The Huffman Era begins at Georgia Public Broadcasting
For the first time since the Sonny Perdue administration, state-run Georgia Public Broadcasting has a new, permanent Executive Director.
On Friday morning, the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission named Bert Wesley Huffman to the position, according to a press release from Gov. Kemp’s office.
Huffman had been serving as interim CEO since the May retirement of Teya Ryan. Ryan had held the post since 2009.
No public meeting accompanied the Commission’s vote and most news reports relied on the same state press release. That includes GPB’s own story that leads with Gov. Brian Kemp making the announcement and included Brian Kemp as a tag.
My own emails to both GPB and the Gov.’s office asking how many other finalists for the position were interviewed were not immediately returned.
Commission members are appointed by the Gov. and are subject to confirmation by the State Senate. Three members were first appointed during the Nathan Deal administration, but all have been reappointed since.
Six of the nine commission positions were appointed or reappointed by Gov. Kemp last fall and confirmed by the state senate on March 13th of this year, just days before a late session cut to GPB’s state appropriations.
Those commissioners included Chair Brian Dill, Vice Chair Jerald Mitchell, and former state Senator Cecil Staton.
Ryan’s retirement was announced in April after the legislative session but was reportedly known to state leaders and commissioners as early as Jan.
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Ryan’s appointment in 2009 was hailed by some as bringing an outsider with a commercial media mindset into a public broadcaster that had long been led by state bureaucrats.
Her biggest television initiative was to broadcast high school football. More controversial was her radio efforts which included an entry into Atlanta via a 2014 agreement with Georgia State University giving GPB daytime control of college radio icon WRAS.
This brought GPB into direct competition with Atlanta’s longtime NPR affiliate WABE.
Huffman joined GPB in 2014, according to the state press release. He’d been serving as President and Ryan’s heir apparent since 2021.
One of his first major moves as interim CEO was to implement programming changes in response to the legislature’s budget cut. Those included the cancellation of Political Rewind with Bill Nigut that was the only GPB-produced daily radio program left on the air after the cancellation of its earlier flagship program On Second Thought.
Local news reports are still read during flagship NPR programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
Ryan had been Political Rewind’s biggest backer, continuing to prioritize the show over other initiatives. Its cancellation sparked controversy that it was politically motivated. But the cancellation is complicated by its close association with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A Change of Pace?
At its April board meeting, Huffman gave a presentation that included employee moral surveys dating from his own rise to President. Ryan didn’t attend the public portion of the April meeting.
I can only speculate as to whether GPB’s rank and file prefer Huffman’s leadership to Ryan’s.
Or a Known Quantity
The full statement from the Gov.’s office includes a congratulatory message from the Gov. and a statement from Commission Chair Brian Dill saying Huffman’s tenure at GPB “set him apart throughout the selection process.”
It doesn’t mention Ryan but does point out Huffman serving as Senior Vice President for External Affairs before being named President. This highlights that he’s dealt with state lawmakers for several years.
And vice versa.
Below is the full press release:
Atlanta, GA — Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission voted unanimously this morning to appoint Bert Wesley Huffman as Chief Executive Officer of Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB), effective August 7.
“I want to congratulate Bert as he steps into this role and continues his service at GPB,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “I know he will help ensure the agency remains a valued part of the lives of Georgians through informative content.”
“The Commission is proud to appoint Bert to this important position,” said Brian Dill, Chairman of the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission. “His record of dedicated service helped to set him apart throughout the process of finding the agency’s next leader, and we know he will help guide GPB in fulfilling its mission across its television, radio, and educational services throughout the State.”
Bert Wesley Huffman has worked at GPB since 2014 when he became the organization’s first Vice President for Development and Marketing. He later became Senior Vice President of External Affairs before being named President of GPB in 2021, directing all business functions of the company. He also leads all external functions, including marketing and development operations, branding and communications, and sponsorship and fundraising activities. In 2016, Huffman received the Public Radio Association of Development Officers Development Professional of the Year award. Prior to joining GPB, Huffman held top roles in development operations for arts and education institutions, including The Atlanta Opera and Emory University. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College and an MPA from Kennesaw State University.
