Louisville Public Media has named Michael Skoler as president and general manager, overseeing WFPL(FM), WUOL(FM), WFPK(FM) Radio Louisville and the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, effective Dec. 1.
The organization’s board of trustees has named him to succeed Donovan Reynolds, who retired Sept. 30. The search process was facilitated by public media executive recruiting firm Livingston Associates. In the interim, LPM Director of Development Layla George, Executive Editor Stephen George and Chief Financial Officer Dennis Stovall, will assume leadership of the organization.
Skoler has a diverse, multimedia background. He currently serves as vice president of interactive media for Public Radio International, where he oversaw the organization’s online and social strategy, as well as its technology platform. While there, he led the relaunch of PRI.org and also designed and raised funding for PRI’s special coverage of gender equity, immigration and identity, the 2016 election and youth and international security.
Prior to PRI, Skoler was a science and foreign correspondent for NPR, where he covered the genocide in Rwanda. He also created the Public Insight Network of 250,000 citizen sources now used by more than 60 newsrooms nationwide.
Additionally, Skoler created the Public Radio Collaboration, and he partnered with the Center for Public Integrity in 2012 for the first State Integrity Investigation, ranking states on individual risks of government corruption. He also worked with the Wilson Center to launch the online game BudgetHero.
Skoler has written for magazines and produced a daily, syndicated radio show on science for CBS, reported for WGBH(TV) in Boston and wrote for the Let’s Go budget travel guides. He joined McKinsey and Co. as a consultant serving media and technology companies and has also taught journalism internationally. He was also a Nieman Fellow in 1992–93.
“The board felt deeply that our next leader should possess a forward-thinking vision of the new media environment, while understanding the importance of maintaining quality service to our current radio audiences,” said LPM Board Chair Todd Lowe.
