FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Calle Andrus, Communications Specialist
216.916.6434 | calle.andrus@ideastream.org
Jenny Northern Named as General Manager of ideastream’s Public Media Stations, WVIZ/PBS, 90.3 WCPN and WCLV 104.9
CLEVELAND, Ohio (February 11, 2020) — ideastream, Northeast Ohio’s largest public media organization, has named Jenny Northern as the first General Manager of all three of its stations, WVIZ/PBS, 90.3 WCPN and WCLV 104.9. Northern began serving in her new role on the ideastream executive leadership team in January, overseeing alignment and management of the organization’s television, radio and livestreaming platforms.
The new position of General Manager was created in direct response to ideastream’s 2019-2021 Strategic Plan to align it stations and content to engage the local community.
“Jenny is a fierce advocate for our listeners and viewers,” said Kevin Martin, ideastream President and CEO. “Her expertise, dedication and experience continue to greatly benefit ideastream as we execute our strategic plan and serve Northeast Ohio as one unified public media organization.”
Northern has served ideastream in several capacities since joining WCLV 104.9, Northeast Ohio’s classical music radio station, in 2001. Most recently she held the position of Station Manager for both WCLV 104.9 and 90.3 WCPN, Northeast Ohio’s NPR news and public affairs radio station. Under her direction, 90.3 WCPN reached its highest listenership since 2011 and both stations achieved tremendous growth in total listening hours and livestream listenership.
“This is an exciting time for all of us at ideastream,” said Northern. “I’m pleased to be joining our leadership team as we continue to create opportunities to engage Northeast Ohio in thoughtful dialogue.”
Northern previously served as General Sales Manager for WCLV 104.9, playing an instrumental role in transferring WCLV 104.9’s operational control to ideastream. Among making other key decisions, Northern managed WCLV 104.9’s move to Idea Center® in downtown Cleveland and transitioned the station to noncommercial status. Prior to joining WCLV 104.9, Northern served as General Manager of WQRS in Detroit.
In addition to promoting Northern to General Manager, ideastream has promoted 10 staff members and hired four new employees in recent weeks. This investment in talent increases ideastream’s capacity to implement innovative new strategies that address the changing media landscape, including its plans for a Statewide News Collaborative.
About ideastream
ideastream serves the people of Northeast Ohio as a trusted and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. Publicly supported and locally owned, ideastream is indispensable and highly valued for its unique ability to strengthen our community. ideastream is the consolidation of WVIZ/PBS, with five channels of public television service (WVIZ/PBS-HD, WVIZ/PBS OHIO, WVIZ/PBS WORLD, WVIZ/PBS CREATE and WVIZ/PBS KIDS); 90.3 WCPN, Northeast Ohio’s NPR news and public affairs radio station; WCLV 104.9, Northeast Ohio’s classical music radio station; ideastream Education, with educational resources, services and the award-winning children’s series NewsDepth; and management of The Ohio Channel and the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau on behalf of all Ohio’s public broadcasting stations. For more information about ideastream’s rich legacy of innovation and credible content, visit ideastream.org.
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