After more than a decade leading WFSU and a broadcasting career spanning nearly five decades, General Manager David Mullins is retiring. His tenure has seen WFSU navigate major shifts in the world of public media.
Mullins does most of his work behind the scenes. But he can be heard fundraising during our pledge drives, promoting our local news team, and even hosting WFSU’s podcast Tally Benchwarmers.
On Speaking Of, he reflects on his long career in broadcasting and how he navigated a round of staff layoffs that followed the loss of state and federal funding.
“It wasn’t such an immediate impact on our operating budget, but we knew moving forward we had to reset how we were going to operate beginning on July 1,” Mullins said, referring to the start of the new fiscal year with no government support.
The total cut was about $2.8 million.
“We did need to reduce our staff. We provided a three-month notice to those staff, and it was tough. Beyond tough -- hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my career,” Mullins said.
Broadcast media outlets have had to pivot as more consumers get their news on their phones, often via social media. Public media organizations are constantly adapting and working to be leaders in the fast-changing media landscape.
Mullins says staying relevant will depend on our ability to raise the money to stay open and continue having a strong connection with the community.
“You stay relevant by being able to provide the necessary, valued, meaningful services," Mullins says. "That’s content; that is services on the education side; that’s being a place where people can go and know that they can trust that this organization is looking out for the best interest of the community.”
Click LISTEN to hear the entire conversation.
