FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2023
Contact Information:
Ben Schachtman
News Director
(910) 343-1640 x206 bschachtman@whqr.org
WHQR Public Media Announces a Report for America Supported Reporter to Join the News Team in July
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA – WHQR is pleased to announce that Nikolai Mather will be joining the news team to cover rural areas of the Cape Fear region on a “rural safety net” beat. Report for America supported the recruiting and hiring of this new journalist and will provide support for this position for three years – alongside the generous support of WHQR members.
As newsroom layoffs continue to make headlines across the industry, WHQR is pleased be selected as recipient of Report for America’s support. In addition to WHQR, Report for America announced that it will place more than 60 reporters and photojournalists in new positions at local newsrooms across the country this summer.
WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman says, “We’re excited to have Nikolai on board, and we’ve already been discussing with him some of the crucial issues we hope to tackle when he officially starts this summer. We’re grateful to Report for America, and several generous WHQR donors, for supporting this hire – and the important reporting it will allow our newsroom to do over the next few years.”
Nikolai Mather and other new corps members join hundreds more who will continue reporting on under-covered communities and topics for their second or third years in the national service program. Report for America has now matched more than 600 journalists with local newspapers, public radio stations, digital platforms, and television outlets, since its launch in 2017.
“Beyond talented reporters and photojournalists, we actively sought out individuals who see journalism as a calling, who want to make a difference within their communities,” said Earl Johnson, vice president of recruitment and alumni engagement at Report for America. “Together, our early-career and experienced corps members will produce tens of thousands of articles on critically under-covered topics—schools, government, healthcare, the environment, communities of color, and more.”
WHQR Public Media is a non-profit, member-supported, community-based public radio station, broadcasting from Wilmington. A trusted source for NPR and local news, WHQR serves southeastern North Carolina with HQR News at 91.3fm, and Classical HQR at 92.7fm and 96.7fm. WHQR offers award-winning national and local news, music, entertainment and interaction to expand knowledge, encourage artistic appreciation, engage our community and promote civil discourse.
Interviews with WHQR staff and images are available upon request.