Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
General manager of GBH News announces departure
“I have decided the time is right for me to step aside to make room for a new leader to guide the next chapter at GBH News.”
Pam Johnston, the general manager of GBH News, announced Tuesday that she plans to step down from her position by the end of the month, the station reports.
According to GBH, Johnston started at the public broadcasting station working on Frontline in 2012 and took over as general manager four years ago.
“I have decided the time is right for me to step aside to make room for a new leader to guide the next chapter at GBH News,” she said in a statement to staff on Tuesday.
The move comes as GBH leaders have warned that layoffs could be on the horizon and after it was announced that a three-month-long external investigation had been completed probing the station’s culture.
Advertisement:
Following that investigation, current and former GBH employees told The Boston Globe that Johnston’s leadership style was “autocratic and dismissive.”
At the time, Johnston committed to improving newsroom culture, GBH reports.
On Tuesday, in a statement to station staff, Susan Goldberg, president and CEO of GBH, called Johnston a “champion for digital innovation.”
“Our overall audience reach has doubled in the last five years because of this digital growth,” they wrote, according to GBH.
According to the station, Debra Adams Simmons, GBH’s senior director of special editorial projects, is taking over for Johnston until a permanent leader is named. She was appointed to oversee Johnston’s work earlier this year, following the Globe’s article, to “provide guidance and support,” according to the station.
Advertisement:
Both GBH and fellow public radio broadcaster WBUR are facing financial headwinds. Two dozen employees at WBUR recently opted for buyouts and two were laid-off as the station made cuts to mitigate revenue declines.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com