(Seattle-Tacoma, WA) The ON AIR light switches off at the end of 2006 for one of the icons of public radio in the Pacific Northwest.
For more than 25 years Martin Neeb has guided the progression of KPLU-FM from a classical music format to jazz and a premier member of National Public Radio, heard by millions from Victoria to Astoria and around the world online.
Plans are in place for Neeb to step back from active daily management of KPLU May 31, working one-half time on the organization of a campaign to construct a new broadcast center on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University.
A retirement reception for Neeb is planned for the fall. "At the end of the year I'll be joining "the reserves," Neeb said "ready to help when needed."
"It's been an incredible run. I've been part of a literal golden age, with remarkable colleagues and technological advances that together have transformed the broadcast industry. And today the future of the station has never looked brighter," he said.
Under Neeb's watch, KPLU has become the region's leading source of award-winning jazz, blues and in-depth news, 24 hours a day. It is one of the few authentic jazz stations in the country and ranks in the top 10 of more than 700 NPR stations nationwide. It is among the top five of 2,500 Web streaming stations in the world.
From its Northwest News Center in downtown Seattle to its studios on campus, KPLU broadcasts more than 95 hours of jazz and 56 hours of news per week.
KPLU has been the recipient of literally dozens of local, regional and national awards for its news reporting and jazz format, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award and Marconi Award as "Jazz Station of the Year.
"You don't easily replace a star performer and manager like Marty," said PLU President Loren J. Anderson. "His vision and determination have literally transformed KPLU into a valuable community asset - providing entertainment, news and information, and community service that is a true point of pride for the university."
While a national search for Neeb's successor is under way, Kerry Swanson will serve as interim general manager beginning June 1, taking over the daily operations of the station. Swanson has been at KPLU for more than 20 years, most recently serving as chief operating officer.
Neeb has been the general manager of KPLU since 1981. He attended Northwestern University where he earned his Ph.D. in Mass Communications. He holds a Master of Art degree in Public Address from St. Louis University and a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He also is a graduate of the Wharton School of Executive Management.
Neeb's career in media spans half a century. He came to PLU from Los Angeles, where he was director of broadcasting for the Franciscan Communications Center, which produced television and feature films. He was a play-by-play sports broadcaster in St. Louis. He also managed Northwestern University's public radio station.
He has been honored by the Television Academy with two national Emmys for television program production. In 1995, Neeb was named the Seattle American Marketing Association's "Marketing and Media Radio Person of the Year," the first executive from the public radio community to receive this award. He has also been honored by the New York Film and Television Festival, the Gabriel Awards of the Christophers and the Advertising Club of Los Angeles.
Active in the community, Neeb has been a member of the board of the Public Broadcasting Management Association, and a trustee of the Tacoma Art Museum as well as the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma.
He is a founding member of the board of the City Club of Tacoma and has been an officer of West Coast Public Radio (president), the Arthritis Foundation and the South County Council of the Pierce County Chamber of Commerce.
Neeb and his wife, Barbara, live in Gig Harbor. They have three grown children, two of whom are PLU graduates.
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