Get to Know: Tammy Terwelp
Whisper Speak Roar Media celebrated our first anniversary on January 4, 2023! We’ve learned a lot, we’ve made a few pivots, and we have some really cool plans for 2023.
Plus, we’ve met a lot of new people over the past year. And while reaching out to strangers is intimidating for a couple of introverts, we’ve been just delighted by – and grateful for – the kindness and willingness to help that people have shared.
One of the most inspiring people we met in 2022 is Tammy Terwelp.
If you don’t know who she is, change that, immediately. Tammy is SMART. She’s sharp, she’s creative, she’s willing to try things other people aren’t willing to try. She’s someone you’d be lucky to get to know – I know WE feel lucky to know her!
Meet Tammy Terwelp!
Elena at Whisper Speak Roar Media (WSRM):
Thanks for talking to Whisper Speak Roar Media, Tammy!
Tammy Terwelp (TT): Sure!
WSRM: Can you tell me about your current role? What are you doing and where are you working? How long have you been there?
TT: I joined KUNC (News and NPR) and The Colorado Sound (AAA music) in April of 2021 as the President & CEO. We are located in northern Colorado and serve Nebraska to the east, Wyoming to the north, Boulder/Denver to the south, and Fort Collins and several mountain and ski resort communities to the west.
WSRM: That’s a pretty vast market – and it stretches across a few states. Now, you’ve done a lot of work over the years leading stations – and people – through big changes. When you walk into a new situation, how do you even BEGIN to start making changes?
TT: Humans do not like change, even if it is a good change… for my most recent role, I spent time meeting with every single staff member individually to get to know them and them to know me – in COVID, that was challenging, but I accomplished that. I also sent out a survey before that to everyone so they could answer with some time to think instead of me just springing questions. A lot of “what do you like about being here?” and “what should we change?” It was vital that I gathered as much information from those who had been here as possible.
I also have 20 years of experience and have been very purposeful in my trajectory. I started as a master control operator at Wisconsin Public Television (after a few years in commercial radio as a DJ) and learned everything I could from everyone I could. I knew I wanted to run a station one day, and I wanted to know how EVERYTHING worked. I moved into a traffic position at Wisconsin Public Radio to be in an office near the TV program director…I then joined WLVT in Bethlehem, PA as the assistant program director. I did everything I could get my hands on!
Then I achieved a huge career goal of working and living in Chicago at WTTW public television and the place I’ve been at the longest – WBEZ. … My main point was that if I wanted to lead, I felt it was essential to know the positions I would be influencing and designing. That credibility to new staff has significantly helped them trust me.
You have to be a bit of a detective and listen. A lot. Telling staff your vision, inviting discussion and ideas, making a plan and accepting that it is going to be difficult for a while is also key. Change is hard and that is why most people either don’t do it at all or do it poorly.
Hold strong to your vision and keep moving forward; build allies everywhere, remember why you are fighting – for the audience. For your community. …
Look, change and building is brutal work, but after 18 months, our organization is stronger and tighter and more successful than ever.
Oh, and bring in/hire the best people you know. Hire people who believe what you believe. People who would run into a burning building to save you-type people (and who you would do the same for). Get them the resources they need and get out of their way.
Celebrate every single win you can and invite others in your organization to do the same. I started an organization #shout-out channel in Slack. Everything from a feature or spot on the network, to staff dealing with a flooded lobby, to new graphics, a successful pledge drive and general recognition for being a team. Sure, I post [too], but the majority comes from staff to each other.
WSRM: Wow. I mean, that’s like a list of how to be great! Thanks for that.
You know, we recently had a conversation and you shared some thoughts about how you’re trying to build and develop culture in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Specifically, you mentioned that you’re trying a lot of new things in the next couple of quarters. Can you share a bit about what you’re doing and why?
TT: Anyone that knows me is aware of my desire to do things differently and be open to ideas from anyone on staff. I just rolled out a concept I’m calling “Quiet Q2,” where I am encouraging department leaders not to take on anything new in our second fiscal quarter (Jan-March).
No new projects, no new initiatives. We will temporarily halt hiring (outside of backfilling and a planned hire I decided on months ago) to focus on training staff and checking in with people.
Cancel all of your meetings for a week. Reflect. How many colleagues have you heard from who’ve said, “I wish I had more time to think”? Give people the time.
Come back to me with something you are STOPPING. So often, we keep piling things on, trying new things, and letting projects fade, but not by conscious choice. Rarely do companies look at and actually stop something. I cannot tell you how many times the answer to my question of, “Why are we doing that?” is “I don’t know” or “We’ve just always done that.”
You will only innovate if you stop. I’ve seen places hire more people to do things but never assess what they could stop doing and maybe wouldn’t have to hire another person.
One of the other things I am doing is not requiring people to return to the office. Nope. Not a “three-day minimum” or a “You have to be here on Mondays and Fridays.” That is just a way to lose your best people.
I also do it as a competitive advantage over other stations in my market who are requiring people to be in at least some of the time.
So how the heck are you building culture, Terwelp!? Well, culture doesn’t happen around a breakroom microwave, so we are being purposeful. I have scheduled four mandatory in-person all-staff meetings this fiscal year. Our staff is spread out over about 50-60 miles from the physical station location, so I’m taking the all-staff meetings on the road.
We’ve done one in Greeley, where our office is, and we’ll do the others in Denver, Fort Collins, and another location to encourage full participation (we do virtual all-staffs monthly). I’ve asked department heads to hold five in-person meetings a year in addition to that. I’ve encouraged strategy, reflection, celebration, planning, and team building for those, and hey, you want to take your department on a gorgeous Boulder hike to get to know each other in person? Please do. …
I am still determining if this work style will be effective, but I am trying it and will be happy to report back. I still have very high expectations of our staff in service to our listeners/users/members and our commitment to each other, but can’t public media be a place that utterly redefines the destructive American definition of work?
WSRM: Wouldn’t that be something. So many of us wanted to work in public media because it was so innovative! Let’s get back to that place!
Now, I think you know that Whisper Speak Roar Media just celebrated our first year anniversary. We’ve been spending some time thinking back over the past year: what we’ve learned, where we want to go, what our biggest challenges have been, what has surprised us the most, etc.
So – tell me what YOU have learned over the past year!
TT: Oversharing in making some changes is actually a very good thing. Your staff doesn’t live in your head and so even though you may have been thinking, investigating, and working on changes for a month, the day you drop it to your staff is Day One for them.
I have a very driven personality and admit I could have done a better job of nurturing people on board to the changes I’ve made. It took immense trust from my staff, and I put that at the forefront of my day-to-day. …
Culture eats strategy for breakfast, right? Your organization’s culture is everything and should be your top priority if you are the president or general manager. Have your employees help design the culture, so everyone is accountable to everyone.
We currently have four employee committees that help inform my decisions: Safety, Fun, DEI, and the committee formerly known as the New-Normal committee, which was around working through COVID, but now is around these new permanent work style concepts and being another avenue for staff to help inform me of how things are going and be a place for new ideas.
WSRM: One of your biggest challenges in 2022?
TT: One of my biggest challenges was redesigning and reorganizing our organization to match my vision. We had a lot of staff turnover (for many reasons, we all did in 2022) but also because I was the organization’s new leader with different expectations and focus. I knew I had to get people who were passionate and excited to build in places that needed leadership.
WSRM: One of your best surprises in 2022?
TT: I’m here number one to serve the public and raise up my staff, but I’m also in public media because of the togetherness. Many people in the system took the time to listen to an idea I had or an issue I needed help solving. After more than 20 years in the business, I am so incredibly honored to now be a person that others call on for advice or to blow off some steam as a station leader.
I was surprised by how many people sought me out and that I could now use my years of hard-fought experience to be there for someone, so they aren’t alone. I enjoy helping people think through things. I am drawn to rebuilding and reimagining. I am beyond grateful for that opportunity.
WSRM: You and I have been involved in public media for a long time now. What advice or guidance would you share with someone who came to you and was interested in starting to work within the system?
TT: I am excited by this next generation of public media leaders, especially women and people of color. I recommend going to an organization that excites you and where you love their work.
Ask a lot of questions – of everyone! Even if you want to be a reporter or host, understand how fundraising works and underwriting happens. Get to know your operations person. Seriously.
I tell my team all the time EVERYONE here is in fundraising, whether it is pitching during pledge, answering an audience question, or delivering an outstanding feature that connects with people’s emotions.
Get a coffee with a manager and learn how the organization is run. You may have a great idea or different perspective to share! This all doesn’t always equal a major market city, by the way. You will have more opportunities for growth and advancement at medium and smaller stations.
WSRM: If you could magically fix or change about the public media system today, what would it be?
TT: Of course, we need to break away from our whiteness and facilitate conversations with audiences and staff we have [traditionally] ignored. While we have made some gains, it will be something we all must commit to every day.
If you are a station leader, you must get the most training. Organizational culture, structure and change is your job. People will look to you to lead in this area – get educated.
The class offered by Greater Public, The DEI Executive Forum, changed my life. Look into it. (Disclaimer: I’m now on the board of Greater Public.)
The other issue that I think now is finally changing a bit is our idea of major donors. There has been a time in my career when raising major money was sort of frowned upon, as if we in public media were doing something “wrong” or that other causes needed the philanthropy dollars more.
I tell my staff all the time that when we have more money, we can do more for the community – it all goes back to our mission to serve the public. We need to take more risks and raise more money to take more risks (with analysis) and provide better service to more people.
WSRM: Phew. You’re a font of good intel, Tammy. I know you spend a lot of time working – obviously. When you’re not innovating, what are you doing in your spare time?
TT: I live in Colorado, so put me outside anywhere and (nearly) any time, and I am delighted. I like to hike a lot and sit by rivers and write. I am a HUGE lover of pens, stationery, notebooks, and crafting (and, let’s be honest, collecting crafting supplies). I started Chicago’s first all-handmade boutique before it was cool, but now I make things in my living room for fun or gifts with BritBox or Acorn TV on since I lived in London for a while (until I was deported, but that’s a story for another day).
WSRM: Thanks Tammy. We are so glad to know you.
TT: Happy New Year!
