Alejandra Santamaria has been named the new president and CEO of Southern California Public Radio, which oversees KPCC-FM (“LAist 89.3″), LAist and podcast producer LAist Studios. Santamaria was most recently interim president, general manager and VP, director of sales for Univision Los Angeles. She replaces Herb Scannell, who recently retired from the job at SCPR.
Santamaria takes over Southern California Public Radio at a difficult moment for the pubcaster, which recently cut its staff by 28 people — including 21 voluntary buyouts and another seven layoffs. SCPR said the job cuts were meant to bridge the gap due to “a significant budget shortfall over the next two years in the range of $4 million to $5 million.”
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SCPR said the shortfall comes due to “a decline in advertising, the end of our investment reserves, slower-than-anticipated digital monetization, and overall cost increases that have not kept pace with revenue.” The org also reduced senior leader compensation, renegotiated contracts and cut some third-party costs.
At Univision, Santamaria ran sales and operations for Univision’s L.A. TV outlet KMEX, as well as its UniMas TV station KFTR. She also handled L.A. market radio stations KLVE-FM, KSCA-FM, KRCD/KRCV-FM and KTNQ-AM, as well as various digital properties.
“Los Angeles is my home and I am thrilled to lead one of the premier mission driven organizations serving my community,” said Santamaria, who was born and raised in Los Angeles. “My career has been aligned with a media organization that has meant a lot to me because of their mission to empower, educate and inform Latinos like my own family. I am ready to bring those skills and passion to LAist. The reporting LAist is doing is some of the best in the world. Now it’s our job to shine a brighter light on great reporting and continue to be a resource for Angelenos.”
Added SCPR board chair Drew Murphy: “Alex is the leader LAist needs today and for the future. Public radio remains a vital, important part of the Los Angeles media ecosystem and we are confident that her experience and talent is ideal to shepherd us forward, helping us to deliver on our mission, while remaining financially sound, in order to continue our role as an essential resource for our community.”
Prior to Univision Los Angeles, Santamaria was president and GM of Univision Arizona. She is the founding member of Univision’s Women’s Leadership Council (WLC), and has served on the boards of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the L.A. County Economic Development Corporation.
