Mississippi Public Broadcasting names industry veteran Royal Aills to be new executive director
New Mississippi Public Broadcasting executive director was the general manager of Rogers State University Public TV
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A broadcast industry veteran has been named to lead Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
The Mississippi Authority for Educational Television's Board of Directors, in a news release Wednesday, announced that Royal Aills will lead the agency after a national search. Aills replaces Ronnie Agnew, who left MPB in December 2021 to become general manager for WOSU — a public media station in Columbus, Ohio.
Prior to his appointment to MPB, Aills served as general manager of RSU Public TV at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, WATER CRISIS IMPACTS BUSINESSES
Aills officially starts his new role on Sept. 19.
Mississippi Public Broadcasting names Royal Aills to be the new executive director.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We look forward to supporting him as he begins his work to take MPB to the next level of excellence," said Board Chairman David Allen.
Aills, who began his career working as a photojournalist and producer at KHBS-TV in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and KJRH-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said he is grateful for the opportunity to advance MPB’s mission of providing more than a half-century of educational and entertaining programming.
"Mississippi Public Broadcasting has a rich history of local programming that is an inspiration to me," Aills said. "MPB is doing it right. Whether it’s educational programming, profiling a historical location or person or delivering news and information, this is what we as public broadcasters do well."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MPB News Director Teresa Collier served as interim executive director during the search process.