Submitted via email to napavalley@patch.com:
Jeff Schechtman will step down as general manager of Napa radio station KVON/KVYN effective Jan. 1, station owner Roger Walther and Schechtman announced jointly Tuesday. Schechtman has held that position for 10 years.
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“Ten years is a long time in any one job, and it seemed an ideal time to move on to pursue some projects I’ve been thinking about for quite some time now,” said Schechtman, who has been with the station since 1996, when Tom Young owned it.
“There is always a tendency to get stale after too long in one job, and in one place.”
Walther, owner of Wine Country Broadcasting, announced in September that he was considering the sale of 1440 KVON and 99.3 KVYN.
Schechtman, who was originally an on-air personality and became general manager under the ownership of Charley Moss in April 2003, continued as GM after Walther purchased the station in 2003.
The “Late Mornings with Jeff Schechtman” interview program has been on the air continuously for 16 years. Schechtman has interviewed more than 7,500 authors, journalists, scientists, artists and opinion leaders. His afternoon show, “Afternoon Edition,” has long been a staple of local political conversation.
“Jeff Schechtman has provided nine years of solid leadership for Napa Valley’s only radio stations,” said Walther. “It was time for Jeff to take on new challenges and for the station to review its position in the Napa marketplace.”
As an on-air personality, Schechtman never shied away from controversy on local issues. Before it became fashionable, he long believed that Napa needed to change to become a more sophisticated, world-class city.
Schechtman will develop a number of new projects including the expansion of his current interview program. He is also working on “World Talk Live,” slated to be the first global, interactive, multi-platform talk show. Using his interview show as a launching pad, he is also seeking to bring authors and thought leaders in closer contact with Silicon Valley and Washington through his “Author’s@” program. Schechtman has two book proposals currently in the hands of publishers and two documentary projects in development.
“Because we live in such a beautiful place, there is often a tendency to become too complacent and too inward-looking,” Schechtman said. “On the other hand Napa, because of its reputation and cachet, can also be a great place from which to launch so many other exciting efforts.”
Walther said he would make an announcement shortly with respect to a new GM for the stations.
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