Phil Redo may not be The Most Interesting Man in Radio, but he sure comes close. Starting as a young FM jock on Cape Cod, he’s gone on to work at – and then run – some of the most innovative stations and groups at the business. When he’s not making radio, he’s painting, sailing or making music.

The worst-to-first rise of WLTW in New York in the 80s? He programmed it, then replicated his success at WLIT in Chicago. Redo decamped to public media at WNYC in New York, then came back to the commercial world as market manager for Greater Media in Boston, where he launched FM talk into the market.

For the last decade, he’s been general manager of WGBH’s radio operations in Boston, where he’s overseen one of the most energetic format battles in public radio against equally dominant WBUR.

Redo announced his retirement, which won’t take effect until July 2020 – but “Top of the Tower” this week spoke to Redo for a wide-ranging conversation about his career, the unique WGBH operation and his thoughts on where radio is headed next.

Listen in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts