Jonathan Seaborn to lead UA Little Rock Public Radio

Jonathan Seaborn, chief content officer at Texas Tech Public Media, has been named the new general manager of UA Little Rock Public Radio, the station announced Thursday (Jan. 12).

UA Little Rock Public Radio is the home of KUAR FM 89.1 and KLRE Classical 90.5 and serves as the region’s NPR news and information provider. Housed within the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE), UA Little Rock Public Radio is a public service unit of UA Little Rock where university students gain professional experience by working as interns and part-time staff members.

“Jonathan brings with him a wealth of experience in university-associated public media and deep ties to public media nationwide,” said Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, CHASSE dean. “He is an ideal candidate to lead the stations in delivering the local news and programming that is essential in our community.”

A native of Abilene, Texas, Seaborn is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in creative media industries. Following college, he went on to work for his alma mater as an adjunct professor and producer, production director, and finally chief content officer at Texas Tech Public Media. During that time, he has won four Telly awards, three Lone Star Emmy Awards, three best documentary awards, and one public media award.

“I am very excited by this new opportunity,” Seaborn said. “I’ve been met with nothing but passion and enthusiasm from the staff, the Friends of KUAR/KLRE, and the public. With their appreciation and love for the stations, it’s obvious that UA Little Rock Public Radio is well respected and loved in the community.”

Seaborn succeeds Nathan Vandiver, the former general manager who moved to Portland, Oregon, last year when his wife joined the Federal Public Defender’s office.

One of Seaborn’s first tasks will be to lead a search to replace News Director Michael Hibblen, who left UA Little Rock Public Radio at the start of the new year to join Arkansas PBS. Seaborn has been in contact with Hibblen and looks forward to collaborating on future public media projects.

“That will be an important position to fill quickly,” Seaborn said. “I know Michael Hibblen is an institution at UA Little Rock Public Radio, but it’s comforting to know that he’s not too far away.”

Talk Business & Politics is a content partner with KUAR.