Spokane Public Radio’s Board of Directors has appointed John M. Decker as the nonprofit public media organization’s new President and General Manager. Decker most recently was the senior director of content development at KPBS in San Diego, California.
Decker’s first day on the job will be January 15, 2025. He succeeds Michael Grabicki, who will step down as Interim President and General Manager on January 14. Decker is a seasoned public media executive with a proven track record in audience growth, financial management, and community engagement. Over his 29 years at KPBS, Decker oversaw scheduling, production, and content development teams serving 1.5m audience members weekly across radio, television, and digital media platforms. His efforts doubled the KPBS radio audience over 10 years and made KPBS the number one brand for radio news in the San Diego market. Decker also planned and led successful initiatives to seed and support local content, helping local independent producers to develop their own projects. One such initiative resulted in more than 35 multimedia programs showcasing the rich diversity of San Diego’s arts and culture.
“SPR’s Board of Directors is delighted to welcome someone of John’s experience and talents as we continue to grow our capacity to serve our listening communities in Spokane and across the Inland Empire,” said Steve Faust, SPR Board Chair. “We’re excited to see how John will enhance SPR’s reputation as a trusted community partner and expand the station’s outreach and influence. Our Board also want to express our sincere gratitude to Mike Grabicki for his exemplary service as interim GM. We are delighted Mike will continue his long association with Spokane Public Radio through his weekly “Friday Night Jazz” program.
“I am thrilled and honored to join the team at Spokane Public Radio,” Decker said. “I look forward to helping build onto the stations’ incredible legacy of providing arts and information to the Inland Northwest. Thank you so much to the Board and Staff for their trust in my abilities to ensure that SPR will continue to be essential to local audiences.”
The national search was facilitated by Livingston Associates, a Baltimore-based firm specializing in executive searches for public media organizations.