Connecticut Public names Quinnipiac dean as next CEO
Contreras to succeed company’s longtime leader Franklin in March
Connecticut Public, the public TV and radio broadcasting company, has chosen Quinnipiac University’s communications dean as its next president and CEO.
Mark G. Contreras will take over on March 5 for longtime CEO Jerry Franklin, who led the nonprofit for 34 years. The board of trustees for the broadcasting group, which recently rebranded itself as Connecticut Public, announced the hire Thursday.
“We are confident that Mark Contreras has the perfect combination of experience and skills to lead and grow this organization at a pivotal time for media companies and broadcast journalism in general,” Tom Barnes, chair of the Connecticut Public board of trustees, said in a written statement. “In addition to his academic experience, Mark Contreras is a nationally-regarded and seasoned media leader with diverse experience as a private sector chief executive officer, news industry leader and public media board member.”
Contreras started at Quinnipiac in August 2017. Before that, he spent decades working in newspapers and broadcasting, most recently as CEO of Calkins Media Inc., a family-owned media company with 1,000 employees and operations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Alabama and Georgia.
At
Calkins
Media, according to
Connecticut Public,
Contreras l ed t he company through a digital transformation, embracing streaming media platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV to increase audience and revenue.
At Connecticut Public, Contreras will oversee Connecticut Public Television, Connecticut Public Radio and Connecticut Public Learning, a training program for high school seniors and veterans.
“Connecticut Public is recognized nationally for the high quality of its work and its willingness to innovate,” Contreras said in a written statement.
“I’m honored and humbled to be joining this very talented and accomplished team.”
Franklin, who announced his retirement last year, has agreed to stay on until June 30 to help Contreras get acclimated.
“His extraordinary accomplishments and commitment to journalistic excellence make him an inspired choice, and I’m confident he will garner the respect of the entire Connecticut Public family,” Franklin said in a written statement.