David Crabtree Named Interim Leader Of PBS North Carolina

David Crabtree, award-winning broadcast journalist at WRAL Raleigh, N.C., has been named interim chief executive officer of PBS North Carolina.

The appointment was announced Tuesday by University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans. PBS North Carolina, the statewide public media network, is an affiliate organization of the University of North Carolina System.

Crabtree is an anchor and reporter with more than 30 years in the television news industry. He has received numerous awards since joining WRAL in 1994, including Reporter of the Year four times from the Radio Television News Directors Association, Anchor of the Year from the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters, and 16 Emmy Awards. In 2007, Crabtree co-anchored a documentary that won the duPont-Columbia Award for outstanding reporting in the public interest.

His service at PBS North Carolina will begin April 1 on a part-time basis, and he will transition to the full-time role in June. He succeeds Lindsay Bierman, who stepped down this month to become executive director and CEO of the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California.

“David Crabtree’s excellence in journalism, experience in the television industry and deep knowledge of the state make him a perfect fit for PBS North Carolina,” Hans said. “I’m grateful to him for taking on this role at one of North Carolina’s most beloved institutions. I look forward to working with him as he leads PBS North Carolina into its next chapter.”

“PBS North Carolina is ready to meet the demands of the present, and the future.” said Jack Clayton, chair of the PBS North Carolina Board of Trustees. “We are pleased to welcome David Crabtree to the PBS North Carolina team at an exciting time for the organization. I know we will gain from his broadcasting expertise and his unwavering devotion to the state.”

“To have the opportunity to build on the historic foundation of PBS NC is a gift and a major responsibility I take very seriously,” Crabtree said. “I am immensely grateful for the trust of the UNC System to serve the people of North Carolina.”

Building on its 67-year history at the forefront of educational television, PBS North Carolina was recently named one of three regional digital centers of innovation by PBS nationally and launched NextGen TV technology in the Greenville market. Recognized as a leader in NextGen TV application to public safety, PBS North Carolina is expanding its application to bridge the digital divide in its continuing effort to bring digital and educational equity to North Carolinians at large.