Barney Joins WNXP/Nashville As APD
• Nashville Public Radio’s 91.ONE, WNXP/Nashville is adding one of the rising stars in public radio to its growing team with the hire of Justin Barney as Assistant Program Director, effective June 27. Barney arrives in Music City after an eight-year run at WYMS (88Nine) in his hometown of Milwaukee, where he worked his way up from intern to Music Director. While at WYMS, Barney developed numerous programming and editorial concepts, including the station’s first investigative music journalism podcast, Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song, which was noted by The New York Times. Barney’s popular From the Music Desk series has highlighted a diverse array of artists and allowed him to interview more than 500 musicians, from Thom Yorke to Lizzo.
“Justin Barney has proven himself as a powerhouse in the non-comm radio industry,” says Jordan Lee, a longtime leader of Radio Milwaukee, now with Paragon Media Strategies. “He is an accomplished music director. His programming skills are sharp. He is an incredible writer, and most of all, he’s one of the best hosts in public radio today.”
“This is a dream scenario,” says WNXP Program Director Jason Moon Wilkins. “To have someone so passionate about public radio with such an accomplished skillset will help our station move forward with the mission to serve this community and its amazing music scene.”
Barney remarked, “I believe in WNXP’s mission and team. I believe in connecting a community through music and stories. I’m a storyteller and I love music. WNXP has already done incredible work highlighting music and artists that aren’t getting the attention they deserve. The station is setting the standard of blending music journalism with innovative radio. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
In addition to his APD duties, Barney will be a daily on-air presence for WNXP and a key editorial voice in the station’s ongoing focus on music journalism. [Photo credit: Claire Neville]
