in the Midwest and ended up in New York.

Where did you go to school?
I started getting media training in high school – a boys school in Derby New York (near Buffalo) – where I learned printing and wrote for a little newspaper. We took media classes, made a film, etc. In our off hours, we’d sneak into a locked radio studio and record ourselves singing and making up little skits and off-color jokes. Good practice anyway!
I went to college in Athens Georgia after serving in the army down south for three years. Using the government GI Bill to pay my way, I got both a BA and MA in journalism from the University of Georgia.

How did you become involved in the news business?
I think my dad’s experience was a vital influence. I saw how on top of the day’s events he was and I liked the energy in the broadcast stations he worked. I tried other things in college but ended up feeling most at home in the journalism department.

Where did you work prior to KPBS?
I worked at a commercial station first out of college. Then three years at WOSU in Columbus Ohio as a newscaster and reporter. I was hired in 1987 by KPLU in Tacoma/Seattle to be their news director. I did that for 8 years before taking the KPBS job.

Are you married/have children?
I was married 20 years but am not married now. I raised our three boys after I got divorced. We’re all happy with how things turned out. I’m now in a committed relationship with my partner Denise (who had two boys) – and we’re enjoying the “empty nest” now that our youngest kids are off to college.

With regard to your work at KPBS -- when was your last day at the station?
November 7th 2007 – coincidentally the 40th anniversary of the signing of the congressional act that created public broadcasting. (Read my last blog post at KPBS.org: http://www.kpbs.org/blogs/offmic/2007/11/07/happy-birthday-public-broadcasting-i-quit/)

How long have you been working for KPBS?
Twelve years almost to the day.

What attracted you to public broadcasting?
In college I studied media trends and I clearly saw the erosion of the public service values in commercial media… and the rise in public service values of the non-commercial, educational media. For some reason, I’m drawn to those values of service to others. So, I was clear on my intent to make a career in public media… and radio was so much more fun that television! (Plus, that’s where most of the news was being done. The rise of the NPR system is a true phenomenon – and I’m glad to have been a part of it.)

What does the news director position entail?
It involves a lot of administrative stuff actually – budgets and planning and directing people. But it’s also about setting a tone, articulating values, teaching ethics, raising the bar, and serving the audience. I’m now writing a manual for news directors and will get into this question very deeply. Essentially the news director is a linchpin for an entire news operation.

What were some of the greatest challenges you encountered as news director?
The big stuff comes to mind first: the dramatic 80 hours of non-stop fire coverage in October 2007, for example. That kind of work demands a lot of the news director.
Then there’s the long-term planning. We didn’t just get our news service to number one overnight. It took years of hiring the right people and designing the programs and making strategic decisions. You have to manage UP – making sure the entire organization is on a journalistic path. And – as we broadened KPBS radio into KPBS television and then into KPBS on-line, our long term designs became more and more complex. This was (and remains) an exciting challenge for a news manager.
So the small stuff comes to mind in that context – the daily decisions that make a difference on the air (and on-line), that give your news punch, relevance, importance, interest.
So, ultimately the greatest challenge is to juggle the complex array of responsibilities you face as that “linchpin.”

What were some of the major changes the station encountered?
Funding is the on-going challenge of public broadcasters. We see the vision but we’re always short of the resources necessary to reach it. That vision contains the major changes and we achieved many of them. Most of all they were growing the local news department into a serious contender in the San Diego marketplace… then expanding that department beyond radio into the new media environment.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment for the station?
I think I was a good steward of this community institution. I set a standard of excellence and demonstrated to anyone who was interested what we could do if we focused on journalism as our core service. Twelve years ago, news was a much lesser aspect of what KPBS was all about. Today, news is primarily what KPBS is about.

What position are you taking now that you have left KPBS?
I hope to make my way as an independent consultant. Helping other stations or news departments or individual journalists – based on my 25 years of experience. I also hope to keep learning about new media and help shape the way it evolves.

Why did you decide to leave?
Professionally, I was ready for a change. That’s a pretty fast-spinning merry-go-round to be on for so many years. Personally, Denise and I wanted to move to Santa Barbara to allow her greater proximity to her aging mother… and to slow down our lives a bit.

How will the station be different without you around?
Not too much, I hope. I like to think that they’ll replace me with someone fresh and excited, equally committed to strong journalism. If they take their time in hiring a news director, it will be hard on folks – so it might be a struggle in the short term.

What do you feel is the future of public broadcasting?
It can be very strong if public broadcasters stick to their core values and help lead the way into the new media environment. Our diversified funding model will help. So will our audience loyalty and trust. It will be challenging but if we consolidate our resources, get some funding help, and stick to our brand of journalism (and other classifications of high quality programming), we can make the technological and cultural transition ahead.

What advice would you give to young journalists trying to break into the business? (This is more of a question for my personal benefit ☺)
Ask good questions. Leave the silly fluff to others and focus on what makes this world really work or not work. Aim for truth, honesty and public service. Oh, and be creative and have fun!

12/03/2007