KUAR found itself abruptly short-staffed last month when news veterans Jacob Kauffman and Sarah Whites-Koditschek departed on the same day.
Kauffman, who spent five years at the National Public Radio affiliate, will stay in Little Rock as communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas’ Coordinated Campaign Committee. Whites-Koditschek, a reporter and “Morning Edition” host at the station and most recently a reporter for Arkansas Public Media, will be a reporting fellow with Wisconsin Watch, a nonprofit based at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. KUAR is licensed to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
KUAR Interim General Manager Nathan Vandiver acknowledged the “great opportunities” for Kauffman and Whites-Koditschek, but said the timing is challenging. He is working to fill the positions, and reporter-wanted ads were airing last week.
“At a small news organization, being able to work with people as they build their skills and grow into the next steps of their careers is rewarding, too,” Vandiver said, calling the transitions “a part of the greater journalism ecosystem.”
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