Former GBH News General Manager Pam Johnston has been appointed as the head of the newly merged public broadcasters Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio. Johnston resigned in May after more than a decade with the Boston-based public media outlet.
Johnston was selected from more than fifty candidates and will be succeeding Rhode Island PBS president David Piccerelli and Torey Malatia, president, CEO, and general manager of The Public’s Radio. Both will assist Johnston during the transition period. She is set to begin her new role on August 19.
Johnston’s arrival follows the formal merger of Rhode Island’s public radio and TV stations, a move finalized by Attorney General Peter Neronha in April after being announced last November. Her immediate responsibilities will include deciding on a name for the merged organization.
Initially joining GBH as Director of Audience Development for PBS’ investigative documentary series Frontline, Johnston’s tenure at GBH was marked by her advancement to leading the group’s newsroom where she doubled the station’s digital presence and contributed to a Peabody Award-winning podcast. She also secured a $5 million gift from The Fiducia Fund and a $750,000 grant from the Barr Foundation for the GBH News’ equity and justice unit.
Her digital push did not come without pushback, with GBH employees previously stating that her intense focus on digital platforms detracted from the station’s radio and TV programming. A report in the Boston Globe said employees allegedly heard her state, “TV and radio are dead,” on multiple occasions.
In a statement, Elizabeth Delude-Dix and Dave Laverty, co-chairs of the merged Rhode Island public media organizations, addressed some of these concerns. Laverty said, “The search committee spoke with both people who reported to Johnston as well as her superiors and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. She is an agent of change and sometimes that change can be difficult.”
Delude-Dix added, “She’s passionate, she’s got plenty of experience. 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 said, “I am honored to be stepping into this role at such a vital moment. At a time when trust in the media is eroding and societal gaps are widening, public media can play a critical role in fostering understanding, goodwill, and connection. I believe that here in Rhode Island we have the team, talent, and resources to redefine the very best of what public media can be.”
