O'Bryon looks to increase biz news in new job

Linda O’Bryon, who helped start the Miami-based “Nightly Business Report� television show back in 1979 now shown on more than 250 public TV stations, said in an interview that she will look at increasing the business news content at her new job as chief content officer for Northern California Public Broadcasting.

“They have a lot of coverage of the local community, and that includes business,â€? she says. “So that will be one of my goals, to develop more in the way of business. ‘Nightly Business Report’ has always talked about opening a West Coast bureau.â€?

O’Bryon, who in 2004 received the Distinguished Achievement Award by SABEW at the 41st annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas, will begin her new job on Jan. 2.

O’Bryon will report directly to Jeff Clarke, president and CEO of Northern California Public Broadcasting. O’Bryon succeeds John Boland, who recently left to assume the newly created role of chief content officer at PBS.

“I am going to miss Florida, but I am looking forward to the challenges in northern California,â€? O’Bryon told Talking Biz News on Tuesday. “It was a tough decision because I am very happy here and have a great team and enjoy working on ‘Nightly Business Report.’ But this is a new challenge and a new chapter and a wonderful community.â€?

O’Bryon’s new outfit doesn’t have a specific business show. She spearheaded the creation of “Nightly Business Report” in 1979, when she was serving as news director at the South Florida public television station, WPBT. When NBR launched for the first time in January 1979, she both managed the program and served as its co-anchor. The program was nationally syndicated in 1981 and remains the leading source of daily business news on television. NBR has been credited for spawning the genre of daily news programming broadcast and cable television.

As general manager of NBR Enterprises, the operating division at WPBT that produces business news, O’Bryon oversaw Nightly Business Report’s editorial and business operations. In addition to producing 260 daily news programs a year and a daily News Brief, NBR Enterprises also oversaw NBR’s international licensing, its web-site on PBS.org, and video production projects.