Don't be boring: KCRW's Jennifer Ferro on building a brand people love

Jennifer Ferro rejects the idea that public radio must be boring. KCRW aims to be “chocolate cake” rather than “broccoli,” embracing culture, entertainment, food, and humor alongside hard news. Her point is not that serious journalism should be diluted, but that fact-based media must be made and marketed with the same effort to attract attention as competing content. An engaging identity can help the station reach people without giving up its purpose.

Ferro’s route to leading KCRW began with paralegal work during the early-1990s war on drugs. Seeing how poverty and politics shaped people’s experiences in the justice system led her to leave her legal job and volunteer full-time at the station. She initially resisted becoming Ruth Seymour’s assistant, but accepted the job, worked with Seymour for two years, and then proposed moving into the “number two” role. After about 16 years as assistant general manager, Ferro applied for and won the general manager position. KCRW has about 140 employees.

Seymour’s leadership left Ferro with a set of lessons about creative work and decision-making. Ferro says Seymour’s indifference to what others thought could be a superpower when deciding which talent and artistic work to back. The two fought often; Ferro later came to understand that conflict as Seymour’s “love language.” Seymour taught her to be candid, make decisions, and move on when work did not succeed. Ferro learned by being included in Seymour’s decisions, and says Seymour gave her room to lead in turn by not staying on the board or routinely contacting her after she became general manager.

As audiences gained more media choices, KCRW had to move beyond making media on its own and build a community that cares enough to support it. Ferro describes the station as a resource for Los Angeles and the country, with a purpose of informing people and improving their lives—not making money, selling data, or persuading them to buy. She believes radio remains valuable, but is not a growth medium for attracting new audiences. That distinction makes community-building and a compelling identity important to sustaining the station’s reach.

Ferro sees public media as a trusted backstop against misinformation and a place to elevate voices that are not heard, rather than as state media. Federal funding made up 5% of KCRW’s budget, compared with 30% of Marfa Public Radio’s. Marfa’s signals cover 30,000 square miles, including areas without other media or cell service, illustrating how the effect of funding cuts can differ by station. A foundation-supported bridge fund gave many stations two years of runway after federal funding was cut. Larger stations are also considering regional cooperation, shared services, and acquisitions to preserve coverage and reduce costs.

Ferro supports renewed federal funding, describing past support as “budget dust,” but does not expect political support to rebuild public media to materialize. As NPR board chair, she sought cohesion amid leadership changes and increased attacks on the sector. Her broader advice is that stations need to adapt to forces larger than themselves rather than focus only on protecting what they already have. On digital platforms, she agrees that companies controlling algorithms have incentives to amplify outrage and engagement. She says media-pipeline companies have a social obligation to create spaces designed not to harm, while recognizing that a completely harm-free system may be less profitable. She favors trusted, moderated public spaces alongside the wider internet, does not necessarily advocate government regulation, and notes that today’s media pipelines lack oversight comparable to the FCC rules governing radio.