WLRN Public Radio and Television has named Tom Hudson as vice-president of news, Terence Shepherd as news director and Alicia Zuckerman as editorial director for all of WLRN-Miami Herald News.
“We have brought together one of the best, if not the best, leadership teams in public media news,” said John Labonia, general manager of WLRN Public Radio and Television. “Our goal of making WLRN the round-the-clock, pervasive and constant source of news and information about and of interest to South Florida is now in reach. I am honored to be working with such talented individuals.”
Hudson joined WLRN in 2013 as a special correspondent, creator and host of The Sunshine Economy. He also hosts The Florida Roundup, WLRN's award-winning, weekly public-affairs program.
"At this time of great change for the media industry, accurate, reliable and analytical news coverage has never been more in-demand," Hudson said. "WLRN is positioned with its partners, NPR and the Miami Herald, to provide more in-depth, more innovative and more meaningful news coverage for South Florida."
Hudson previously was the co-anchor and managing editor of the Nightly Business Report on public television. While Hudson was co-anchoring and managing NBR, the program was awarded the 2012 Program of Excellence Award by American Public Television. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa and is the recipient of several professional honors and awards for his work in journalism.
Shepherd joined the company in 2011 as assignment editor.
“I am honored to accept this new role with such an outstanding cadre of journalists,” Shepherd said. “Our focus on politics, arts, culture, education, Latin America and the Caribbean has produced and will continue to produce excellent storytelling and meaningful reporting for our audiences, on-air and online."
Shepherd began his journalism career in 1990 at the Boca Raton News, and spent nearly 14 years with the Miami Herald, editing several national and state award-winning stories, projects and reporters at both newspapers. Shepherd holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia, a master’s in business administration from Florida Atlantic University and completed the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education’s editing program at the University of Arizona.
Zuckerman, a 2013 USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism fellow, was previously interim news director and senior editor for enterprise for WLRN-Miami Herald News. She joined WLRN in 2008 as co-creator of Under the Sun.
She began her career as a reporter and producer for NPR's On the Media, and was a reporter for WNYC and New York magazine. Zuckerman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University at Albany (New York) where she studied English and music, and holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has received numerous awards for her work, including, most recently, a national Edward R. Murrow Award for feature reporting.
“It’s so gratifying to see our news team continue to grow and tell the stories of South Florida -- from the Palm Beaches down to the Keys.” said Zuckerman. “From sea-level rise, to a kid who grew up in Miami becoming the inaugural poet and reading his poetry at President Obama’s inauguration, to memories and recipes from deep inside Cuban kitchens -- I feel extraordinarily lucky to be doing this work, and doing it alongside such talented, accomplished, intelligent and fun colleagues.”
WLRN-Miami Herald News has earned national and regional recognition in the past year, including a Third Coast International Audio Festival Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award for the documentary Remembering Andrew; a finalist pick by the Associated Press Media Editors for its innovative “News as a Shared Experience” video; and an Online News Association Digital Presentation Award for the U.S. presidential election-driven Dispatches from the Swing State.
