Paul Westhelle
Executive DirectorPaul Westhelle oversees management of JPR's service to the community. He came to JPR in 1990 as Associate Director of Broadcasting for Marketing and Development after holding jobs in non-profit management and fundraising for a national health agency.
Paul grew up in northern New Jersey just outside New York City. As a student at Seton Hall University he developed a love for live music romping around Greenwich Village clubs. He traveled west in 1981 to attend San Jose State University where he graduated with a B.A. from its School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Paul believes the meaning of life can be found in public radio and baseball. He’s coached several of Ashland's outstanding youth baseball teams and served as Head Coach of the Ashland High School Varsity team in 2012.
Paul and his wife, Patti Grant, live in Ashland. They have two adult children, Kelsey and Evan.
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The JPR newsroom is the winner of four 2023 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. The Murrow Awards are presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) to recognize outstanding broadcast and digital journalism. -
Exactly what caused Twitter to reclassify NPR as "state-affiliated media" earlier this month remains a mystery.
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The recent shakeup of the newspaper business in the Rogue Valley has created quite a stir.
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As we turn the page on another year, JPR’s service to the region continues to evolve.
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After the announcement that charges against April would be dismissed or dropped, one social media post suggested that April should have followed the orders of police that day as a way of showing “respect for police officers … trying to do a dangerous job.”
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In Southern Oregon and Northern California, summer is the season for floating rivers, enjoying music at outdoor festivals, harvesting gardens, and taking jaunts to the coast. For JPR, it’s a season for tracking wildfire activity, covering local events and making progress on the many projects we have underway to improve our mountain-top transmitter sites before the snow flies.
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Long ago, as a college student studying media relations, I learned that no self-respecting communication professional would answer “no comment” to a reporter asking a question about virtually anything.
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As we emerge from the worst of the pandemic and return to operations that resemble the “good old days” – before we converted our spare bedrooms into recording studios and figured out how to run a radio network from our couches – we’re moving ahead on several initiatives that advance our mission and service to the region.
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All manner of historians, academics and political prognosticators these days are lamenting America's broken democracy.
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2021 was another doozy. The aftermath of a rugged national election that culminated in violence in our nation’s capital. Dashed hopes of a definitive end to the pandemic. And, a deepening political divide that has exposed the frayed threads that hold our democracy together.
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The clear, cool days of Fall are such a welcome change. And, with the change in season comes the culmination of a very difficult and stressful fire season. We’ve all endured too many smokey days that have kept us indoors and on edge.
