CNN executive Rachel Smolkin named CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting

Rachel Smolkin, a veteran media executive who leads CNN’s global digital news, is departing the network to become the next president and CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting.

OPB called Smolkin a forward-thinking journalist and a strong business strategist who can help lead the 100-year-old public media organization through a difficult environment for the journalism industry – and public media, in particular.

“As we celebrated our first 100 years, we were looking for a dynamic leader to chart the way forward during this time of transformational change in media,” said Rukaiyah Adams, chair of OPB’s board of directors. “Rachel will advance our work with deep experience in journalism, wide professional networks and adaptive leadership skills.”

Smolkin joined CNN in 2014 to lead politics coverage for CNN Digital. She was instrumental in transforming CNN’s digital news coverage for the modern era, in which media consumers are getting information from multiple platforms and mobile devices. Over the past several years, Smolkin’s purview grew to include national, international, business and live news for CNN Digital.

She also spearheaded an innovative approach to US election coverage that provided CNN’s audience with up-to-the-minute news about races across the country, no matter what screen or technology they used.

“Rachel has been an exceptional leader and partner, recruiting and supporting talented, diverse journalists across the network,” said Virginia Moseley, CNN’s executive editor, in a memo to staff. “She’s helped develop our breaking news brand, emphasized service journalism, and made explainers and fact checks a core part of our storytelling.”

Smolkin takes over OPB at a challenging time for the industry. The digital and broadcast advertising markets that helped fund media organizations have shrunk sharply over the past several years, as people shift their news consumption habits to social media apps and other nontraditional sources. Artificial intelligence, a once far-off threat, has made stunning advances in recent years that also threatens to upend the business model of traditional journalism.

CNN, like other media companies, has been challenged by the same disruptions. CEO Mark Thompson, who joined the network in 2023, outlined a plan in January to change the company for the future, urging the company to “recapture some of the swagger and innovation of the early CNN.”

OPB’s contributions from donors have grown over the past decade. But the broadcaster and Smolkin, who completed a master of business administration degree from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business while she was an executive at CNN, suggested that OPB needed new creative thinking to ensure it can serve its audience’s needs in the future.

“I am honored to lead OPB in its next chapter serving Oregon and the Pacific Northwest,” Smolkin said. “I am energized by the commitment the board has shown for building news and public affairs programming for all Oregonians and Southwest Washingtonians, for leading conversations about solving our most urgent challenges and for innovating new ways to connect with communities.”

Smolkin will replace Steve Bass, OPB’s CEO since 2006, who announced his retirement last year. She will begin her new role in September.

Before joining CNN, Smolkin worked at Politico, USA Today and the American Journalism Review.

The announcement comes on the heels of the departure of Sam Feist, the longtime Washington bureau chief and senior vice president, who will become the CEO of C-SPAN.