(Lehigh Valley, PA) –Gregory K. Capogna, a 30-year veteran in broadcast management, has been named executive director of Lehigh Valley public radio station WDIY-88.1 FM.
Capogna, 61, starts in his new position at the Bethlehem nonprofit this week, becoming the seventh executive director to lead the station since it went on the air in 1995. WDIY is the Lehigh Valley’s only locally-based member of NPR, the national public radio network.
A native of Detroit, Capogna was selected by the station’s board of directors after a nationwide search that began in May, according to board president Karen El-Chaar. “We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have found someone of Greg’s caliber,” El-Chaar said. “WDIY faces a range of opportunities thanks to our power increase two years ago and our improved financial position. Given these gains, we were looking for someone with the vision and experience to help us further develop the station’s service to listeners and the general community.”
Capogna has managed multi-station operations throughout the South and Midwest. For the past five years, he was a consultant in marketing, sales and sales management to radio stations in the South. Prior to that, he was in executive positions with the nation’s largest radio broadcasting companies, including Cumulus Media, Citadel Broadcasting and Clear Channel Communications, where he oversaw regional operations with up to 30 stations and combined staffs of more than 250 employees.
According to El-Chaar, WDIY was challenged for most of its history because its broadcast signal left gaps in some parts of the Lehigh Valley. “Until we tripled our power two years ago, WDIY was the lowest powered station in the NPR network. Thanks to the increase, we now cover a 250-square mile area, from the western half of Berks County to Clinton, New Jersey.”
The station has seen a marked improvement in its financial position as well as significant growth in membership, one of the station’s primary funding sources. Pointing out that public stations depend on listener contributions as a primary source of revenue, she reported that WDIY has seen a “surge” in listener support, increasing from 1,100 members in 2008 to a record level of 2,000 this past year.
Capogna succeeds Wagner Previato, who served from 2013 until earlier this year. During the interim, the station was managed primarily by Bill Dautremont-Smith, a former executive director and current board member.
Dautremont-Smith, who coordinated the board’s search, said Capogna was selected based on his extensive background in key areas of station management, including programming, marketing, sales and community outreach. “Given our gains these past few years, we were looking for someone to lead us into a new era of community service by improving our programming and strengthening our relationships with local organizations,” he said.
Capogna is a graduate of Central Michigan University where he majored in broadcast journalism. After working for local stations in Michigan, he helped form MSP Communications Inc. in 1988, operating two stations in the Lansing market. In 1996, he co-founded 62nd Street Broadcasting, a holding company that built a chain of 31 stations in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kansas. Capogna served as the company’s chief operating officer.
In 2000, he joined another holding company, Communications Capital Partners. As managing director, he coordinated station acquisitions and start-ups in Georgia and Louisiana while also overseeing sales. In 2005, Capogna was hired by Clear Channel Broadcasting, then the nation’s number one owner of commercial radio stations, serving as vice president and general manager of a regional operation of seven stations in south Florida.
In 2008, he accepted a similar position in Louisiana with Citadel Broadcasting, which was later acquired by Cumulus Media. Capogna left the company in 2013 to start his own consulting business, which advised client stations on building listenership and increasing sales.
Capogna said he was honored to lead WDIY. “Having been a radio fan all of my life, I heard something unique in WDIY’s programming, including the quality and diversity of its music and local public affairs offerings, the depth of NPR’s news coverage and then the incredible number of people involved in bringing all this to local listeners,” he said.
Capogna continued, “What I think is crucial is WDIY’s interaction with the community. We already have about 100 partner organizations, over 50 businesses that support the station with underwriting sponsorships and now 2,000 station members.”
“These connections reflect the importance of WDIY as an arts and information resource, and I am excited about the opportunity to further develop the station’s capabilities not only on the airwaves but also through digital platforms such as its website and social media,” he said.
WDIY has a staff of six employees and currently operates on an annual budget of $650,000. The station also has a board of 17 directors, a community advisory board of 10 members, and a volunteer team of around 150, about half of whom produce and host radio programs.
In addition to featuring NPR’s flagship news programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and producing its own public affairs programs, the station produces a wide range of music programs, from classical, jazz and blues to indie-rock, folk and world.
WDIY broadcasts at 88.1 FM, its main signal, and has repeater transmitters serving Easton-Phillipsburg at 93.9 and Fogelsville-Trexlertown at 93.7, and streams on the web at wdiy.org.
Information provided to TVL by:
Shamus McGroggan
WDIY 88.1 FM
Membership & Development Manager
