Veteran public broadcaster Phil Hoffman, an educator and documentary filmmaker whose programs have earned nearly 30 Emmy nominations, will be the new executive director of W麻豆原创 TV.
Hoffman, who will start May 23, brings more than 20 years of higher education and public media experience, including production, strategic operations, media management and fundraising.
He comes to W麻豆原创 from KMOS, a PBS station licensed to the University of Central Missouri. In two years as director of broadcasting services and general manager at KMOS, Hoffman鈥檚 innovative leadership helped ratings grow significantly. Prior to KMOS, he served as both general manager of Z-TV, a student-run television station at The University of Akron, and interim general manager and assistant general manager of WZIP-FM, the university鈥檚 highly successful student-run public radio station.
鈥淧hil shares our belief that a public broadcasting license comes with the responsibility to serve the community, create lasting relationships and help viewers understand their world,鈥� said Grant Heston, 麻豆原创鈥檚 vice president for Communications and Marketing.聽 鈥淚t is through service, partnership and programming that W麻豆原创 TV has become an indispensable part of so many lives in Central Florida.鈥�
This summer marks four years since the 麻豆原创 created W麻豆原创 TV and saved PBS in Orlando. Hoffman said W麻豆原创 has the feel and advantages of a 鈥渘ew鈥� station, while still offering great PBS programming.
鈥淚 see this opportunity as something truly unique,鈥� Hoffman said. 鈥淚 think W麻豆原创 is poised to become a major player within the PBS system and will innovate and stretch what public media can do for Central Florida.鈥�
Hoffman has earned a doctorate in educational leadership and bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in mass communication, all from the University of Akron.
He is involved in many university and community activities. As a faculty member, he has taught more than 20 courses, including classes in public media and documentary film production this spring. He also has served on graduation planning and computing technology committees.
Hoffman is membership chair of student media advisors for the Broadcast Education Association, as well as a governor of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid-America chapter. He also is a graduate of the 2015 PBS Executive Leadership Development鈥檚 inaugural class.
His combined documentary and live concert film 鈥淗ammer on Steel鈥� earned eight Emmy Award nominations and was distributed nationally to PBS affiliates. The production involved traveling to Trinidad to interview the inventors of the steel drum and document the instrument鈥檚 history and influence across the globe.