Louisville Public Media Names Skoler as President

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Michael Skoler

Louisville Public Media, the parent of NPR News WFPL-FM, WUOL-FM (Classical 90.5) and WFPK/Louisville along with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, has announced that its board of trustees has chosen Michael Skoler as the organization's next President and General Manager. Skoler, who currently serves as Vice President of Interactive Media for Public Radio International, succeeds Donovan Reynolds, who retires September 30.

"I've spent the last dozen years working at the cutting edge of a changing media world," said Skoler. "I'm joining Louisville Public Media because I believe it has the passion to define the future for public radio -- a future well beyond radio or the web. In a world of online friends and endless news and music streams, LPM can help people share understanding, forge bonds, solve problems and lead richer lives. And we'll do that through audio, video, text, apps, events and honest conversations."

Skoler will begin his new duties on December 1. An interim management team consisting of LPM Director of Development Layla George, Executive Editor Stephen George and Chief Financial Officer Dennis Stovall, will assume leadership of the organization from October 1 through November 30.

"The board felt deeply that our next leader should possess a forward-thinking vision of the new media environment, while understanding the importance of maintaining quality service to our current radio audiences," said LPM Board Chair Todd Lowe. "Michael has experience in creating and leading digital strategies, fundraising and collaboration, and producing award-winning journalism. This makes him the ideal choice to guide our organization into the future."

Prior to PRI, Skoler was a science and foreign correspondent for NPR, best known for his coverage of the genocide in Rwanda. He was an early pioneer in crowdsourcing and founded the Public Insight Network of 250,000 citizen sources now used by more than 60 newsrooms nationwide. He is also a serial collaborator, having created the Public Radio Collaboration that brought networks and stations together for shared coverage from 2002-05.