|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2007
Nicole Sawaya Hired as New Pacifica Executive Director
(Berkeley, CA – September 30, 2007) On Saturday, the Pacifica National
Board announced the hire of longtime public radio broadcaster Nicole
Sawaya as Executive Director of Pacifica.
Sawaya replaces the outgoing Greg Guma. She will be based out of the
Pacifica National office in Berkeley and will become full-time
Director in December 2007. She will begin phasing in mid-November.
"I am honored to be brought back into the Pacifica network," says
Sawaya. "Pacifica is a significant force in broadcasting, and we will
continue to build upon the fine tradition of independent journalism
and radio programming, unfettered by corporate ownership pressures so
rampant in our media today, that Pacifica can and does exemplify."
Nicole Sawaya has been in noncommercial media – primarily public radio
– for over thirteen years. She started as a news reporter, then segued
into management. Since then, she has been general manager at KZYX,
KPFA-Pacifica, and KALW. She also worked at NPR in Washington DC.
Sawaya, who is Lebanese-American, has received numerous awards
throughout her career, including the Milestone Award from American
Women in Radio and TV, Golden Gate Chapter; several Silver Reel Awards
from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters; and the 2005
Journalist of the Year Award from the Society of Professional
Journalists, Northern California Chapter, for her work in building
news and public affairs programs at KALW in San Francisco.
Sawaya, whose firing as KPFA-Pacifica General Manager in 1999 shocked
KPFA staff and listeners and led to a crisis which rocked Pacifica,
will start her tenure in mid-November. The Pacifica Foundation is the
parent organization of KPFA Radio.
"This is an historic moment for KPFA and Pacifica," says KPFA interim
General Manager Lemlem Rijio. "Nicole is a radio visionary and her
return to Pacifica is cause for rejoicing for those who care about
groundbreaking, progressive noncommercial radio in this country."
Trackback(0)
 |
About 
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form