Pacifica’s interim Executive Director sent out a press release today announcing KPFT’s new General Manager, Dr. Robert Franklin. We want to welcome him to KPFT and encourage everyone to support him and work with him to help Move KPFT Forward!
From the press release:
Dr. Robert Franklin as KPFT’s new General Manager. Dr. Franklin brings a wide range and wealth of experience in both broadcasting and education, with previous assignments in his role of professor as well as general manager positions that created award-winning programming and community radio in multiple public radio sectors throughout the country.
Dr. Franklin last served as WVAS-FM station manager at Alabama State. He came to Alabama State University from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio where he served as Professor of Communication and General Manager of WCSU-FM, a Central State public radio station. He stands as a beacon for cooperative organizing where people work together for the greater good. His production portfolio contains examples of compelling programming, informative, in-depth interviews, and world-class documentaries designed to enlighten, educate, and inform the community. His body of work and his innumerable awards prove that he is a gifted and talented broadcast journalist who honors the ethical and honorable ways of true journalism. Recently Dr. Franklin won the Best Documentary award at the 2018 Houston Black Film Festival for his film “Rise: Mickey Leland, World Citizen” and was selected as the 2019 Educator of the Year by the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Wilberforce, Ohio.
Dr. Franklin’s entire dossier shows him to be an inspirational leader, one who comes in service to diverse communities where his focus is on solving problems and building coalitions. In his statement to the Houston community, he says that he comes, not as a stranger, but as a servant to the cause of great broadcasting that have clear programming objectives. Together, he believes that KPFT has the potential of creating a synergy of objectives to grow into a place where we give voice to the voiceless, championing justice across a plethora of issues, and representing the passion and artistic styles of programmers in the broader Houston community. His background includes developing innovative programming with his staff that brings recognition to both radio spaces and the universities where he taught.
For more than 26 years, Dr. Franklin worked to make the communities he served a better place and with his commitment to educational and broadcasting excellence, he will make a difference at KPFT.