WUSF has a new leader. Station Manager Leslie Laney will take over the top position at WUSF when General Manager JoAnn Urofsky retires on Jan. 5.
Laney joined the station in 2018 to strengthen its digital presence and help it reach new audiences. She was promoted to Station Manager last year, overseeing programming and digital initiatives. As General Manager, she will lead all aspects of the organization, which includes WUSF 89.7, Classical WSMR 103.9 and 89.1, and multiple digital platforms.
“Leslie truly represents the next generation of innovators in public broadcasting, and she has already led so many teams and projects within our WUSF family that she is the natural choice to lead this station into the years ahead,” Urofsky said. “I am thrilled that WUSF is so fortunate to have such a skilled leader within our own ranks.”
Urofsky announced her retirement in October. During Urofsky’s 23 years as General Manager, the Tampa Bay region and WUSF grew and became one of the nation's top 20 radio markets, and a leader in Florida's public media market.
Highlights from her tenure include the creation of Classical WSMR, a locally curated round-the clock station dedicated to classic music; and seeing WUSF's newsroom double in size, and increase its daily local coverage on radio airwaves, on WUSF.org and on demand through newsletter, podcast and social media content.
Laney said she intends to build on that success.
“I am thrilled and excited for WUSF,” Laney said. “WUSF has a special duty and privilege as a public broadcaster with a singular mission to serve the residents of Florida with clear, unbiased news, public safety information and enriching entertainment. We have the strategic opportunity to reinforce and expand WUSF’s role, and I am profoundly grateful to JoAnn for positioning WUSF to adapt, innovate and thrive.”
As Station Manager, Laney supervised WUSF’s Programming & Digital Service departments. Programming is responsible for all shows heard on WUSF and Classical WSMR, as well as the hosts and staff that make it happen. The digital service team oversaw a branding makeover of WUSF and continues to support the organization’s multiple brands.
Laney came to WUSF as its Marketing & Strategic Initiatives Manager. She oversaw the launch of Arts Axis Florida during the pandemic to provide artists with an online forum to share their talents when venues were closed. The site also became WUSF’s home for jazz when WUSF 89.7 shifted to an all-news format.
Twice, Laney led the WUSF team participating in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Digital Transformation Program. She also worked with PRX, a non-profit audio development and distribution organization, to train WUSF’s staff in its podcast accelerator program. WUSF has since held multiple “podcast garage” events in the Tampa Bay area to help people create their own original podcasts.
In 2023, Laney received Florida Public Media’s Janyth Righter Innovation Award, recognizing outstanding contributions in the field of media and communication. Prior to joining WUSF, Laney, who is from Tampa, was president and CEO of A Media Marketing, which specializes in using data to adapt businesses and non-profits in a rapidly changing media landscape.
