Maine Public has announced that Mark Vogelzang will retire as President after nine years on June 30.
Vogelzang has been with the public broadcaster since January 2012 where in particular he helped build out their Classical network to complement their existing Public News/Talk network and television operations across the state. The organization’s flagship 90.1 WMEA Portland currently leads the market with a 13.3 share.
Prior to coming to Maine, Vogelzang spent sixteen years as President of Vermont Public Radio from 1993 to 2009 and two years as Station Manager at 88.7 WBFO Buffalo NY facilitating the acquisition of the station by WNED-TV from the University of Buffalo in 2011. He also spent nine years as Program Director and Radio Manager of 90.9 WHYY-FM Philadelphia overseeing the national launch of “Fresh Air” hosted by Terry Gross and led the station’s flip from mostly Classical music to Public News/Talk in 1990. Vogelzang also served on NPR’s Board of Director from 2001-2009 with the final year as Executive Director of the organization.
Maine Public announces that Mark Vogelzang will retire from his successful nine-year tenure as president of the network at the end of its fiscal year on June 30.
Maine Public Board Chair Marion Freeman of Freeport said she will launch a nationwide search for Vogelzang’s replacement and thanked him for his years of dedicated service.
“Mark’s vision and expertise were instrumental in Maine Public’s significant growth over this past decade,” Freeman said. “He guided the broadcast teams to focus on serving more viewers and listeners, and created exciting new content and channels for journalism, culture, music and lifelong learning. We are grateful for his service to Maine Public.”
Vogelzang began his tenure at Maine Public in January 2012 and has been at the helm through the development of two strategic plans. The most recent, launched in early 2019, focuses on aligning staff and services, expanding local journalism, attracting younger and more diverse audiences, and modernizing the organization’s facilities. He also led a company-wide rebranding effort in 2015, crafting the now familiar “Maine Public” logo and identity.
Maine Public’s audiences, programs, and financial health grew under Vogelzang’s leadership. Today, Maine Public Radio is one of the largest radio stations in Maine and one of the most popular NPR stations in the country, consistently in the top five per capita, with over 250,000 weekly listeners.
Reflecting on his years at Maine Public, Vogelzang said, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help Maine Public grow in so many ways and to work with such talented colleagues over these past years. Mainers have an incredibly valuable resource in this statewide service – as our PBS and NPR station, with free and open access to all. I know that the next decade and beyond will see even more growth and impact of public media in the region, and that’s exciting to contemplate.”
Vogelzang is the fifth president of Maine Public since it became an independent entity in 1992. Prior to joining Maine Public, Vogelzang served as president of Vermont Public Radio for 16 years, from 1993 to 2009. He was elected to NPR’s Board of Directors for seven years and served as the Executive Director of the NPR Foundation in 2009, overseeing the foundation’s fundraising operation.
