After six years on the air, KPCC (89.3 FM) has decided to drop the Patt Morrison show, according to a announcement Tuesday morning on the station’s website.

In regards to Patt Morrison‘s future at the station, vice president for content Russ Stanton told the staff that “I am very pleased to report that Patt will be shifting into a new role here that draws on her unique experience and style.”

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Former newspaper editor Melanie Sill was hired as KPCC’s new executive editor, the public radio station announced Friday.

Sill will oversee “KPCC’s day-to-day news-gathering operation across KPCC’s broadcast, digital and social media platforms.”

“She brings a wealth of news and managerial experience to this new position,” Russ Stanton, vice president of content for KPCC, said in a statement. “Most importantly, she has been a force of change in two newsrooms, leading efforts to restructure staffs to better compete in the digital age.”

Sill recently participated in a six-month executive-in-residence program at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

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Los Angeles Theatre Works, the weekly national radio show that airs contemporary and classic plays, is moving locally from KPCC (89.3 FM) to KPFK (90.7 FM) on March 25, according to the Los Angeles Times:

A spokeswoman for L.A. Theatre Works said the move was prompted by KPCC’s decision to rearrange its programming. The show has been airing Saturdays at 10 p.m. on KPCC. The spokeswoman said the new time slot on KPFK is more desirable for the company.

KPCC has been the home of LA Theatre Works since 2002.

KPCC should have known they were asking for trouble when they put up a giant billboard next door to fellow public radio station KPFK. The press picked up on the story, as did an anonymous graffiti artist, who felt inspired to modify the advertising:

Photo is via KPFK host Lalo Alcaraz. Neither he nor the rest of the station’s staff had anything to do with the graffiti. But they were amused.

The graffiti has since been removed, and the billboard is back to advertising for KPCC. A photo of the unmolested signage is after the jump.

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It was a rough Monday morning for the folks over at KPCC.

Larry Mantle points out the station’s digital audio system crashed, which brought live programming to a screeching halt:

As best I understand it, our digital audio system completely crashed around 5 this morning.  We had no ability to pull audio from our storage system, severely limiting Steve Julian’s ability to gather local news stories for “Morning Edition.”  However, given Steve’s, and his producer’s, resourcefulness, they were able to transfer a limited number of stories to a portable hard drive from which they could be aired.

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Just one month after stepping down as editor of the Los Angeles Times, Russ Stanton has a new gig. He’s joining public radio station KPCC as vice president of content.

From the KPCC announcement:

The hiring is part of an aggressive effort by the nonprofit news organization to become the preeminent regional source for both broadcast and online news — with deeper, more enterprising and investigative coverage.

One of his first job duties is to hire an executive editor for the newsroom. Hiring instead of firing. That must be a nice change of pace for Stanton.

89.3 KPCC will air a radio biography on the legendary Orson Welles featuring rare broadcast recordings during the 73rd anniversary of “The War of the Worlds” hoax.

Airborne: A Life in Radio With Orson Welles will run twice as a special full-length edition of KPCC’s Off-Ramp on Oct 29 at noon and Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

“The War of the Worlds was fantastic radio, which is why it’s still revived on dozens of stations every Halloween,” documentarian R. H.Greene said in a statement. “But few people know that Welles also pursued careers as a radio comedian, a wartime propagandist, and a serious political commentator over the air, or that his American radio career ended with a heroic act of great personal sacrifice.”

While LAT Editor Russ Stanton prepares to deliver what must be a pretty awkward keynote speech at the OC Press Club Awards tonight (check back with us for more on that later), former Times staffers Marla Cone, William Lobdell, Larry Stewart and Henry Weinstein were on KPCC‘s “Airtalk” with Larry Mantle to discuss the disembowelment of the newspaper industry. Fun stuff. Hear it here.

– Via LA Observed.

Last night’s big winners didn’t include any surprises, but it did highlight how many talented and thought-provoking scribes we have in this fair city. Congratulations to all the winners, including:

Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times (Over 100,000 Circulation)
Judges’ comments: Healy’s work stood out for its incisive journalism, going beyond merely reporting how things are and explaining how things ought to be. She examined the forces behind the marketing of pharmaceuticals and the influences on physicians and patients.

Anat Rubin, Los Angeles Daily Journal, (Under 100,000 Circulation)
“Prosecutors Target Drugs on Skid Row.”
Judges’ comments: Rubin’s series on L.A.’s crackdown on the homeless and its “quality-of-life” crime-fighting program made for a must-read. It also provided a reality check against glowing pieces published elsewhere.

Antonio Valverde, KMEX (Television)
Judges’ comments: This was quality work from a quality journalist who is a relevant, solid storyteller.

Steven Cuevas, KPCC (Radio)
Judges’ comments: Cuevas’ work left us wanting to hear more. His story selections, audio production and delivery were strengthened by outstanding writing. All these talents woven together had the listener by his side as homeless people peeked out from a tent or a stunned homeowner sifted through the rubble of her house.

Michael Collins and Denise Anne Duffield, EnviroReporter.com, (Online)
“Schooled for Scandal”
Judges’ comments: The amount of supplementary material and the detailed analysis of supporting documents were astounding. Aided by forceful and effective writing, Collins and Duffield presented a comprehensive exploration of a local issue with national significance.

Congratulations!