WXPN General Manager Roger LaMay Elected to NPR Board

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Created on Tuesday, 21 August 2012 14:43

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Roger LaMay, general manager of WXPN, the nationally-recognized leader in Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) music and noncommercial radio service of the University of Pennsylvania, has been elected as a Member Director of the NPR Board.

The announcement by NPR (National Public Radio) was made on August 14 to its member stations. LaMay was elected by authorized representatives of NPR member stations to a three-year term beginning in November 2012.

LaMay said, “As manager of a music station, it’s a rare honor to serve on the board. I look forward to focusing on the considerable contribution that NPR makes to our country’s music, arts and culture.”

A 30-plus year broadcast veteran, Roger LaMay joined WXPN in January 2003 and is responsible for the overall operations of the station including fundraising, programming and marketing. During his tenure, WXPN forged a long-term partnership/distribution agreement with NPR and NPR Music, moved and expanded its annual summer music festival, and launched its popular Free at Noon live weekly concert series. Earlier this year, he led the launch of WXPN’s inaugural Music Film Festival in partnership with the Philadelphia Film Society.

Additionally, under LaMay’s leadership the station completed construction of the station’s state-of-the-art studio and headquarters that opened in 2004 in a unique partnership with World Cafe Live, the performance venue named for WXPN’s flagship program that is located in the same building; acquired a new Central Pennsylvania-based transmitter, effectively doubling the station’s geographical broadcast coverage; acquired full production rights to the annual Non-Commvention, making WXPN the host for the premier conference for non-commercial broadcasters and music industry representatives; and championed community and business partnerships that have helped establish WXPN as an essential cultural component and resource in the greater Philadelphia area.

He is involved in numerous community and cultural activities and organizations, including serving on the boards of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, the Philadelphia Film Festival, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and The Clay Studio (past president). He is currently on the executive committee of the Station Resource Group, an alliance of public media organizations that operate leading public radio stations across the US.

LaMay previously served as general manager and news director of Fox29/WTXF-TV in Philadelphia, where he created the award-winning news program The Ten O’Clock News. While at Fox, he served as a WXPN Policy Board member for five years, and was instrumental in many station initiatives. He is a past president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and a national trustee. He holds a Master of Science degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Skidmore College.

About WXPN

WXPN, the nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots and folk, is the non-commercial, member-supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe®, public radio’s most popular program of popular music hosted by David Dye and syndicated by NPR, and the Peabody Award winning Kids Corner hosted by Kathy O’Connell. WXPN also produces the alternative rock service, XPN2 as its secondary radio channel in HD. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at 88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Lancaster/York at 88.7 FM, Harrisburg at 99.7 FM and the world via online streaming at XPN.org.