Remembering Ruth Seymour
• Ruth Seymour, a pioneering figure in public radio who was instrumental in transforming KCRW/Santa Monica from a small college radio station to an influential national radio powerhouse for many years until her retirement in 2010, died Friday, Dec. 22 in Santa Monica after a long illness. She was 88.
Seymour started her radio career in 1961 at KPFK/Los Angeles, rising to program director in 1971. Seymour joined KCRW in 1977 and under her leadership, KCRW expanded into an eclectic and innovative format of news, talk, music, current affairs and cultural programming. It was also one of the early stations to adopt streaming online, which made KCRW known around the world
In a statement, KCRW President Jennifer Ferro said, “Ruth was singular in every way. She had a powerful vision that never wavered. There was a spirit in Ruth that no one else has. She didn’t just save NPR or create a new format — Ruth took chances and made decisions because she knew they were right. She trusted her gut. She broke rules and pursued excellence in ways that can’t easily be explained. She was a force of nature. Ruth’s legacy lives on at KCRW. She inspires us to be original, to host the smartest people, the most creative artists and to talk to our audience with the utmost respect for their intellect.”
Seymour also presided over the growth of music show Morning Becomes Eclectic, and was the first to air Ira Glass‘ This American Life. She gave radio dramatist Joe Frank a creative home, and offered actor/comedian/voiceover artist Harry Shearer a weekly hour to do anything he wanted on Le Show. Shearer remarked, “Ruth was a towering figure in public radio, embracing a breadth of subject matter and styles that, frankly, does not seem possible any more. She imagined a listener who was endlessly curious, open to a wide range of opinions and musics, and worked tirelessly to satisfy that listener.”
Seymour is survived by her daughter Celia Hirschman, her sister and brother-in-law Ann and Richard Zimmer and their children, Jessica and Daniel and her cousins, Anita Getzler and Greg Epstein. Variety has more details on Seymour’s remarkable career. [Photo credit: Marc Goldstein]
