Veteran multimedia journalism leader Pam Johnston is set to take the helm of the recently merged public broadcasters Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio.
In an interview on Wednesday, Johnston says she reacted with tears of joy on learning of her selection as president and CEO.
“This is truly a dream job, a dream place, a dream team and the magnitude of it for me, for the people of Rhode Island and for these two organizations is profound,” she said. “It’s different than stepping into a role because there is a transition of leadership. I see this as building something new but with a really strong foundation that already exists.”
Johnston is a New England native with almost 30 years of experience in media. She most recently served as general manager of news at Boston-based public media station GBH, and previously as a senior director of strategy and audience at FRONTLINE, PBS’ investigative documentary series.
Elizabeth Delude-Dix and Dave Laverty, co-chairs of Rhode Island’s combined public media organizations, said Johnston emerged as the best choice among more than 50 applicants for the top job.
“She’s passionate, she’s got plenty of experience,” Delude-Dix said in an interview. “She’s innovative, she has experience at both the local and the national level. And she has both a radio and TV background, and a vision for the future of public media that is really exciting.”
Johnston is slated to start on the job Aug. 19. Her initial tasks will include the process of naming the organization created by the merger of Rhode Island’s public radio and public TV stations, a move announced last November and approved by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha in April.
According to Johnston, “A name speaks to identity, who we are now in this next chapter. When we share a name, we are truly united. There is also trust and credibility in our journalism and that’s precious. So finding our collective brand is paramount.”
Johnston said she hopes the audience can play a role in determining how the public broadcasters can serve the community.
“We will be asking questions, engaging with them more and having opportunities as journalists to really show up and listen quietly with openness and humility,” Johnston said. “I think that’s what this moment calls for. I think that’s how we end up creating a public media resource that is even more reflective of this community.”
Johnston left GBH at the end of May, about four months after a Boston Globe story described turmoil at the public media radio-TV giant, which included a human resources investigation into the newsroom’s culture, according to an email from a GBH spokesperson.
When asked about the environment that prompted the investigation, Johnston said, “I’m incredibly proud of the work done at GBH. A talented team navigated an extreme amount of transformation in a very short amount of time. We grew audience, grew funding and told stories along many platforms – and we moved fast. What I have learned is: moving fast, at the risk of folks feeling left out of the change, is not OK. It’s vital that people be centered with changes inside the newsroom, (that they) understand the changes and be invited into that change.”
The search committee researched Johnston’s background and came away impressed, Laverty said.
“The search committee spoke with both people who reported to Johnston as well as her superiors and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive,” Laverty said. “She is an agent of change and sometimes that change can be difficult.”
Delude-Dix said Johnston’s record at GBH includes doubling the station’s digital footprint within five years and being part of the team that won a prestigious Peabody Award for its podcast The Big Dig.
Johnston’s vision is based, Delude-Dix said, on “meeting audiences exactly where they are. She has a focus on local. She has a focus on diversity and creating programming that addresses all the communities within Rhode Island and South Coast Massachusetts. She also is interested in having a conversation with the community, the broader community and that will begin when she starts her position.”
While Rhode Island PBS began as a TV station and The Public’s Radio launched as a radio station, 21st-century media organizations need to move beyond legacy platforms, Johnston said. Increasingly, that includes reaching people on phones, devices and podcasts.
“Audience-focused news dovetails with digital because the fact of the matter is that is how most people are consuming news and information today,” Johnston said. “We have to look at content and consumption habits and meet the audience where they are. We’re telling amazing stories on public radio and TV. It’s powerful – now we have to think differently about how we distribute those stories in a way that makes it even more accessible to more people.”
Johnston will succeed Rhode Island PBS president David Piccerelli and Torey Malatia, president, CEO and general manager of The Public’s Radio. Piccerelli and Malatia served as co-CEOs after the merger and will be available to Johnston during the transition.
Delude-Dix declined to specify how many finalists were interviewed by the combined board of Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio. She also declined to specify Johnston’s compensation.
Before coming to FRONTLINE, Johnston held leadership roles with Lahey Health and Gather.com, both headquartered in Massachusetts. She also worked in TV news in Boston, Raleigh and Portland, Maine.
“These are serious times with serious questions and quality media is getting harder and harder to find,” Johnston said. “We want to be a leader in trusted news and information.”
This story was updated with material from an interview with Johnston and information from a GBH spokesperson.
