AUSTIN, Texas, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — KMFA Classical 89.5 announces that, after almost ten years as its President and General Manager, Ann Hume Wilson will retire this year.
"With KMFA’s new home completed, and strategic plan initiated, it’s an ideal time to pass the baton to a new leader," said Wilson. "KMFA looks very different now than it did ten years ago, and I am honored to have had a hand in its growth and transformation."
The end of 2022 will bring Wilson’s decade of leadership to a close. In that time, she has led the 55-year-old station through many transformative strategic initiatives.
The capstone of her tenure was the opening of KMFA’s permanent home, a purpose-built facility in East Austin for which KMFA raised $10.5 million entirely from community supporters, one of the largest capital campaigns in the history of classical radio. The two-story facility includes the Draylen Mason Music Studio, broadcasting studios, hands-on-learning areas, one of the largest classical music libraries in Texas, and community gathering spaces.
Wilson expanded service to the community with "Listen Local," a series showcasing Austin-area classical organizations. She has built strong partnerships in the K-12 education community, including an annual instrument drive co-sponsored with Austin Soundwaves and, in the new space, ongoing tours and musical experiences with underserved schools. Simultaneously, KMFA’s national footprint has grown with its first syndicated program, "Early Music Now," currently heard in more than 100 communities.
For its 50th anniversary in 2017, Wilson introduced branding platform, "On Key, Offbeat," to emphasize the distinctive place of classical music on the Austin radio dial. Brand elements included a redesigned website, a "5 Offbeat Things" newsletter, and an app featuring Sounds of Austin—a playlist of classical works mapped to major Austin tourist and cultural destinations.
Wilson strengthened KMFA’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion at the board level, growing minority representation from 6% to 20% in five years, as well as at the staff level, with two young Latino men now heard in its on-air lineup. In 2022, KMFA launched an annual composer-in-residence program to commission, record and distribute new music for radio from under-represented composers.
"It will be difficult to replace Ann. Yet, we look to find the next leader who will build upon the successes of these past 55 years, especially these past 10 led by Ann," said KMFA Board Chair, Soriya Estes. "Together, we work to cultivate and grow a more diverse audience and KMFA’s role as a key convener and influencer in Austin’s cultural ecosystem."
With the adoption of its strategic plan in June 2022, KMFA has identified new opportunities for growth in service, revenue, and digital innovation, with an eye to increasing the diversity of a younger audience for the future. In her remaining months, Wilson will lay groundwork for her successor with an audience research project and work to launch a $2.5M endowment campaign.
The KMFA Board of Directors has convened a search committee of five board members who will engage the KMFA team, listeners, donors, and community members in the search process. Koya Partners, an executive search firm specializing in mission-driven leadership, has been selected to conduct a national search for Wilson’s successor. For more information, email kmfaceo@koyapartners.com.
KMFA 89.5 is an independent public classical radio station in Austin, TX. Established in 1967, KMFA serves approximately 120,000 listeners each week with locally curated playlists and special-interest programs such as Classical Austin, Early Music Now, and From The Butler School, as well as superb national programs such as the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, Concierto, and Feminine Fusion.
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SOURCE KMFA Classical 89.5
