WILL Press Room
Hamlett Named Development Director
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Debbie Hamlett has been named director of development at Illinois Public Media (IPM), which includes the WILL radio and television stations. Hamlett worked for more than 15 years at South Carolina ETV, a statewide public radio and television service, where she was most recently the director of development and programming.
“Illinois Public Media has an outstanding reputation for serving the community,” she said. “I’m thrilled to join such a great team to build on the station’s remarkable legacy. I was immediately drawn to the warmth and generosity of the IPM staff and everyone I met.”
Hamlett, who began work at IPM on May 31, manages the membership, marketing, corporate support and major giving activities at IPM, and also serves as a member of the organization’s senior management team.
Illinois Public Media General Manager Mark Leonard said Hamlett’s successful track record in development at South Carolina ETV is one of reasons she is an outstanding choice to lead Illinois Public Media’s fundraising and marketing efforts. “Her extensive industry experience and enthusiasm will be great assets to IPM and to the central Illinois community,” he said.
Hamlett has served on the board of the Public Radio Association of Development Officers and served for four years as chair of the National Educational Telecommunications Association Development Council.
New WILL Development Director
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
George H. Hauenstein has been named director of development for WILL AM-FM-TV.
Hauenstein has 25 years of experience in public broadcasting development, direct marketing and fundraising, most recently as director of TV and radio membership marketing at WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston. He joins the WILL staff on Jan. 8, replacing longtime WILL development director Debbie Day, who retired in 2006. WILL general manager Mark Leonard said the staff at WILL is excited to have a person coming on board with extensive experience in public broadcast fundraising. “WGBH has a reputation for having one of the most successful development programs within the public broadcasting community nationally, and we look forward to benefiting from the experience he gained while steering their radio and television membership activities,” Leonard said. Hauenstein began working at WGBH in 1982, holding positions as director of telemarketing, director of member acquisition, and director of radio marketing/fundraising before assuming duties of director of TV and radio membership marketing in October 2006. He said he’s looking forward to guiding an already successful development program at WILL and helping it achieve even greater success. “WILL seems to be doing a lot of the right things,” Hauenstein said. “There are a lot of challenges and opportunities facing public broadcasting these days. Finding ways to better serve and engage our viewers, listeners and members is key. I look forward to working with the staff and the community to try to achieve this.” Non-commercial radio and public broadcasting have long been close to Hauenstein’s heart. Since the time he was a student at Boston College in 1979, Hauenstein has been producer/host of “Sunday Morning Country,” a weekly four-hour bluegrass and country music radio program on the college’s WZBC-FM. He said he hopes to continue doing a bluegrass show in central Illinois. “One of the things I really enjoy about my life is doing this show. If I can find an outlet, a community radio or college station, I’d like to continue it,” he said. Contact: Mary Barrineau WILL AM-FM-TV 217-244-5080Leonard Named General Manager at WILL AM-FM-TV
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Mark Leonard, general manager for Central Washington of KCTS-TV in Seattle, has been named the new general manager of WILL AM-FM-TV-Online and director of broadcasting for the College of Communications at the University of Illinois, pending approval of the U of I Board of Trustees. He succeeds Donald Mullally, who retired in 2005.
Announcing the appointment, effective June 15, Ron Yates, dean of the College of Communications, said Leonard’s career spans more than 27 years in public broadcasting, including senior management positions in Seattle and Yakima, Wash., and at WXXI in Rochester, N.Y., where he was vice president for television. “He brings vision, energy and creativity to WILL and the Division of Broadcasting at a time when public broadcasting needs such qualities,” Yates said. As general manager for Central Washington at KCTS-TV, Leonard manages all station operations of KYVE, KCTS’ Yakima station. He was chief administrative officer at KCTS-TV from 2000-2003. Leonard said he is looking forward to heading up WILL’s operation, in part because it’s a combined public media service with radio, television and new media. “It’s an opportunity to innovate with new models of service for public media,” he said. WILL is a station with a long history and great tradition that has already built a solid history of service to its local communities, Leonard said. His experience at other stations has reinforced his understanding that localism is an essential value of public broadcasting, he said. “With the overall consolidation of commercial media, localism is an increasingly rare but important asset. As a result, public broadcasting has a unique opportunity to build and expand upon local strengths,” said Leonard, who worked briefly in television production for WILL-TV in 1982. Leonard is a past president of the Washington State Public Broadcasters Association, where he successfully reversed declining state support for public television. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, and participated in the Executive Development Program at the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester. ### Contact: Mary Barrineau Public Information Coordinator WILL AM-FM-TV 217-333-1070