Former Austin Newspaper Editor To Lead Austin NPR Affiliate

AUSTIN, Texas — Former Austin American-Statesman editor Debbie Hiott has been tapped to lead KUT 90.5, Austin’s NPR station, and KUTX 98.9, The Austin Music Experience, as their next general manager and executive director of media operations for the Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin, officials said Monday.

After leading the Statesman newsroom for seven years, Hiott stepped down in September after the newspaper was purchased by GateHouse Media. The move came amid buyout offers for staffers as GateHouse Media offered voluntary severance pay packages for employees. Her stepping down on Sept. 30 brought to an end a storied, 26-year career at the Statesman for Hiott, one of the few newsroom editors of a large metropolitan newspaper in the country who rose through the editorial ranks after starting as a reporter for the publication.

As editor, Hiott led the Statesman to three Texas Newspaper of the Year awards, while also enhancing its award-winning digital products. She began as a reporter before ascending through various editing positions, including state editor and managing editor, and ultimately taking over the lead newsroom role as editor in September 2011.

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“KUT and KUTX are great public assets, and I look forward to helping the talented staff there bring more local news and entertainment to the Austin area,” Hiott said in a prepared statement. “The stations, along with Texas Student Media, play important roles for their communities, and I’m honored and excited to have a role in that critical mission.”

KUT and KUTX are community-supported public media, with KUT 90.5 focused on news while KUTX 98.9 offers music and narratives reflective of the spirit of Austin. Texas Student Media, which will also report to Hiott, includes The Daily Texan newspaper, KVRX radio, the satirical newspaper Texas Travesty, Texas Student Television, Cactus Yearbook, Burnt X, and Longhorn Life, officials noted.

“Debbie is a respected leader who brings outstanding experience, knowledge and character to KUT, KUTX and Texas Student Media,” said Jay Bernhardt, dean of the Moody College of Communication. “She is exceptionally well suited to help guide these outstanding public media stations and student media platforms to even greater levels of community reach and impact.”
Hiott was selected after a comprehensive, national search, supported by the professional search firm Opus Partners. She will assume her new role Jan. 14. Klee Kleber, chairperson of the KUT advisory board, co-chaired the search committee with Karin Wilkins, associate dean of Moody College."

Kleber added: “We are confident Debbie Hiott has the experience and expertise to provide a steady hand at the helm of KUT and KUTX. Our community relies heavily on KUT and KUTX, and they can trust that Debbie will strongly support the needs and interests of the listeners and supporters.”

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>>> Photo of Debbie Hiott provided by KUT