Louisville Public Media has named Brendan McCarthy interim News Director, as Gabe Bullard prepares to depart this summer for the prestigious Nieman Foundation for Journalism Fellowship at Harvard University. McCarthy’s appointment is effective immediately.
McCarthy is Managing Editor of Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. The unit launched in 2013. He has extensive reporting experience, at WWL-TV (CBS) in New Orleans, the Chicago Tribune, and New Orleans’ Times-Picayune. McCarthy has received many honors during his career including the Mike Berger Award from Columbia University and the George Polk Award for investigative reporting. In 2009, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Bullard joined Louisville Public Media as a general assignment reporter in 2008. He assumed the role of News Director in 2011 and has made a major contribution to WFPL’s growth and its recognition nationally among NPR Member Stations. In April, he was selected as one of only 24 journalists to join the 77th class of Nieman Fellows at Harvard University during the 2014-2015 academic year.
McCarthy will manage WFPL News and Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting as two entities within a single newsroom. “Our goal for the year ahead is to improve the quality of our journalism and focus on distinctive storytelling,” says Donovan Reynolds, President of Louisville Public Media. “Brendan will continue Gabe’s work and help us increase our impact in the community.”
Bullard will assist with the transition and other strategic initiatives in the newsroom before he departs for his fellowship in August. He returns to Louisville Public Media in June, 2015.
Brendan McCarthy Gabe Bullard