Lookout Staff

February 22, 2010 -- After 32 years, KCRW will have a new voice at he helm. Assistant General Manager Jennifer Ferro was tapped by the Santa Monica College Board to replace Ruth Seymour.

Seymour -- who built KCRW 89.9 FM into a powerhouse National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate with a global audience -- is retiring Friday. Ferro will take over the top post March 1.

“Jennifer epitomizes the perfect mix of traditional public radio experience, and the strategic and creative new media thinking that will be critical to KCRW’s continued success in the years ahead,” said SMC President Dr. Chui L. Tsang.

SMC holds KCRW’s license and was responsible for the search to find Seymour’s replacement.

Ferro first came to the station as a volunteer arts reporter in 1991 and joined the staff three years later. Since then, she has worked in all areas of the station’s operations, including programming, marketing, new media, technology development and fundraising. She was promoted to Assistant General Manager in 1997.

Ferro said, “I’m thrilled to be able to get the opportunity to lead the best public radio station in the country, and I’m excited to work with the station’s incredible staff on the challenges and opportunities in front of us. It’s a dream job.”

Seymour says her former assistant will bring her "own unique approach and vision" to the station.

"Jennifer is an ideal choice to lead the station forward,” said outgoing manager Ruth Seymour. “She's innovative, courageous and independent. She's an experienced programmer, producer and fundraiser. She will make a terrific manager and I look forward to a KCRW under her leadership."

Ferro is the executive director of some of the station’s most popular programs, including “Good Food with Evan Kleiman,” and “DnA: Design and Architecture with Frances Anderton.” “Good Food” is the station’s highest-grossing one-hour program during pledge drives.

"Ferro is also leading the station in working with SMC to build a new facility for KCRW, which will be integrated into the college’s Academy of Entertainment & Technology campus," college officials said in a statement.

The new facility, which recently won a creativity award from the Urban Land Institute, is scheduled for completion by 2013.

"In addition to creating a plan to improve on-air fundraising tactics, Ferro spearheaded a change in KCRW’s online strategy that includes its three live Internet radio channels, successful iPhone apps, active blogs, original content features, and social media strategies," officials said..

Ferro serves as a Board Member for the Development Exchange, Inc., the public radio industry’s fundraising, revenue and marketing organization. She’s also appeared as a panelist about public radio at numerous new media and broadcasting conferences.

Ferro is married and is the mother of two daughters, 7 and 9. She is a soccer player as well as an AYSO youth soccer coach.