Blue Ridge Public Radio is pleased to announce that Catherine Komp will join BPR as its first Director of Content. Komp will manage the content on BPR Classic and BPR News and its live and on-demand digital services.
BPR earns the loyalty and trust of its listeners by building its service on a core of strong journalism and cultural coverage. According to David Feingold, BPR’s General Manager and CEO, “Catherine’s personality and career accomplishments make her perfectly suited for this important new position. She’s an inspirational leader in public media journalism and is an innovator who will create and manage high-impact team projects in news and the arts at BPR.”
A multi award-winning journalist, Komp is also a 2020 Fellow in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative. Komp is currently Senior Editor at Virginia Public Media in Richmond. At VPM she built a "culture of mentorship" by developing a peer editing process and guidelines, pairing reporters and interns, and designing collaborative projects.
According to Feingold, “Catherine’s experience in coaching and mentoring news and music producers will fit in well as we continue to expand our services. I’m looking forward to working alongside Catherine. She will bring an extensive record of creating community-centered programming to BPR and WNC.”
“BPR caught my attention last Fall, when the station announced it would analyze the diversity of sources in locally produced content,” said Komp. “After seeing the strategic plan and the emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, I was convinced that the station’s values aligned with my own. I am impressed by the talents and resourcefulness of the BPR team, especially in the last few months - creating BPR En Español, covering the impact of and response to the pandemic across WNC, and bringing crucial perspectives about racial justice to the community. I am thrilled to bring my expertise in developing teams and local content to build on this strong foundation of local journalism and cultural content, collaborations and engagement. Together, we’ll continue strengthening the ways BPR serves the public.”
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Komp’s parents instilled a lifelong love of nature through family trips to hunt asparagus, puff balls and blackberries and a vibrant backyard covered with wildflowers and vegetables. She’s an avid gardener and home chef, and always happy to swap seeds and recipes.
Komp will join Blue Ridge Public Radio in September. Please join us giving her a warm Western North Carolina welcome.
