This month marks a milestone for New England Public Radio’s CEO and General Manager, Martin Miller, as he celebrates 20 years at the helm of the region’s premiere public radio station.
Much has changed since Miller arrived at the station in 1995 from WGBH Boston, where he spent ten years in various positions including Program Director. NEPR’s audience has grown from 125,000 to over 166,000 weekly listeners. Its annual budget, raised in community support from listeners and corporate underwriting, has grown almost fourfold to $3.9 million. Twenty years ago WFCR broadcast on a single frequency, 88.5FM. Today, New England Public Radio, which includes the NEPR News Network, can be heard on 13 frequencies throughout the region, including two HD channels, and streaming at NEPR.net.
“For the past two decades, our network and entire geographic home have benefited from the visionary leadership supplied by Martin Miller,” says Paul Lambert, President of the NEPR Foundation, Inc. “Through huge changes in technology, shifts in media consumption, and financial challenges, Martin’s steadfast leadership has positioned NEPR for a bright and increasingly vibrant future. On behalf of the members of the NEPR Foundation Board, I congratulate and thank Martin and his wife Brenda for their vital contributions to the quality of our lives through their time, talent and commitment to an intelligent, educated community.”
For the past five years, Miller’s efforts have been centered around the New England Public Radio Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign for WFCR. In September of 2014, NEPR celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art headquarters in downtown Springfield, the cornerstone of the Capital Campaign, and a major accomplishment for Miller who has worked tirelessly over the course of his tenure to create a facility that would enable NEPR’s journalists, presenters and hosts to do their best work. The campaign has raised over $8.2 million and is now in its final phase.
The rehabilitation of the Five Colleges Studios on the UMass Amherst Campus will be completed in 2016, wrapping up new facility projects for NEPR. This space along with the station’s headquarters at 1525 Main Street, the Peggy and David Starr Studio at WGBY-57 in Springfield, and its new Berkshire County bureau in Pittsfield translate to over 18,000 square feet of usable space for NEPR.
“Martin has been the driving force behind the transformation of WFCR from a small but highly respected outlet for news and cultural programming in the Pioneer Valley to the regional powerhouse that it is today, in the form of NEPR,” said John Kennedy, Vice Chancellor for University Relations at UMass Amherst, the station’s license holder. “His commitment to the important mission of public radio, combined with his creativity, dedication and hard work, has enhanced the civic and cultural lives of all of us who rely on public radio to help us stay connected to the world.”
New England Public Radio has been a vital part of the community since WFCR’s inception in 1961, and under Miller’s leadership it continues to expand its mission of serving the community with news, music and cultural programming both on air and off.
“Now that the station has moved into its new facility, our attention is turning to programming,” says Miller. “Media Lab, a new program dedicated to promoting young people’s intellectual, creative, and professional growth through education and access to the media, will launch in January, serving students from Springfield and Holyoke high schools. The station is piloting several new projects, including a music and spoken word initiative modeled loosely on WNYC’s Green Space which includes both online content, and public performance.”
NEPR is actively fundraising for “In Contrast with Ilan Stavans,” a one-hour program, with a broad focus on culture. With funding, the program could launch as early as spring 2016. Raising money to create a daily talk show is one of NEPR’s highest priorities. In addition to programming, in the coming years NEPR will be looking at additional frequency expansion for the network in its current coverage area.
Miller adds: “Increasing our reporting staff to fill the gap in our region where newspapers have cut back on reporters, and developing podcasts and producing new music streams are also part of the immediate and long-term goals of NEPR.”
During his career Miller has earned the prestigious Ohio State Award, Parent’s Choice Magazine Award, a National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers Award for “Oy Chanukah!, with the Klezmer Conservatory Band”, and several Corporation for Public Broadcasting Development Awards.
He has served on the Executive Committee of Eastern Public Media (now Eastern Region Public Media) – for seven years, including two as the organization’s Chair. He currently serves on the board of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Board of the Springfield Central Cultural District, and he is a volunteer SJC qualified mediator for small claims court through The Mediation & Training Collaborative – A Program of “Community Action!” of the Franklin, Hampshire, and North Quabbin Regions.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Plainview, New York, Miller lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife Brenda. They have two children, Aaron and Liliya.