GPB’s longtime leader to retire in May

Her retirement comes amid a challenging time for the system, which operates nine TV stations and 20 radio stations throughout the state and provides Georgia-specific educational content to teachers and students.

State lawmakers slashed the system’s budget by roughly 9% in the upcoming fiscal budget, a cut engineered by Senate Republicans who said they heard from other radio operators wondering why the state was funding the outlet.

A veteran of leadership roles at TBS and CNN, Ryan was tapped to lead the system in 2009 with a mandate to transform the outlet to a modern media company and boost its network of donors.

She helped build GPB’s base of donors from roughly 28,000 to nearly 90,000 and expanded the team of radio journalists to about 20. She also oversaw the launch of a popular digital education division that includes a podcast, blog and courses in key subject areas.

And as hundreds of thousands of Georgia students were forced to virtual schools during the outset of the pandemic, the system dramatically ramped up its educational programming to help students learn remotely and supplement school lesson plans.

But Ryan also faced backlash for decisions as she navigated budget cuts and testy relations with Republican leaders who sometimes complained about the system’s news coverage or its use of state funding.

She agreed to hire a former GOP Senate leader in 2012 to a six-figure job as an executive producer on an economic development program; he stepped down amid outcry from staffers and donors in 2014 before having aired a show.

That same year, Ryan helped orchestrate GPB’s takeover of Georgia State University’s student-led WRAS radio station, giving the system a powerful 100,000-watt signal in Atlanta. It also put it in closer competition with fellow NPR affiliate WABE, an independently operated arm of the Atlanta Public Schools that receives no money from the state.

The decision triggered outrage and protests from students and community advocates, though it also gave GPB a broader beachhead in Atlanta for its news, music, sports and educational programs.

Credit: GPB

Credit: GPB

Throughout her tenure, Ryan faced the specter of budget cuts from powerful legislators. GPB relies on state funding for transmission towers and educational programs, but finances TV and radio programming from individual donors, corporate sponsors, federal grants and other sources of revenue.

The outlet’s shows include the TV program “Lawmakers” that airs nightly during the 40-day legislative session, the “Political Rewind” radio hour and a platform for dozens of political debates each election cycle.

This year, state Sen. Blake Tillery led an effort to shave GPB’s budget by roughly 26% that was eventually pared back to 9%, or a decline of about $1.4 million. He said at the time that unspecified rival broadcasters vented about the state funding for GPB.

“Let’s be honest, what they’re really saying is ‘Why are you funding my competition?’” Tillery said. “But I think that’s actually a very valid point. Why are we picking winners and losers? I don’t think that’s the space we want to be in.”

Ryan and other GPB executives privately pushed back on the cuts, but publicly said the outlet would have to be more resourceful to adapt to the budget squeeze.

“We’ll just have to be thoughtful as to what we will do,” GPB spokeswoman Mandy Wilson said at the time. “We’re always looking to our donors and people who appreciate GPB and we’ll look for other funding sources.”