October 1, 2007
Nicole Sawaya Hired as New Pacifica Executive Director
KPFA Icon Returns to Lead the Legendary Radio Network
(Berkeley, CA - October 1, 2007) On Saturday, the Pacifica National Board announced the hire of longtime public radio broadcaster Nicole Sawaya as Executive Director of Pacifica. Sawaya, whose firing as KPFA 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.
"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, 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.
"The Board recognizes our exceptional fortune in having an outstanding pool of candidates for the position, and was electrified and unified by the strength of vision, talent and leadership that Nicole brings to her work," says Pacifica National Board Chair Dave Adelson. "Her understanding of traditional broadcast media, the rapidly developing digital distribution opportunities transforming civic communication, and Pacifica's historic mission of dialogue and dissent in the service of developing lasting understanding between nations and between the individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors make her the ideal person to lead Pacifica in the coming years."
"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."
Sawaya replaces the outgoing Greg Guma. She will be based out of the Pacifica National office in Berkeley.
###
Founded in 1949, KPFA is the United States' first listener-sponsored radio station and the flagship station in the Pacifica Radio Network. Broadcasting on 94.1 FM in Berkeley, CA, and 88.1 FM on KFCF in Fresno, KPFA's signal reaches one third of the state of California. KPFA's website, kpfa.org, serves thousands of listeners all over the world. KPFA's innovative news, arts, public affairs, and music programs have won numerous awards and have helped define radio in America.
For more information contact:
Dave Adelson, Pacifica National Board Chair
dadelson[at]ucla.edu
Lemlem Rijio, KPFA Interim General Manager
510/848-6767 ext 203, igm[at]kpfa.org