A public media executive from Texas will take over as president of Colorado Public Radio this summer, the organization announced Friday.
Stewart Vanderwilt, currently director and general manager of public radio stations KUT and KUTX in Austin, will lead CPR when current President Max Wycisk steps down June 30.
“Colorado Public Radio is already a leader in the public radio industry and across Colorado, as evidenced by its statewide reach, strong membership base and dedicated staff,” Vanderwilt said in a press release.
Vanderwilt announced his departure from KUT to staff there this morning, the station reports:
At an all-staff meeting, Vanderwilt held back tears as he announced he had some "personal news" to share. He then said he was unable to read a prepared statement, so KUTX DJ Laurie Gallardo read it for him.
"After 18 years, each one of which have been the time of my life, I'm moving on," she said.
Vanderwilt helped launch “Texas Standard,” a daily news show, in 2015. Three years prior, he oversaw the opening of KUT’s new headquarters in central Austin — the result of a nearly $10 million capital campaign. He’s also vice board chair of Public Radio International, a Minneapolis-based public radio organization.
CPR’s board chair, Dean Salter, said Stewart is the “right fit” for the organization.
“His extensive experience and demonstrated ability to manage and grow a large public radio organization will serve us well,” Salter said.
Wycisk started at CPR, then known as KCFR-FM, in 1974 as a volunteer. The station was housed at a former sorority house at the University of Denver until the early 2000s when it moved to its current location in Centennial. Its current staff is more than 100 people.
“This organization has always looked forward, not backwards, and I don't think that's going to change,” Wysick told Westword last year.
