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WPR Director Mike Crane Elected to NPR Board of Directors(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) MADISON, Wis., Sept. 4 -- The University of Wisconsin-Extension issued the following news release: Mike Crane, director of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), was recently elected to the NPR board of directors after a nationwide vote among public radio representatives. This is Crane's first time serving on the 17-member board. His term begins in November and will last three years. The NPR board of directors is comprised of 10 NPR member station managers (elected by their fellow member stations), five public members (elected by the board and confirmed by member stations), the chair of the NPR Foundation, and the president and CEO of NPR. Crane will serve as one of the 10 member station board representatives. Eight candidates ran for four open seats in the member station managers' election. The NPR board of directors is responsible for hiring NPR's CEO, overseeing the budget, advising leadership, and representing the broadcaster's 897 member stations. "It was an honor to be elected," Crane said. "I really believe America needs public radio now more than ever, and when stations and NPR work together effectively, no one can match the quality and impact of our content, creativity and service," he added. Crane joined WPR in 2008, after serving in leadership roles at public radio stations in Florida, Vermont and New York. He previously served on the board of the Public Radio Program Directors Association (PRPD) and is an active member of public radio's Station Resource Group (SRG) and Public Radio in Mid America (PRIMA). Crane holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Binghamton University in New York. WPR has a history of strong ties to NPR, from leadership roles to collaborative program development. NPR's first director of programming and author of NPR's initial mission and purpose statement, Bill Siemering, started his radio career at WPR as a student. NPR's first employee, Jack Mitchell, later served as WPR's director for 21 years. During Mitchell's tenure at NPR, he originated their flagship news program, All Things Considered. And, WPR's Don Voegeli composed the program's theme song, still in use today. Malcolm Brett, director of Broadcasting and Media Innovations, the unit of University of Wisconsin-Extension that oversees WPR and Wisconsin Public Television, offered his congratulations to Mike and all of WPR: "Mike's election is a reflection of his work ---- but also the entire team here at WPR ---- as leaders are also recognized for the accomplishments of organizations they guide." TNS 30TagarumaMar-140905-4847385 30TagarumaMar (c) 2014 Targeted News Service |