Northern California Public Broadcasting president and chief executive officer Jeff Clarke will retire in a year, on June 30, 2010.

NCPB includes San Francisco's KQED, San Jose's KTEH, Monterey's KQET, and North Highlands' KQEI.

Clarke's retirement will come after 45 years in the business. He became KQED's president and CEO in 2002 and oversaw the formation of NCPB in 2006, when KQED merged with KTEH.

NCPB's board has retained the firm of Spencer Stuart to find a successsor.

Full press release, after the jump.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Walton
(415) 553-2145, swalton@ncpb.com
Yoon Lee
(415) 553-3338, ylee@ncpb.com
www.kqed.org/press

NCPB President and CEO Jeff Clarke Announces Retirement Plans
Led the digital conversion and merger of KQED and KTEH; Eight-year tenure leaves NCPB reaching more people with more services than ever before

June 24, 2009-Jeff Clarke, the president and chief executive officer of Northern California Public Broadcasting (NCPB), today has announced his plans for retirement on June 30, 2010. Clarke, a 44-year broadcast industry veteran, communicated his intentions to the staff of NCPB earlier today.

Clarke will join his family in Houston, Texas, where he will continue to enjoy his passion for aviation and travel. NCPB is the parent company of public media stations KQED, KTEH, KQET, and KQEI, with websites KQED.org, KTEH.org and Education Network services.

NCPB's board of directors will lead the search for a successor and has engaged the executive search firm Spencer Stuart to lead the process. A new CEO is expected to be named in the spring, and the board has requested that Clarke continue in his position until the handoff to his successor is completed.

"I have witnessed incredible changes in the broadcast industry since I began my career in 1965, and each change has brought with it exciting possibilities," said Jeff Clarke. "I leave NCPB knowing that even in this rapidly changing media landscape, we are well-prepared to continue to serve our audiences, who have come to depend on us for entertaining, educational, and enlightening programming. I am most appreciative of the Board, staff, and management team at NCPB, whose efforts during my tenure helped us create the most successful, innovative organization in public media."

Clarke was appointed president and CEO of KQED Public Broadcasting in June 2002. During his tenure, KQED has grown from broadcasting one television and one radio station into one of the nation's leading public media enterprises, serving more viewers, listeners, web users, educators, parents, and students than at any other time in the organization's history. Clarke oversaw the formation of NCPB in 2006 when KQED, Inc. merged with the South Bay-based KTEH Foundation. Clarke's vision also helped prepare NCPB stations for the new media world by overseeing the successful transition to digital broadcasting, and through pioneering initiatives with Apple iTunes, Adobe, YouTube, and Google, which have enabled NCPB's programs to expand their reach beyond the traditional airwaves. NCPB now boasts the largest listenership for any NPR station in the country and enjoys the highest viewership of any PBS station nationwide.

"We are grateful to Jeff for his leadership in embracing new technology, increasing opportunities for our audiences to enjoy our programming, and for expanding our organization into the model of a 21st century public media enterprise," stated Noelle Leca, chair of the NCPB board of directors.

Clarke's service to public media over the past four decades includes his role on a number of boards, including the PBS board of directors, the National DataCast Incorporated (NDI) board, and for the Boston-based programming distribution service, American Public Television (APT).

Locally, Clarke has served as a governor of the Commonwealth Club of California, as a trustee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, and as a member of the Asia Society Advisory Board. Clarke has been an aviator for 39 years and serves as a Command and Mission Orientation Pilot for Angel Flight West's Northern California Wing providing free transportation for patients to and from medical procedures and appointments. He also gives young people ages 8-18 "Young Eagle" flights under the auspices of the E.A.A. (Experimental Aircraft Association).

Clarke is a "Founding Father" in the Family Violence Prevention Fund's quest to coach boys into men and eliminate violence against women in our society. He and his wife Gail have been longtime Habitat for Humanity volunteers and were a "wish team" for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast while in Houston. Clarke's entire biography can be found at www.kqed.org/about.

Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc. (NCPB) (www.ncpb.com) is the most-watched public television and most-listened-to public radio broadcaster in the country. NCPB owns and operates public television stations KQED 9HD (San Francisco), KTEH 54 (San Jose), and KQET 25 (Watsonville/Monterey); KQED Public Radio (88.5FM San Francisco and 89.3FM Sacramento); KQED and KTEH Education Network; and the Interactive platforms KQED.org and KTEH.org. Audiences and users can also access NCPB content through: digital television channels 9HD, Life, World, Kids, V-me and KQED PBS Kids Sprout; and stream or download available content on www.kqed.org and www.kteh.org.