EAST ORLAND – The Board of Directors of WERU Community Radio said July 6 that Kristen Spalding, of Orland, will become the next General Manager of the station, taking the helm in late August.

Spalding grew up in Bucksport, is a graduate of Colby College, and most recently worked in development at Bagaduce Music in Blue Hill, and has been integrally involved in several music-related initiatives in the region.

Earlier this year, General Manager Matt Murphy announced his retirement after leading the station for over 27 years. 

“For 27 years, I have had the honor, privilege, and joy of serving as General Manager of WERU,” Murphy said, in the release. “I feel the time has come for me to pass the torch on to the next generation of leadership of this great organization.” 

“We are very excited to welcome Kristen Spalding as our next General Manager and we are confident that she will continue to build on Matt’s many successes expanding our listenership, building our robust pool of volunteer programmers, and securing the financial support from the people and communities we serve” said Paul Anderson, President of the Board of Directors.

“Having grown up in Bucksport and having loved the station for decades, it feels like a great landing place to be in the position to serve and look after something that is so essentially local,” said Spalding. "The station is a reflection of who we are and what we strive to be, not just as people of this region, but as people of this very connected planet. I have no doubt that WERU will continue to be essential to our connectivity as a source of information, opportunity, and as a cultural nexus.” 

The past 12 months has been a landmark year for the station, the release said. After Congress defundedthe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which resulted in the loss of a community service grant amounting to 20% of its annual revenue, WERU was able to rally its listeners for the station’s most successful fundraising year ever.

At present, 80% of the station’s revenue comes directly from listener memberships and donations. The Summer Membership Drive is coming up August 1-8, and the radio station invites the public to tune in and support this important community asset. 

“We live in difficult times, but the future is bright for WERU," said Murphy. "Our listener support has never been stronger, our volunteers are as dedicated as ever, our Board of Directors and staff are extremely capable, our music and public affairs programming continues to be excellent. I strongly believe that the station is perfectly poised to embrace new leadership that has grown organically from within the organization” 

WERU Community Radio (89.9 FM and on the WERU mobile app), has been broadcastingsince 1988 as an independent, listener-supported and volunteer-powered media organization, whose mission is to provide diverse programming to lift spirits, raise awareness and make connections. Its studios are located in East Orland and it transmits its radio signal from the top of Blue Hill Mountain in Blue Hill.