Tyler Falk

Indianapolis

Reporter, Public Radio and Podcasts at Current

I cover public radio and podcasts for @currentpubmedia.

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Articles

New York increases public radio support amid CPB funding threat

3 days ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

New York’s governor signed a budget bill last week that included $4 million in state funding to public radio stations. The funding is in addition to the state’s regular annual appropriation to public broadcasters, which was more than $14 million in the fiscal year 2026 budget. $13 million of that goes to public television, according to a press release from New York Public Radio. According to the bill, the $4 million will be divided evenly among New York public radio stations.
WQED suspends youth media academy, lays off staff

5 days ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

WQED in Pittsburgh, Pa., has suspended The Creator Academy, a youth media education program, as the station navigates “unprecedented threats to federal funding for the arts, education, and public broadcasting,” CEO Jason Jedlinski confirmed to Current in an email. Five employees working with the academy were laid off, including four full-time staff and one part-time staffer, Jedlinski wrote.
LAist lays off eight staffers citing federal funding uncertainty

1 week ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

LAist in Pasadena, Calif., has laid off eight employees due to financial headwinds that could worsen with the potential loss of its federal funding. “Public media outlets like LAist are especially affected by declining revenue and rising operating costs,” Alejandra Santamaria, president and CEO, told LAist members in a Tuesday email.
NPR is considering 'full range of options' for response to Trump executive order, says board chair

1 week ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

NPR is considering its response to President Trump’s executive order that directs CPB to eliminate funding to NPR and PBS, network board chair Jennifer Ferro said during a board meeting Friday. “We are still reviewing the legal interpretation of the order and the full range of options for response,” Ferro said during the meeting. The executive order, issued Thursday night, aims to end CPB’s direct and indirect support to NPR and PBS.
Jeffrey Pope named KUNM GM

2 weeks ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

Jeffrey Pope is the new GM of KUNM in Albuquerque, N.M. Pope begins transitioning into the role Thursday on a part-time basis, according to a press release from the University of New Mexico, the station’s licensee. He will work alongside current GM Richard Towne, who will retireJune 30. Towne has led the station since 1994. He said that last fall, he reached 50 years of working in noncommercial radio and also turned 70.
‘The Daily’ adds two co-hosts

3 weeks ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

Natalie Kitroeff and Rachel Abrams will join Michael Barbaro as co-hosts of the New York Times’ The Daily. The show started as a podcast and has since added a radio version distributed by American Public Media. “Rachel and Natalie are both sharp, creative journalists who run toward big stories and who have shined during their recent stints guest-hosting the show,” the team behind the show said in a press release.
Former St. Louis Public Radio GM Tim Eby to appeal defamation suit dismissal

3 weeks ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

Tim Eby, a former GM of St. Louis Public Radio, plans to appeal the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against the station’s licensee. The Board of Curators of the University of Missouri, STLPR’s licensee and the defendant in the lawsuit, argued that it was covered under sovereign immunity and was therefore immune from the suit. The university asked Missouri Circuit Court judge Joseph Whyte for a summary judgment ruling, which he granted April 15 in its favor.
Jordan Lee promoted to Radio Milwaukee executive director

1 month ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

Jordan Lee was named executive director of Radio Milwaukee. He began in the role at the Urban Alternative station on an interim basis in January, following the departure of Maxie Jackson. “I’m incredibly honored to step into the role of executive director at Radio Milwaukee, an organization that has always stood for innovation, inclusion, and community,” Lee said in an April 7 press release.
Tina Pamintuan to lead KUOW

1 month ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

Tina Pamintuan will take over as president and CEO of KUOW in Seattle Aug. 1. She is currently CEO of St. Louis Public Radio. Pamintuan will succeed Caryn Mathes, who will retire June 2. KUOW COO Kerry Swanson will serve as interim president and GM during the transition. “We are thrilled to have found someone of Tina’s vision and expertise to take the helm,” Randy Hodgins, VP of external affairs at the University of Washington, KUOW’s licensee, said in a press release.
For station drives, discussing funding threat appears to boost giving

1 month ago | current.org | Tyler Falk

New York Public Radio didn’t shy away from discussing the political attacks on public media during its most recent on-air fund drive. It paid off in a big way. The organization, which runs news station WNYC and classical WQXR, blew past its goals with the tagline “WNYC has never been more valuable. And it has never been more vulnerable,” according to CEO LaFontaine Oliver. WNYC raised about $2.31 million, nearly double its goal, while WQXR raised just under $500,000, exceeding its goal of $420,000.