Executive producer

Steve Robinson

Steve embarked on his professional journey in 1967 at WBUR/Boston while pursuing a music major at Boston University. At WBUR, he produced six classical music programs weekly and pioneered Shop Talk, a high-fidelity call-in program that laid the groundwork for Car Talk. After WBUR, Steve held announcing positions at WGBH, WCRB/Boston, and KPFA/Berkeley.

In 1976, he became the first development director of Vermont Public Radio (VPR), setting a national membership record and winning awards for his program, The Sky Report. He then joined WBGO in Newark in 1980, helping establish it as a premier Jazz radio station.

Throughout the 1980s, Steve produced radio portraits and documentaries with esteemed composers and worked with Composer’s Recordings, Inc. (CRI) on various projects. In 1990, he became the general manager of Nebraska Public Radio Network (NPRN), contributing to its success as one of the nation's most prosperous statewide public radio networks.

In 2000, Steve assumed the role of general manager at WFMT and the WFMT Radio Network, enhancing WFMT's local schedule with new programs like Introductions and Impromptu. Under his leadership, the WFMT Radio Network flourished into a prominent producer and syndicator of classical, Jazz, folk, and spoken word programming worldwide.

In 2003, Steve created the classical music appreciation program, Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin, which garnered over 400,000 weekly listeners and expanded internationally. He spearheaded innovative initiatives such as the creation of exploringmusic.org and facilitated the live national broadcast of "Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone."

Steve's achievements extended to preserving cultural legacies, including digitizing Studs Terkel's radio work and fostering cross-cultural exchanges between America and China. His fiscal stewardship at WFMT and the WFMT Radio Network resulted in substantial net profits.

Since leaving WFMT in 2016, Steve founded New Media Productions, producing podcasts and websites like classicalprofiles.com/allaccess. He collaborated on projects like the CD "Smile, Songs of Charlie Chaplin for Violin and Piano" and spearheaded initiatives to support chamber music ensembles amidst the pandemic.
In 2020, Steve developed The Cell Phone Soap Opera, a serialized opera production for mobile devices, as a finalist in Opera Arizona's RFP for innovative opera revenue streams. His career has earned him numerous awards and accolades, and he continues to contribute to the advancement of public radio and cultural preservation.
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