GBH has named a new leader of the newsroom after the Boston public station’s general manager for news resigned and following a round of layoffs.
The Boston station has appointed Dan Lothian to the newly created role of Editor in Chief, GBH News and The World. That role will lead the newsroom moving forward.
Lothian is currently the executive producer of The World, public radio’s longest-running daily global news program, produced in Boston by GBH and PRX.
This announcement of a new newsroom leader comes after Pam Johnston stepped aside as general manager of GBH News. Also last week, GBH cut 31 workers from 13 departments — about 4% of the station’s workforce. The station also suspended production of Greater Boston, Talking Politics, and Basic Black.
Lothian will now begin in his new role on June 1.
“Dan has impeccable credentials and is respected by colleagues throughout GBH and by journalists across the globe,” said Susan Goldberg, president and CEO of GBH.
“With his background in both breaking news and long-form features, and with deep experience in radio, television, and across digital platforms, he is ideally suited to lead coverage for today’s audiences,” Goldberg added.
Lothian joined The World as executive producer in 2021. Under his leadership, the show expanded its reach, airing on a record 377 public radio stations across the U.S. and in Canada, reaching about 2 million people weekly.
In 2022, The World received a $205,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to expand and sustain its coverage of the war in Ukraine.
“We have the opportunity to bring our audience stories by connecting the global to the local, while simultaneously delivering the critical information they need to be informed and engaged citizens,” Lothian said.
“In addition, today’s environment requires a focus on innovation,” Lothian added. “To reach a wider audience, we have to find new ways and platforms to share these stories. I’m looking forward to working with all of my colleagues and partners to support the excellent journalism they produce every day.”
Lothian spent more than a decade as a correspondent for CNN, covering the White House, presidential campaigns, and breaking news. He also spent time working in CNN’s Jerusalem bureau.
He began his career in radio at the age of 16, and went on to work at several local TV stations across the country. He then served as a national correspondent at NBC News for seven years with stories on Nightly News, the Today Show, and MSNBC as well as working in both the Tel Aviv and Cairo bureaus.
GBH like many media outlets has been facing financial headwinds, leading to last week’s round of layoffs. The station is dealing with a $7 million budget gap.
During the fiscal year that ended last June, GBH’s total operating expenses were $288.3 million, while the station’s total operating revenue came in at $269.6 million — for a deficit of $18.6 million. The total decrease in net assets was $15.3 million.