Jennifer Foster and Ben Roe
By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net
Classical public radio station WDAV-FM said goodbye to its general manager Ben Roe in December after he announced his engagement to the station’s popular midday announcer, Jennifer Foster. Now, with Mr. Roe out of a job, she’s leaving the station as well. The pair have both landed jobs at WGBH, the public broadcasting empire based in Boston.
Mr. Roe has been tapped as Managing Director for Classical Services at WGBH, which means he’ll be running WCRB-FM, the classical music station WGBH bought in 2009. His new job starts March 1.
Ms. Foster has been involved with WDAV since she was a Davidson student in 1987, and has been a daytime mainstay for the past seven years. She also has been the voice of some of WDAV’s most successful live music programs, from coverage of Charleston’s Spoleto festival to summer music festivals to 2009′s nationally-syndicated “Christmas at the Biltmore” special. In Boston, she will do voice work for the news-and-info-focused WGBH-FM and be involved in other production and outreach activities.
Speaking for the station, WDAV program director Frank Dominguez said this week: “Jennifer has gone from being a Davidson College work study at WDAV to becoming an accomplished host and producer who has attracted national attention. While we’re sad to see her go, it’s a perfectly natural step in her career path, and one that demonstrates what WDAV has accomplished over the years. We wish her all the best.”
WDAV will begin searching soon for a permanent midday host, Mr. Dominguez said. In the meantime, weekend “Early Shift” host Lauren Rico will be filling in. She’s a nationally-known radio talent who got her start at WDAV. She later moved on to Minnesota Public Radio’s syndicated “Classical 24″ service, and now free-lances for stations ranging from WDAV to WSHU in Fairfield, Conn., and KMFA in Austin, Texas. You might also catch her filling in as host for the Metropolitan Opera Channel on satellite radio.
‘HEARTBREAKING’
Ms. Foster said WDAV is “a community and a family” for music lovers and musicians in the Charlotte area. “It’s heartbreaking to let that go,” she told DavidsonNews.net. “I will forever be grateful to have had this experience here. There’s no other environment in radio that I’m aware of that’s quite like WDAV, where you can be asked to do it all, and you can do it all.”
At the same time, both Mr. Roe and Ms. Foster are excited about working in one of the two biggest public radio markets in the country (San Francisco is the other). Said Ms. Foster: “There’s a time for everyone to move on, if they want to get better. You have to take a risk if you want to gain, and I would hope that people would support me becoming as much as I possibly can. That was always my goal. That can’t happen here, and I hope it will happen somewhere else.”
Mr. Roe, a Grammy-winning producer who once was National Public Radio’s director of music, will run WCRB and report to Marita Rivero, WGBH’s vice president and general manager for radio and TV.
The move to Boston is a bit of a homecoming. Mr. Roe is a New Hampshire native who recalls making is first public-radio pledge to WGBH as a youth. He earned his graduate degree in broadcast administration from Boston University, and worked at Boston University’s WBUR-FM as well as other stations in the region.
He said he hopes to pick up where he left off at WDAV, bringing the Boston market the same ideas and energy as he brought to WDAV in recent years. In his time at WDAV, he expanded the station’s coverage of regional music festivals, transformed the station into one based predominantly on local programming, and introduced a Spanish language service called “Concierto,” hosted by Mr. Dominguez.
He said he’s most proud of the fact that during the past couple of years of lean times for public radio, WDAV’s membership – the small portion of listeners who support the station financially – has grown.
His work at WDAV has attracted national attention, and made him a candidate for the Boston job, he said. “In essence, they’ve handed me the keys to classical radio in Boston,” he told DavidsonNews.net.
Mr. Roe’s abrupt departure came as a surprise to many who have watched the station’s profile rise in the public radio world under his leadership. Although the official announcement said he was leaving for personal reasons, some WDAV supporters have been critical of the way the college responded after Mr. Roe and Ms. Foster announced their engagement.
As reader Dan Locklair put it in a comment posted on DavidsonNews.net: “Colleges and universities will go to great lengths to keep and support winning coaches,” he wrote. Why wouldn’t Davidson do the same for an arts leader like Mr. Roe, he wondered.
Ms. Foster and Mr. Roe have been mostly silent on the issue. She said the station has made great strides since Mr. Roe took over in July 2008. “I believe the station will not lose what Ben in particular has brought here. We’ve learned so much, and grown up so much with him driving, that DAV will always have his mark.”
Mr. Roe said this week: “There’s a lot of regrets. I really felt like we were just getting started here. (WDAV was) the best job I ever had. I really felt embraced by the community.”
RELATED COVERAGE
Dec. 23, 2010, “Roe stepping down as WDAV general manager”
Previous stories about WDAV on DavidsonNews.net, under the WDAV tag.
Whether from fear of litigation or fear of ruffling socially-conservative figures, this was stupid, stupid, stupid. Davidson and metro Charlotte lose two more bright stars. Good luck, Ben and Jennifer, storm Beantown for me!
No one is indispensable, not even those with egos greater than their worth.
What is heartbreaking is that Davidson College could be so short-sighted and petty as to force Mr. Roe out. He was indeed indispensable. Under his leadership, WDAV has become one of the premier classical music venues of the world. It was not only stupid, but tragic. All those involved at Davidson College should be ashamed.
Did the college really force Mr. Roe out? On the surface, it seems atypical for a liberal arts institution. But on the other hand, large institutions are pulled in various directions, and a classical music station doesn’t pull a lot of weight down here in Cackalacky– South Carolina has already promised to pull the plug on their radio and TV.
While it’s interesting that WDAV had a good shot at the national stage, it’s more likely that it would be a bus stop for Ben. If it turns out that Davidson pushed him and Jennifer away, what egg they will have on their face? Being hired by one of the world’s premier broadcasting entities shows that Ben and Jennifer are world class, and this will certainly be a fantastic opportunity for both. Break a leg!
WGBH made the official public announcement today (2/17/11) about Ben Roe:
February 17, 2011
Ben Roe named WGBH’s new Managing Director of Classical Services
Veteran public radio producer and manager Benjamin K. Roe is the new Managing Director of WGBH’s Classical Services, announced Marita Rivero, WGBH Vice President and General Manager for Radio and Television. In this role, Roe will guide the overall strategy for 99.5 All Classical services, including programming, live performances and special events.
“When we acquired 99.5 more than a year ago, our mission was to preserve and develop classical music in this region. Ben’s extensive industry knowledge, unique insight and strategic talents will help us fully realize that vision,” said Rivero. “He has 20 years of experience with stations across the NPR system, in both classical music and news, and has won numerous awards for his work with world-class musicians. Ben will certainly be an asset to WGBH, as we strive to provide the best possible classical services and continue to enhance the listener experience.”
Roe joins WGBH after serving as the general manager of WDAV Radio in Davidson, North Carolina, since 2008. While at WDAV, Roe established the station as one of the nation’s leading producers of original classical music programming. In addition to producing 140 hours of local content each week, Roe spearheaded production of many nationally-distributed programs, including NPR World of Opera, Radio Chopin, Spoleto Chamber Music, and A Carolina Christmas with Kathy Mattea.
Roe’s extensive experience with NPR dates back to 1982 with WUMB and WBUR in Boston, where he was one of the early producers of Car Talk. From there, he moved into NPR’s Cultural Programming division, serving in a variety of roles including Director of Music and Music Initiatives from 2002-07.
“There is an incredible palette of energy, smarts and ideas that exist at WGBH,” said Roe. “I love what we can do here, and am particularly excited about the vision that [WGBH President] Jon Abbott and Marita have for the institution. In many ways, this position is a summation of everything I’ve done throughout my career. I look forward to combining Boston’s great cultural tradition with the power of radio, web, and emerging technologies.”
An accomplished producer, Roe earned a Grammy Award in 1998 for a recording of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem by the Washington Chorus. Additional honors include the Chairman’s Medal from the National Endowment for the Arts, a George Foster Peabody and ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for NPR’s Performance Today and the National Medal of the Arts for NPR Cultural Programming. Most recently, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Symphony Guild of Charlotte.
The New Hampshire native is an alumnus of Middlebury College in Vermont, and studied Broadcast Administration while attending Boston University’s Graduate program. He and his wife, former WDAV host Jennifer Foster, plan to live in Boston. They have four children between them: Evan, 20, a junior at Pomona College; Rebecca, 18, an incoming freshman at Middlebury; Jonathan, 16; and Logan, 12.
Local organizations offered the following comments on Ben Roe joining WGBH:
“Ben Roe brings a wealth of experience in radio broadcasting, true intelligence to programming and a passion for classical music. WGBH is fortunate to gain such a wonderful professional, and all of us at Handel and Haydn Society look forward to working with him and the WGBH team to continue to bring the finest programming to the Boston community.” – Marie-Hélène Bernard, Executive Director/CEO, Handel and Haydn Society
“Ben Roe is one of the most astute broadcasters in the United States. He has a true, 20,000-foot view of the relationships between music, radio, and the web — probably as good as there is — and a legacy of seminal public radio programs he’s helped to create. A city of smart people, with best-of-category producers of culture, just got a new friend and champion. I am thrilled that Ben is coming to WGBH.” – Rob Hayes, Assistant Vice President for External Affairs, Berklee College of Music
“We have known Ben for years and are thrilled to see him come back to Boston. We worked closely with him when he was at NPR and his insight and advice have been most valuable over the years. We look forward to collaborating with him in his new capacity at 99.5, as we work together to keep the classical music scene vibrant here in Boston.” – Gerald Slavet and Jennifer Hurley-Wales, From the Top co-CEOs
“WGBH is incredibly fortunate to have Ben Roe join the team at 99.5 All Classical. Many of us at the BSO have enjoyed working closely with Ben on such NPR broadcasts as the opening of Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, the Symphony Hall Centennial Celebration, and a James Levine-led performance of Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand–the maestro’s first concert as BSO music director. Ben’s creative spirit and unquestionable professionalism, along with his uncanny ability to find workable solutions to tough challenges, are just a few of his impressive qualities. We look forward to collaborating with Ben on the BSO’s broadcast presence on 99.5.” – Mark Volpe, Boston Symphony Orchestra Managing Director
About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster, producing such award-winning PBS series as Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other prime-time, lifestyle, and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBH 44, and digital channels World and Create. Local WGBH TV productions that focus on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, and María Hinojosa: One-on-One. WGBH Radio serves listeners from Cape Cod to New Hampshire with 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s NPR® Station for News and Culture; 99.5 All Classical; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also produces the national radio news program The World. WGBH is a leading producer of online content and a pioneer in developing educational multimedia and new technologies that make media accessible for people with disabilities. Find more information at http://www.wgbh.org.
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