Joe O’Connor
POSITION: General manager of WRNI
BACKGROUND: O’Connor started his career as a reporter with WBUR, in Boston, while studying toward his master’s degree. In 1980, he joined CNN, working in the Atlanta offices, then in the Washington, D.C., bureau. In 1982, he jumped from being a producer/editor for CNN to a news writer for ABC Radio. For the next 22 years, he produced such ABC shows as “Good Morning America,” “Nightline,” “Primetime Live” and “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.” In 2004, O’Connor accepted a Nieman Journalism Fellowship to Harvard University. After completing the fellowship, he worked as a senior producer for WBUR, then came to WRNI.
EDUCATION: B.S. in foreign service, 1979, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.; M.S. in broadcast journalism, 1981, Boston
University
RESIDENCE: Providence
AGE: 49
Joe O’Connor has a distinguished record in broadcast journalism, including five Emmys for his work on ABC’s “Nightline,” on stories including the release of Nelson Mandela and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. He has tackled some of the most complex issues of his lifetime.
Now, he’s applying himself to a new task: revamping WRNI, Rhode Island’s National Public Radio station. The station has a turbulent history; two years ago, after amassing more than $1 million in capital debt, WRNI was almost sold by parent station WBUR, in Boston. Now, O’Connor is finding innovative ways to turn it into the thriving enterprise he believes it can be.
PBN: Why did you make the switch from television broadcast journalism to radio?
O’CONNOR: At the network news division, they’re very worried about audience … and very concerned about what news stories will deliver the audience. It’s a huge pressure for them. … [After Ted Koppel left “Nightline”], I sort of looked at my life and said, I think I’m going to have to take a risk here – and take a huge pay cut – and get involved with an organization that seems to be opening bureaus rather than closing them, that seems to be adding reporters, producers and staff instead of eliminating them.
PBN: Is that why you moved to NPR?
O’CONNOR: The place … that was growing in popularity and audience and maintaining the highest standards of integrity in broadcast was NPR. … Listening to it, it was so clear. … There’s a lot in terms of compelling storytelling and offering terrific context for complicated stories on deadline. That’s what you stayed up late for “Nightline” for.
PBN: Do you want to create more local programming?
O’CONNOR: Yes. … I love what we have [nationally]. My mission is to aspire to the same standards of excellence with local programming. My challenge is to be able to afford it. Great programming is expensive … so what you have to do is figure out what you can do with very limited budgetary resources. And I sort of inherited a significant debt from previous management.
PBN: How do you provide local programming with little money to invest?
O’CONNOR: It’s very difficult to say “no” to terrific supporters of WRNI who want to write a check, but want to see a program for the check. I have to say, “Not yet, because I have to pay the electric bill.” … [But] what I really liked about coming here is, I met some of the newer folks in similar positions across the state … such as Curt Columbus, new artistic director at Trinity Rep. He came to me … [and] said, “I’ll take the restricted funding for programming and we’ll do some radio theater.” … All I had to do was provide the studio and an engineer.
PBN: What are other challenges facing the station?
O’CONNOR: In the short term, it’s a bit of a conundrum. How do you boast about local programming when you have a skeletal staff? First you have to restore confidence in the station, from the previous negative headlines of 2004 … [and say], even though I cannot offer you the robust newsroom I intend to have … and local programming I intend to have, it’s going to happen. But it has to begin with Rhode Islanders stepping up to invest in what they want, which is a more local voice on the station.
PBN: How big is your staff, and how big would you like to be?
O’CONNOR: There are five full-time employees, besides me, [and] a part-time station coordinator. … I would love to have five or six reporters, three producers. I’d love to have a director of development, at least two underwriting account executives. I’ve love to have a full-time station coordinator. I’d love to have several weekly shows that I actually can invest in. … It’s going to take some time, unless I can find other strategies.
PBN: What are some of those strategies?
O’CONNOR: [WRNI News Director] Mark Degon, immediately when I gave him the limited bud-get that we have, he went out and got Bill Gale, who used to be the arts critic for The Providence Journal. … He immediately got Maureen Moakley, chair of political science at the University of Rhode Island, and Scott McKay, one of the best political reporters in the state, to do on Friday a political roundtable. … And we’re paying them a pittance. I am so grateful.
PBN: What is the next step?
O’CONNOR: The question is, can I do that with on-air commentators? … I’m already working with Trisha Rose, the new professor of African studies at Brown University. I just edited her first commentary. … Maybe we can find various voices around the state to do the same. … I’m also talking to universities about, would they fund a particular fellowship for a reporter for three years on a particular subject.
PBN: What about fundraising?
O’CONNOR: In the fall fundraiser, we raised over $50,000, which was a record for the station in one pledge drive. That was really good. … The other [factor] is corporate underwriting. Most of the WRNI’s underwriting is small business. I felt very good that Amica Mutual Insurance has just begun to underwrite with us. … Amica had never underwritten before, so first-time businesses are beginning to see the value of being associated with us. … In terms of developments, in terms of grants and gifts, we have a lot of work to do.
