Longtime media executive Terry O’Reilly has been named president and CEO of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation, owner of the FM radio stations 91.3 WYEP and 90.5 WESA. A veteran of commercial, entrepreneurial and public media, he will join PCBC on August 1, 2016.
O’Reilly’s appointment follows the recent consolidation of WESA and WYEP governance into a single public media entity positioned for continued growth in broadcast audience, digital distribution, and community engagement. WYEP and WESA are Pittsburgh’s only independent public radio stations covering the adult album alternative (AAA) music format and NPR news and information.
“We are excited that Terry will lead the team we’ve built at Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation,” said Harris Jones, PCBC board president. “His experience and expertise will help accelerate our efforts to deliver high-quality global, national and local music, news, information and cultural programming that is engaging, relevant and inspiring. His diverse background also serves us well as we extend our strong broadcast brands across digital media and other emerging platforms.”
A multiple award-winning producer, journalist and executive, O’Reilly has more than four decades of media experience. He comes to PCBC from Minneapolis, where he served most recently as senior vice president and chief content officer for Twin Cities PBS, one of America’s most innovative and influential public media institutions. There he led creation and distribution of public television programming for the Minneapolis and St. Paul communities, and also the creation of award-winning primetime and children’s programming for the national PBS system. During O’Reilly’s tenure at Twin Cities PBS it was the highest-rated local public television service in the United States for three years running, and he was recognized with more than two dozen national and regional Emmy® Awards.
Prior to joining Twin Cities PBS in 2009, O’Reilly spent three decades in the commercial television industry, with experience in senior positions at two national cable TV networks (ReelzChannel and The Weather Channel), along with involvement in a pair of entrepreneurial media startups. He has deep experience in local and network broadcast journalism, including service as a senior executive at Worldwide Television News Corporation (a division of ABC News). He also spent a decade working with Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, including three years at Pittsburgh’s own KDKA-TV in the 1980s.
“It’s an honor to join WYEP and WESA, the two leading public radio stations in my hometown of Pittsburgh,” O’Reilly said. “The media industry is at a critical inflection point, and public radio is well positioned to thrive by focusing on what it does best: allowing each of us the opportunity to hear, listen, learn and participate. Pittsburgh's public radio stations remain remarkably strong, with growing audiences, in this changing media environment,” he added. “Whether it’s music or news, I believe public media in Pittsburgh are poised to transform the media landscape as an authentic voice that connects the community through unique and compelling content.”
O’Reilly received a B.A. in American Studies at the University of Notre Dame and completed executive programs at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business, the University of Chicago’s Booth Graduate School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. O’Reilly is a Trustee of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the Emmy® Awards organization), and is also a voting member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
