MINNEAPOLIS, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Public Radio International (PRI) announces the appointment of Andrew Sussman as Executive Producer of "PRI's The World," a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH/Boston. As Executive Producer, Sussman will lead the production of the program, including both broadcast and digital components, and its staff, located in Boston, a London bureau and in countries across the globe.

PRI's Senior Vice President of Content, Melinda Ward, says, "Andrew Sussman's finely honed global sensibility, developed by over 2 decades in international news, combined with his energy, wit and creativity, makes him the perfect person to lead 'The World' in its next phase to expand its reach nationally and internationally, on air and on-line."

Of his new appointment, Sussman says, "I am thrilled to be The World's new Executive Producer. I have never worked with a better group of people.  We all believe passionately in what we do and in the need to engage with the world at large.  In today's media landscape, the challenges may be great, but so are the opportunities."

Sussman has been with "PRI's The World" since its inception in 1995, helping American audiences understand how they affect and are affected by world events. Now heard by over 2.5 million weekly listeners on 301 stations nationwide, "The World" has benefitted from Sussman's leadership as show producer, as well as editor and reporter.

Prior to joining "The World," Sussman had oversight responsibilities for a newspaper joint-venture with the Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, where he managed all aspects of the venture. Subsequent to that, Sussman joined the just-launched English-language daily The Moscow Times as an editor, working with a range of American and foreign reporters, including Russian journalists new to Western-style standards and practices.  In 1994, he moved to Paris and joined the newly-formed Europe bureau at Radio France, as a host and reporter.  

Born in Denver, Sussman is a graduate of the University of Colorado and was a Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard. He is fluent in French and Russian, and lives in Boston.

About Public Radio International

Celebrated as a driver of innovation in public media, PRI was founded in 1983 to diversify and expand the content available on public platforms, enabling U.S. listeners to "hear a different voice™" and to connect with one another and the larger world. PRI leads by identifying critical but unmet content needs and partnering with producers, stations, digital networks and funders to develop multi-platform resources to meet those needs. By creating an environment in which innovation can thrive, PRI supports the creation and distribution of content that would otherwise be unavailable and that brings new voices, global journalism and cultural perspectives to the American public. PRI content is available on pri.org and via podcasts, and is broadcast on broadcast on 837 public radio stations. More than 13 million people access PRI content each week through these sources.

PRI's newest production is "The Takeaway," a groundbreaking morning-drive news show co-produced with WNYC Radio. Its best known programming includes "This American Life," produced by Chicago Public Radio; "PRI's The World," a co-production of BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Radio Boston; "Living on Earth," produced by World Media Foundation Inc.; "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?," produced by Wisconsin Public Radio; "The Tavis Smiley Show," produced by Smiley Radio Properties Inc.; and "Studio 360 from PRI and WNYC®," produced by PRI and WNYC; as well as 24-hour program services — "Classical 24®," produced by American Public Media; and BBC World Service, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation. For more information, visit www.pri.org.

SOURCE Public Radio International