NJ PBS has a new general manager and a new news director — the first signals of what the station will look like once Montclair State University takes full control of its operations next month.
Ashlee Smith, most recently senior director of content and education at WKAR Public Media at Michigan State University, becomes general manager. Omnika Thompson, a 31-year veteran of NBC News and MSNBC, becomes news director.
They arrive alongside four other hires — an audience and marketing director (Samantha Bennet), a media manager (Walik Cotton), a programming director (Deb Finan) and a digital content producer (Brent Sanchez) — rounding out the first wave of hires under Montclair’s direction.
The moves matter because of what’s changing underneath them. Montclair State was named operator of New Jersey’s four PBS-licensed stations as of July 1, and it takes over programming and the daily newscast from former operator WNET on Oct. 1.
Six hires is just the start. School officials say more are coming in the weeks ahead.
Keith Strudler, dean of Montclair State’s College of Communication and Media, framed the hires as a statement of intent.
“These first hires bring the experience, imagination and commitment to public service we need to reach New Jersey residents across broadcast, digital and community platforms, and to deliver journalism and programming that reflect the breadth of voices across our state,” he said.
Here’s a look at the six hires:
Bennet: She joins as audience and marketing director. She previously served as vice president of operations and programs at BlueLena, where she built automation and marketing tools for small and community news publishers. Her resume also includes local news partnerships at Meta and social strategy for CBS local TV stations.
Cotton: He becomes media manager. He returns to NJ PBS after working under the WNET Group as a media and broadcast services specialist. He spent nearly four years at MLB Network in media management. He’s also worked production and live-game media operations for the NBA and Rutgers Television. He’s a Rutgers journalism grad who studied abroad at John Cabot University in Rome.
Finan: She takes over as programming director. She previously headed development for MSNBC’s streaming channel, managing day-of-air production and breaking news coverage, and before that ran production and programming for MSNBC, building out scheduling for live and documentary work. She holds a communication degree from Rutgers.
Sanchez: He’s the new digital content producer. He started as a graphics producer before spending seven years at Yahoo Finance, most recently as social media and graphics editor. He’s a Jersey native who lives in Waldwick with his wife and daughter.
Smith: She’s the general manager, arriving from WKAR Public Media at Michigan State, where she oversaw TV production, radio news, classical music and education across a multi-platform team. She’s pursuing an executive master’s in organization development and change at Bowling Green State University.
Thompson: She’s the news director, bringing more than three decades in broadcast and digital journalism, most of it at NBC News and MSNBC, where she served as executive editor for inclusion and NBCU Academy and senior executive producer of MSNBC weekend programming. She’s also a longtime Montclair State mentor with ties to the university’s journalism program.
