Bill Siemering

Notable work and positions

National Public Radio - Founding board member; first Director of Programming
WHYY-FM (Philadelphia) - Vice President for Radio / Station Manager (1978-1987)
Developing Radio Partners - Founder and President

Biography

William H. Siemering is an American radio innovator who helped found National Public Radio and wrote its original mission statement. Born October 26, 1934, and raised in rural Wisconsin, he traced his early interest in radio to the "Wisconsin School of the Air" educational broadcasts he heard as a student in a two-room country school. He later developed an innovative program format at WBFO in Buffalo before becoming a founding member of NPR's board of directors, where he authored the network's 1970 mission statement, "National Public Radio Purposes." As NPR's first director of programming, Siemering shaped All Things Considered, the network's flagship afternoon program, which debuted May 3, 1971. He went on to serve as vice president for programming at Minnesota Public Radio before becoming station manager, later vice president for radio, at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia from 1978 to 1987, where he helped grow Fresh Air with Terry Gross into a nationally syndicated program and helped create Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. From 1987 to 1992 he served as the first executive producer of Soundprint, public radio's longest-running documentary series. Beginning in 1993, supported by a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, Siemering shifted his focus to international media development, assisting community radio stations in South Africa and later serving as president of the International Center for Journalists in 1996-97. In 2003 he founded Developing Radio Partners, a nonprofit that trains community radio journalists and station managers in developing countries and countries transitioning to democracy.

Career highlights

• National Public Radio Purposes 1970 · Authored NPR's founding mission statement, which continues to guide the network's editorial philosophy.
• All Things Considered 1971 · Developed and launched NPR's flagship afternoon news and culture program as the network's first director of programming.
• MacArthur Foundation Fellowship 1993 · Recognized for his contributions to American public radio, enabling his subsequent international media development work.
• Radio Hall of Fame induction · Honored for his role in shaping American public radio programming.