Herb Scannell, most recently CEO of Latino digital media company mitú, has been named President and CEO of Southern California Public Radio, in charge of leading KPCC and news website LAist.
The longtime television and digital media exec, who exited mitú last year in the midst of company-wide restructuring and layoffs, will start his new role in February, succeeding founding SCPR president and CEO Bill Davis, who announced his retirement last June.
According to SCPR, more than 50% of its journalists are people of color and its broadcast audience has grown to be one of the most diverse in public media. One in five KPCC listeners is Latino. That growth is attributed, in part, to a $6 million grant from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting awarded to KPCC to boost diversity and which resulted in the hiring of radio host A. Martinez.
Scannell, whose mother is Puerto Rican, says he’s committed to continuing to invest in diversity.