Monica Shilling Named Board Chair of KCRW Foundation

Saree Kayne Joins Lee Rierson as Vice Chair

(Santa Monica, CA—December 19, 2019)The KCRW Foundation is pleased to announce that the KCRW Foundation’s Board of Directors elected Monica Shilling as the new board chair effective December 9, 2019. She succeeds Matt Kline who served as Board Chair since 2017, and will continue to remain on the full Board of Directors. Additionally, the KCRW Foundation’s Board of Directors re-elected Lee Rierson as Vice Chair, elected Saree Kayne as an additional Vice Chair, Karyn Williams as Treasurer and Emily Gold Mears as Secretary.

The KCRW Foundation provides financial support and other resources to ensure that KCRW can maintain and expand its mission consistent with economic, social and technological developments. The KCRW Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of committed business and community leaders who place KCRW at the top of their philanthropic agenda and help the station fulfill its mission.

“KCRW is lucky to have a board of passionate fans and strategic thinkers,” said KCRW President Jennifer Ferro. “I couldn’t be more inspired to have Monica Shilling take on the leadership role as Chair of the KCRW Foundation. We have relied on her expertise and guidance for a number of years. She is a powerhouse.  She is the perfect person to take the baton from the extraordinary Matt Kline and from Michael Fleming before him.”

“I’ve loved KCRW since 1995, when I arrived in Los Angeles and found this incredible station that has inspired me and so many others over the years,” said Monica Shilling. “This is a tremendous honor and I’m humbled by my fellow board members’ confidence in me.  I look forward to working with our dynamic President, Jennifer Ferro, and fantastic staff, my board colleagues, including Vice Chairs Lee Rierson and Saree Kayne, and our friends at Santa Monica College to continue to deliver KCRW’s unique mix of content.”

Monica Shilling first joined the KCRW Foundation board in 2012, and is a transactional partner in the Los Angeles office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She has a broad corporate and securities law practice that focuses on advising asset managers, private equity funds, and their portfolio companies on the full lifecycle of transactions. She also represents public companies, financial advisors, investment banks and issuers. She is experienced with mergers and acquisitions, capital markets offerings, leveraged buyouts, general corporate law and corporate governance, securities laws, and NYSE/Nasdaq compliance. She also advises companies on the establishment of business development companies (BDCs) and other private and public equity vehicles. Monica is among a relatively limited number of attorneys in the country who actively represent BDCs.

Monica was honored by Chambers USA at its 2012 Women in Law Awards as the Up & Coming Corporate/M&A Lawyer of the Year and was recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the top 25 transactional women lawyers in California in its 2011 and 2014 TopWomen Lawyers issues.

KCRW, licensed to Santa Monica College, is a publicly funded non-profit media organization whose goal is to create and disseminate news and cultural programming that informs, inspires, and stimulates.  By creating an ongoing dialogue with its audience, KCRW strives to make an impact not only on the cultural conversation of Southern California, but of the United States and the world.

The KCRW Foundation Board includes:
Monica Shilling, Chair
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Lee Rierson, Vice Chair
Head of Business & Operations, wiip

Saree Kayne, Vice Chair
Doctoral Candidate, Stanford University

Karyn L. Williams, Treasurer
CEO, Hightree Group

Emily Gold Mears, Secretary
President, North Star Drive Investments, LLC

Jennifer Ferro, President
President, KCRW

Norris Bishton, Jr.
President, NOARUS Auto Group/Partner, Bishton Gubernick

Jay Borzi
Senior Managing Director, Eastdil Secured

Donald de Brier
Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Occidental Petroleum Corporation

Shahram Delijani
Partner, Delson Investment Company/Partner, Broadway Theater Group

Michael Fleming
Executive Director, David Bohnett Foundation

Susan Genco
Co-President, Azoff MSG

Donald Girard
Senior Director, Government Relations and Institutional Communications, Santa Monica College

Paul Haas
Agent/Partner, WME Entertainment

Mike Harmon
Managing Partner, Gaviota Advisors, LLC

Julia Huang
CEO, Group Intertrend

Matt Kline
Partner, O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Heather Mingst
Philanthropist and Community Volunteer

Silas Myers
CEO, Mar Vista Investment Partners

Rob Rader
General Counsel, OVATION

Deborah S. Ramo
Senior Communications Advisor

Karen Roth
President, NPR Berlin

George Strompolos
Founder and CEO, Fullscreen

Kevin Systrom
Co-Founder of Instagram

Akio Tagawa
Principal, Linea Solutions

Tom Wertheimer
Media Consultant

Edward A. Woods
Partner Emeritus, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Dylan Yolles
Partner, Capital Group Companies

Emeritus Members:
Stuart Bloomberg
Television Producer

Rod Perth
President and Chief Executive Officer, NATPE

Adele Yellin
President, The Yellin Company

KCRW Foundation Santa Barbara Advisory Board:
Geoff Green
Chair CEO, Santa Barbara City College Foundation

Tricia Backelin
Executive Coach, Consultant to KCRW

Carolyn Butcher
English Professor, Santa Barbara City College

Lou Cannon
Journalist & Author

Vanessa Decker
Entrepreneur

Neil DiPaola
CEO & Managing Partner, Mesa Lane Partners

Mark Funk
Board Member and Financial Consultant

Frederick Janka
Executive Director of Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation

Cassandra Jones-Jorgensen
Contemporary Artist

Mikael Jorgensen
Musician

Alixe Mattingly
Communications Strategist

Joe Medjuck
Film Producer

Graciela Montgomery
HR Consultant to NPR

Tim Owens
Journalist, Educator

Marianne Partridge
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief, The Independent

Phil Pollok
Co-Founder, Anacapa Micro

Scott Reed
President, Music Academy of the West

Starshine Roshell
Journalist & Author

Ken Saxon
Founder & President, Leading From Within

Jarrod Schwartz
Executive Director, Just Communities

Rob Skinner
Chief Innovation Officer, Montecito Bank & Trust

Rachel Kaganoff Stern
Interim CEO at the Junior State of America Foundation

Anne Towbes
Community Leader & Philanthropist

Jonathan Wang
Financial Planner & President, Adsum Foundation

About KCRW

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Press Contact: Jeremy Weinstein
424.538.8878
[email protected]

KCRW Announces $200,000 One-Year General Operating Grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

SANTA MONICA, CA (12/17/18)—The Westlake Village-based Conrad N. Hilton Foundation awarded Southern California public radio station, KCRW, a $200,000 one-year general operating grant to help KCRW continue producing hundreds of hours of original content and programming per week. The general operating grant will further KCRW’s mission to be a primary news and cultural resource to educate, inform and inspire our community throughout California and across the globe.

As one of public media’s most innovative leaders, KCRW produces a diverse selection of programming, including public service journalism, in-studio music performances, and in-depth interviews with newsmakers and cultural catalysts.

Since its inception, news has been a staple of KCRW’s programming through both local and nationally-focused shows. Daily news and cultural programs such as Press Play hosted by Madeleine Brand, have kept Angelenos in-the-know about their city, while projects such as Left, Right, and Center have provided a space for voices from across the political spectrum to discuss the most pressing national issues of the day.

With the generous support of the Hilton Foundation, KCRW can continue creating trendsetting programming that unites curious minds and has a national impact through syndication on 175 public media outlets around the country and beyond.

“We are grateful to the Hilton Foundation for this generous support of KCRW’s mission to educate, inform and inspire our community. By telling the stories of the news events, culture and music of Southern California, KCRW is able to represent the world to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to the world,” says Jennifer Ferro, KCRW President.  

This most recent grant follows a three-year, $1,000,000 multi-media deep dive into issues to tell the stories of the most vulnerable populations throughout Los Angeles from 2015 through the first half of 2018. The grant resulted in three in-depth series (Below the Ten, KCRW Investigates, and There Goes the Neighborhood), partnerships with the United Way HomeWalk walk to end homelessness, and WNYC, among others.

About KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, Berlin, Germany, via the KCRW-developed smart phone app, and online at kcrw.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw

Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio

Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw

Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw

YouTube | youtube.com/user/kcrw

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world’s disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance use, helping young children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton’s support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. In 2018, the Hilton Humanitarian Prize was awarded to SHOFCO (Shining Hope for Communities), a grassroots organization based in Nairobi, Kenya that catalyzes large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, and education and leadership development for women and girls. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.6 billion in grants, distributing $114.9 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2017. The Foundation’s current assets are approximately $2.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.

NO FAKE NEWS HERE! KCRW’S ‘LEFT, RIGHT & CENTER’ EXPANDS ITS CIVILIZED, YET PROVOCATIVE NEWS OF THE WEEK CONVERSATION TO A FULL HOUR BEGINNING JULY 7 

Hosted by Josh Barro, Katrina vanden Heuvel and Rich Lowry, New Installments of Witty and Engaging Radio Show and Podcast Airs Fridays at 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM On KCRW
And Over 30 Stations Nationwide

Link to High-Res Talent Photos: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/wIm8JTvdHP

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPDLgISne10&feature=youtu.be

Los Angeles, CA, June 21, 2017 — KCRW’s Left, Right‎ & Center, a nationally syndicated radio show and popular podcast known for its civilized versus divisive approach to differing opinions about the issues facing America, will expand ‎from 30 minutes to one hour beginning Friday, July 7, it was announced today by Gary Scott, Program Director, KCRW.

Praised by both sides of the aisle for its provocative and compelling exchange about politics, policy and popular culture, KCRW’s weekly program, airing Fridays at 2:30 and 7:00 pm PT, (and available for download from iTunes, kcrw.com and more) is moderated by Business Insider senior editor and MSNBC contributor Josh Barro, and features The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel on behalf of the left, and National Review editor in chief Rich Lowry commenting on behalf of the right.

On the decision to expand the show to a full hour, Scott said: “Political discourse is at a low point. Talking heads are preying on this divide. This makes KCRW’s Left, Right & Center more important than ever. Few places are committed to reasoned discussion and real listening by all sides. LRC is one of KCRW’s most popular shows, on air and as a podcast, which shows that now is the time to double our efforts – and the time we spend – on this critical exchange.” He added: “After hitting an all-time high of almost one million podcast downloads last May, we knew this was a conversation that required more air time. Thanks to Josh, Katrina and Rich for continuing to encourage the kind of refreshing conversation that is sorely needed in today’s exhausting news cycle.”

Since its launch in 1996, party pundits and all-star journalists from every angle of the political spectrum have participated in what has been touted as an honest and thoughtful antidote to the self-contained opinion bubbles that dominate the political debate. Most recently, the podcast was acknowledged for its revelations without the rhetoric during Samantha Bee’s memorable Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner monologue.

Katrina vanden Heuvel noted: “I believe that intelligent political commentary demands independent thinking. In an age when journalism seems more defined by partisanship, I welcome being part of Left, Right & Center, a show that seeks complexity not certainty. And at a time when we see a coarsening of language and a vilification of those whose ideas aren’t a match with our own, the show provides a forum for airing substantive disagreements in a bold, meaningful way and with a respect that is often lacking in our media today.”

Lowry said: “At a time of poisonous incivility in our public life, Left, Right & Center provides a platform for sharp but civil disagreement, where substance trumps rhetoric and persuasion is more important than denunciation. The program is an oasis where ideas still matter and differences over them are aired fully, sincerely–and respectfully. Bombast need not apply.”

Barro added: “American politics has gotten more polarized and weirder than ever before in my life. It feels like both sides are talking past each other. We like to say our show provides a ‘civilized yet provocative’ forum to share ideas across the political spectrum, engaging without sniping. Such engagement is increasingly rare, yet more important than ever. So we’re going to provide more of it.”

Airing on over 30 public radio stations across the country (check local listings) and available for download at iTunes, KCRW.com and more, Left, Right & Center, has been a touchstone for listeners seeking a robust conversation about topics ranging from the Russia investigation, immigration and the secrecy of the healthcare bill to James Comey’s testimony and more recently the shooting at the Congressional baseball practice in DC. A rotating list of luminaries and special guests featured in recent weeks includes Keli Goff, Gene Sperling, Christopher Ingraham, Molly Ball, Mickey Kaus, Juliette Kayyem, and more.

This month, the program added a new segment, It’s Been Busy, exploring topics that often get lost in the world of Trump headlines. Whether it’s delving into issues like opioids that kill more Americans each year than the HIV epidemic at its height or an update of the aggressive backroom effort to repeal Obamacare, the program dissects and analyzes possible solutions that prove elusive to policy makers and seeks substantive answers versus the scandal and sensationalism that pervades our cultural landscape. Left, Right & Center’s popular Rants segment will continue to provide a political soapbox for the hosts and weekly guests giving them 30 seconds to share their very personal issue-specific points of view without interruption or condescension from the opposition.

ABOUT KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. KCRW is driven by the spirit of Los Angeles and delivers in innovative ways – on the radio, digitally and in person – to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world.  A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo and via KCRW-developed smartphone apps and online at KCRW.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw

# # #

Press Contact: Sheila Feren, FerenComm for KCRW, [email protected], 212.983.9898

KCRW Exceeds $48 Million Fundraising Goal in its
Largest Capital Campaign,

Public Support Brings Total Amount Raised to
$50.4 Million

Funding supports the KCRW Media Center
and new programming, technology investments

KCRW.com/Campaign

Santa Monica, CA (June 12, 2017) – KCRW is pleased to announce the successful completion of its $48 million Capital Campaign, launched in 2013 to build brand new, state-of-the-art broadcast studios and invest in programming and technology. KCRW is a non-profit, multi-platform public media organization which features an eclectic mix of music, NPR news, and cultural programming in Southern California and around the world.

Thanks to the generosity of over 5,800 individual donors and institutional supporters, KCRW marks the end of its largest-ever Capital Campaign by exceeding the $48 million goal and raising $50.4 million. The Campaign includes a $28 million contribution from Santa Monica College, licensee of KCRW, with funding from Bond Measure AA, approved by Santa Monica and Malibu voters in 2008.

Construction of the new 35,000-square-foot KCRW Media Center, located on Santa Monica College’s Center for Media and Design, will be completed in the coming months.

More than 5,800 donors joined Santa Monica College and KCRW’s Board of Directors in contributing to the Capital Campaign through a variety of fundraising initiatives, including two “Above and Beyond” Pledge Drives in 2015 and 2016.  Supporters were invited to place their names on microphones in KCRW’s studios and on bricks lining the courtyard of the new campus.

“Starting as a small campus-based radio station that incubated over thirty years ago in the basement of Santa Monica College’s cafeteria, KCRW steps boldly into the light ‘above ground’ to move into its new home at the SMC Center for Media and Design,” said Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery, Santa Monica College Superintendent and President.  “We look forward to KCRW being an active part of creating a vibrant learning environment with hands-on experience for students passionate about journalism, new media, and radio in this new state-of-the-art facility.”

“This support marks our transformation from a radio station housed in a basement into a true community institution. It means so much to have the investment of Santa Monica College, the many foundations, thousands of individuals, the generosity of KCRW Foundation Board Members and public and private entities that supported this campaign,” KCRW President Jennifer Ferro said.

The Campaign, co-chaired by KCRW Board Chair Michael Fleming and KCRW Board Member Deborah Ramo, provided the funds to purchase broadcast and digital equipment for the KCRW Media Center, and to acquire new stations in Santa Barbara (88.7 FM) and San Luis Obispo (101.3 FM).  Donated support also includes more than $11 million to invest in new programming and technology to distribute KCRW’s content throughout Los Angeles and around the world.

Major private sector gifts received for the Capital Campaign included $5 million from the Annenberg Foundation and $1 million from both the David Bohnett Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

“LA has always been a radio town, a community of deeply engaged listeners who expect the very best news and culture throughout their day,” said Wallis Annenberg, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation, KCRW’s largest private donor. “Even here, KCRW stands out as a rare and shining gem—with smart, cutting-edge programming that informs, inspires, and brings us closer together.  That’s why I’m so pleased that we could do our part to move KCRW out of the basement, and into the kind of world-class facilities it deserves.”

Major donors to the Capital Campaign include The Ahmanson Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, Borzi Family Foundation, Norris and Debra Bishton Foundation, David Bohnett Foundation, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Chris A. Hollinger and Elizabeth MacDonald, W.M. Keck Foundation, Kayne Foundation, Ric & Suzanne Kayne and Jenni, Maggie & Saree, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Rosemary Kraemer Raitt Foundation, Roth Family Foundation, Santa Barbara Foundation, Monica J. Shilling, Ellie and Tom Wertheimer, Lucy Wild and Jason Wolff, and Kristin and Jeff Worthe.

To raise support for the Capital Campaign, KCRW also published “From The Basement,” a limited edition book of photography that memorializes the many artists featured on the station’s flagship music show “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

Over the past 35 years, KCRW’s staff has grown from 14 to 125 people working in five locations, including extremely cramped offices and studios in the Santa Monica College cafeteria basement. The new KCRW Media Center is designed to preserve the station’s collaborative culture, while creating community gathering spaces, integrating state-of-the-art production facilities, and allowing for future growth. Designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects, a global leader in workplace innovation, the new building will also meet LEED Silver Certification standards, maximizing energy and water efficiency, and indoor environmental quality.

With a history of bringing unique live experiences to Southern California and around the country, KCRW will, for the first time in its history, be able to host the community at its own 1,400 square-foot Annenberg Performance Studio. KCRW will also have the opportunity to program events for up to 1,500 people in the 18,000-square-foot courtyard and outdoor stage and a 180-seat auditorium.

SMC’s Center for Media and Design is located in the middle of Santa Monica’s creative business district, and two-blocks from the Expo Line. The campus will include a newly-remodeled 50,000 square-foot teaching facility, a new 30,000 square-foot addition with TV and production studios, a cafe, and a new 430-space parking garage. Construction is projected for completion by end of 2017, with both the KCRW Media Center and SMC Center for Media and Design operating from the new buildings by late 2017.

To learn more about KCRW’s Capital Campaign, visit KCRW.com/Campaign.

ABOUT KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. KCRW is driven by the spirit of Los Angeles and delivers in innovative ways – on the radio, digitally and in person – to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world.  A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, and via KCRW-developed smartphone apps and online at KCRW.com.

Twitter | twitter.com/kcrw
Facebook | facebook.com/kcrwradio
Instagram | instagram.com/kcrw
Google+ | plus.google.com/+kcrw