Phil Wilke has been appointed the new general manager of North State Public Radio, KCHO–Chico and KFPR–Redding, joining the station at an exciting time as it begins its 50th year of broadcast service.
Wilke comes to NSPR from Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he serves as the director of membership and community outreach for KRWG Public Media, which provides public radio and television to communities in Southern New Mexico and West Texas. Prior to his time in Las Cruces, he served as media manager for Kansas Public Radio.
“I can't wait to get started at NSPR. The staff provides remarkable programming, news coverage and community outreach, and I look forward to helping the station thrive,” Wilke said.
He has an extensive media background, holding degrees in journalism and broadcast from the University of Kansas. His early career work was in news in the varied roles of editor, columnist and reporter for Kansas newspapers including the Lawrence Journal-World and the Topeka Capital-Journal.
The committee noted Wilke stood out among the candidates for his demonstrated success with building community connections and fundraising to support the journalistic integrity and culturally relevant programming that National Public Radio and public radio provides.
The NSPR general manager provides leadership and vision for the public radio station, which reaches 40,000 listeners weekly as it serves news and culture across the North State. NSPR is listener- and member-supported, and the general manager ensures compliance with Federal Communications Commission requirements and operates the station in a fiscally sustainable manner.
“This radio station is special, and we believe we’ve found in Phil Wilke the right person to lead us into our sixth decade of providing the most comprehensive news and cultural programming in the North State,” said Stephen Cummins, director of University Public Engagement and chair of the search committee. “Phil brings wisdom and great experience in media and community service to the table.”
The University wishes to thank the committee who supported the national search for a new station manager:
- Alexa Benson-Valavanis – President and CEO, North Valley Community Foundation
- Sarah Bohannon – Interim News Director, NSPR
- Pam Hollis – Executive Director of Finance and Administration, University Advancement, CSU, Chico
- Shannon Phillips – Chief Operating Officer, McConnell Foundation, Redding
- Linda Zorn – Executive Director of Economic and Workforce Development, Butte College
- Stephen Cummins – Director, University Public Engagement
North State Public Radio serves 12 counties in Northern California, including Chico at 91.7 KCHO and Redding at 88.9 KFPR, with the mission to provide public radio that informs and enriches the communities we serve by providing news, information, and cultural programming of the highest quality. NSPR is member-supported and a public service of California State University, Chico.