ABOUT WPSU AND WHYY
WPSU serves communities throughout Central and Northern Pennsylvania with trusted public television, radio, digital content, education, journalism, and community engagement. As part of WHYY, WPSU will retain and strengthen its local identity and service while benefiting from the capabilities, resources, and reach of one of the nation’s leading public media organizations.
The Executive Director and General Manager serves as WHYY’s senior executive in Central and Northern Pennsylvania and is responsible for advancing the organization’s strategic priorities throughout the region while serving as a member of WHYY’s Executive Leadership Team.
The Executive Director and General Manager will set a clear strategic direction for WPSU, strengthen its connection to the communities it serves, grow audiences across television, radio, digital, and community platforms, and materially increase contributed and earned revenue.
Working in close partnership with WHYY leadership and shared service teams, the Executive Director and General Manager will align WPSU resources, talent, programming, operations, and investments around audience needs, community impact, financial performance, and measurable growth. This leader will preserve and build upon WPSU’s strong local identity while taking full advantage of WHYY’s scale, expertise, systems, and content capabilities.
The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial, visible, and highly collaborative executive who can lead change, inspire staff and community confidence, and translate an ambitious vision into disciplined execution and measurable results.
LEADERSHIP MANDATE
The Executive Director and General Manager will be expected to establish WPSU as a modern, audience centered, financially sustainable public media organization. The position requires equal strength in strategic leadership, operational management, community engagement, revenue development, and organizational change.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy, Transformation, and Organizational Leadership
Create and execute a multiyear strategy that increases WPSU’s relevance, reach, impact, and financial sustainability.
Redirect resources and operating priorities toward the demonstrated needs and interests of the diverse communities WPSU serves across Central and Northern Pennsylvania.
Lead organizational change with clarity, urgency, transparency, and respect, including recommendations regarding staffing, structure, workflows, investments, and resource allocation.
Establish clear goals, performance measures, and accountability across WPSU, with particular emphasis on audience growth, contributed income, earned revenue, community impact, and operational effectiveness.
Serve as WPSU’s principal executive and an active member of WHYY’s Executive Leadership Team, contributing to enterprise strategy and ensuring strong alignment between WPSU and WHYY.
Build a culture defined by collaboration, innovation, integrity, inclusion, high performance, and public service.
Audience Growth, Content, and Community Relevance
Develop and implement a comprehensive audience growth strategy across television, radio, digital platforms, social media, events, and community engagement.
Use audience research, analytics, community input, and market intelligence to guide programming, content development, distribution, promotion, and resource decisions.
Ensure that WPSU’s journalism, educational content, cultural programming, and community services reflect the priorities, experiences, and aspirations of the region.
Identify opportunities for distinctive local content, deeper civic engagement, expanded digital reach, and strategic partnerships that strengthen WPSU’s public value.
Act as a visible ambassador for WPSU throughout the region, building trust and durable relationships with listeners, viewers, members, donors, civic leaders, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and community partners.
Revenue Growth and Philanthropic Leadership
Lead WPSU’s strategy to materially increase contributed income, membership revenue, major gifts, grants, sponsorship, and other earned revenue.
Partner with WHYY Advancement leadership to build and fully staff a high performing WPSU Advancement team with clear goals, portfolios, systems, and accountability.
Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors and institutional partners, and maintain an active portfolio of high potential prospects.
Develop a specific and actionable pipeline of individuals, foundations, corporations, and community partners who can support WPSU’s mission and long term sustainability.
Integrate fundraising, membership, sponsorship, marketing, content, and community engagement strategies so that audience growth and revenue growth reinforce one another.
Ensure strong stewardship of donor intent, grant requirements, sponsorship commitments, and all contributed and earned revenue relationships.
Financial and Operational Management
Develop and manage annual operating and capital budgets that advance WPSU’s strategic priorities and support long term financial sustainability.
Exercise disciplined financial management, regularly evaluate performance against budget and goals, and make timely adjustments when results are not meeting expectations.
Identify and implement efficiencies through shared services, technology, procurement, systems, content, and other economies of scale available through WHYY.
Ensure effective workflows and coordination across programming, production, journalism, engineering, digital, administration, finance, human resources, marketing, membership, and advancement.
Maintain appropriate emergency preparedness, business continuity, broadcast readiness, cybersecurity, and operational risk management practices.
Ensure full compliance with FCC requirements, copyright and licensing obligations, employment policies, financial controls, grant requirements, and all other applicable laws and regulations.
Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a talented and diverse leadership team and staff.
Set clear expectations, provide candid and constructive feedback, and hold leaders accountable for results.
Create an environment in which employees understand WPSU’s strategy, see how their work contributes to shared goals, and are encouraged to collaborate and innovate.
Address organizational and personnel issues promptly, fairly, and consistently in partnership with WHYY Human Resources.
This position is based in State College, Pennsylvania, and requires regular travel throughout WPSU’s service region as well as periodic travel to WHYY in Philadelphia and other locations. The role requires flexibility to attend community, donor, staff, and station events outside standard business hours. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of the position.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and senior leadership experience.
At least ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including significant responsibility for strategy, operations, financial management, people leadership, and organizational performance.
Demonstrated success leading growth, transformation, or organizational change in public media, journalism, nonprofit organizations, higher education, cultural institutions, mission driven media, or a comparable field.
Proven ability to grow audiences, revenue, philanthropy, membership, sponsorship, or other forms of community and financial support.
Strong financial acumen, including experience managing complex operating and capital budgets and making strategic resource allocation decisions.
Exceptional communication, relationship building, and presentation skills, with the judgment and presence to represent WPSU and WHYY with staff, donors, partners, public officials, community leaders, and the public.
Demonstrated commitment to public service, editorial integrity, ethical leadership, diversity, inclusion, and the role of independent public media in civic and community life.
Preferred
Leadership experience in public media, local journalism, broadcasting, digital media, or a related content organization.
Experience working with major donors, foundations, corporate partners, boards, advisory groups, or community leadership networks.
Knowledge of FCC regulations, noncommercial broadcasting, digital distribution, media technology, and the evolving public media landscape.
Familiarity with Central and Northern Pennsylvania and an appreciation for the region’s communities, institutions, opportunities, and challenges.
LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES
Visionary and strategic, with the ability to translate ideas into clear priorities and measurable action.
Entrepreneurial and growth-oriented, with a willingness to challenge assumptions and pursue new opportunities.
Community-centered, curious, and deeply committed to listening and learning.
Collaborative and influential, with the ability to build alignment across functions and organizations.
Decisive and accountable, with sound judgment and the courage to make difficult choices.
Authentic, visible, and trusted, with the emotional intelligence to lead through change.
Unquestionably ethical and committed to responsible stewardship of public trust and financial resources.
