EXCLUSIVE: United Expertise Company Associate and Agent Jeremy Barber and Communications veteran Chris Day have joined the board of Southern California’s NPR flagship station KCRW.
This transfer comes within the wake of President Donald Trump issuing an government order to dam federal funding to Public Broadcast Service and Nationwide Public Radio. Funding from each authorities and philanthropic sources has grown more and more unsure, whereas the knowledge panorama is extra fragmented than ever. On this atmosphere, stations like KCRW play a key function in bridging divides, elevating underrepresented voices, and offering dependable, in-depth reporting on the native and world ranges.
Barber and Day’s addition to the KCRW Basis alerts the Board’s heightened dedication to preserving the function of public media as a trusted supply of reports, music, and considerate dialog for all communities.
“This can be a important second for public broadcasting,” mentioned Jennifer Ferro, President of KCRW. “At a time when disinformation is rampant, journalism is below fixed menace, and humanities funding continues to shrink, the worth of an unbiased, nonprofit public media outlet like KCRW can’t be overstated. Jeremy and Chris deeply perceive the cultural and civic significance of what we do, and we’re extremely lucky to welcome their steerage and help.”
Barber mentioned, “Public radio is an important aspect of a free and democratic nation. KCRW’s dedication to storytelling, music discovery and fostering group is extra important than ever as we start to rebuild and reimagine the long run material of Los Angeles and past. I’m so excited to be becoming a member of Jennifer and the board on this combat to protect and increase the function of KCRW and the general public airwaves.”
Day added, “In an period of media consolidation and excessive partisanship, public broadcasting stays one of many final strongholds of really unbiased journalism and inventive expression. Becoming a member of the KCRW board is not only an honor—it’s a name to motion. We should shield this establishment and guarantee it thrives for the subsequent technology.”
Barber, a Associate in UTA’s Movement Image Literary and Expertise Departments, is thought for his work repping celebrated filmmakers, actors, and creators. Previous to UTA, Barber was President of Catch 23 and Catch 23 UK, the manufacturing and administration firm which he helped discovered, and was additionally head of Manufacturing and Acquisitions at Artisan Leisure. Previous to Hollywood, Barber had stints in legislation and politics. Of the boards he serves or has served on are the Georgetown College Legislation Faculty Board of Guests, the Telluride Movie Competition’s Esteemed Council of Advisors, the board of The Folks Concern, and the Unbiased Faculty Alliance Board of Administrators. He was additionally Chairman of the Board of the UCLA Lab Faculty for nearly a decade, the place he now maintains an emeritus place. Barber presently is a Storytelling Guide to Harvard Faculty by means of Harvard Divinity Faculty’s Middle for the Examine of World Religions’ Constellation Venture round narratives surrounding the local weather disaster.
Day is a strategic communications and branding advisor and a 25-year veteran of the media and leisure trade. He supplies advisory providers to CEOs, founders and inventive entrepreneurs and represents main corporations and organizations throughout leisure and media. Previous to forming his consultancy, Day served as Head of Company Communications for UTA from 1999 till 2017. Throughout his tenure, he constructed and led the company’s broadly revered company communications division, overseeing all exterior and inner communications through the company’s progress into a world high three participant. He additionally co-established the UTA Basis and the corporate’s analysis and analytics division and was closely concerned within the agency’s company consulting follow, amongst different initiatives. Previous to UTA, Day was VP of movie & TV comms agency Bumble Ward & Associates the place he represented company shoppers in tv. Day has additionally championed causes that mirror the varied voices and values of the broader group, together with his work for Rideback RISE, the non-profit content material accelerator that helps various filmmakers and creators in making business movie and tv to drive narrative change.
KCRW 89.9 FM is residence to such exhibits as Morning Turns into Eclectic, Press Play, Good Meals, The Remedy, and The Enterprise and serves as an incubator for brand spanking new expertise and concepts. A group service of Santa Monica Faculty, KCRW reaches hundreds of thousands across the globe by means of its on-air broadcasts, podcasts, occasions, and digital content material.