James Muhammad who has led Lakeshore Public Media since 2013 is resigning as president and CEO.
The Merrillville-based broadcaster announced July 26 that Muhammad is leaving his post Sept. 7 to take over as president of the University of Southern California Radio Group.
“Lakeshore Public Media has made great strides across both Lakeshore Public Radio and Lakeshore PBS in recent years under James’ leadership,” said Larry Brechner, Lakeshore’s board chair. “While he will truly be missed, we have an amazing team that is fully committed to the success of the organization and they will continue to put in the work each and every day to ensure the organization continues moving forward.”
Muhammad is credited for leading Lakeshore Public Media’s transformation to a nationally recognized, award-winning operation. It was named the 2022 Nonprofit of the Year by the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Under his leadership, Lakeshore has won several top industry honors including the Public Media Award, Gold Telly Award, two Communicator Awards of Excellence, a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award, 14 Silver Telly Awards, five Communicator Awards of Distinction, and the Spectrum Award for community involvement.
Muhammad received the 2022 Richard Allen Award from Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina for his work in public media and commitment to inspiring future leaders.
Muhammad initiated Lakeshore’s series of community conversations on race, justice and policing. He expanded the station’s digital efforts bringing its content to new audiences.
He said he was honored to serve viewers and listeners of Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicago area.
“My focus has always been on creating meaningful impact and presenting the stories of Northwest Indiana in an exceptional way,” Muhammad said. “I believe we achieved that.”
The USC Radio Group, a service of the University of Southern California, operates Classical California, one of the top classical music radio station networks in the nation. The two flagship stations of the network are KUSC in Los Angeles and KDFC in San Francisco.
Joining USC Radio Group brings Muhammad back to his roots as his start in public radio was as a classical music announcer and producer of arts content at the University of Alabama’s NPR station.
