March 15, 2004
Candis S. Isberner to lead Broadcasting Service
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Candis "Candy" S. Isberner is the new executive director of the Broadcasting Service at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Manjunath Pendakur, dean of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, announced today (March 15).
'I'm very pleased Candy has accepted our offer. She brings many strong qualities to this position. She knows the history, she knows the institution really well, and she knows the direction the Broadcasting Service should take in the near future," said Pendakur, who heads the college that houses the Broadcasting Service along with several academic departments.
"Candy has worked closely with our college's faculty and staff for a number of years. I'm very confident she will do a terrific job in leading this important institution at SIUC in a wonderful new direction," he added.
Isberner is intimately familiar with the job and its requirements.
She has served as the unit's acting director since September 2002, when then-director Robert Gerig became an assistant dean in the communications college.
In a national search for a permanent director, Isberner stood out among several top-quality candidates as the best person for the job, Pendakur said.
"I'm deeply honored to be selected for this position," she said. "It's a wonderful opportunity to work with the WSIU Friends Board and the WSIU staff to further develop our locally relevant and responsive programs and to support the service mission of both our college and the University."
Isberner's appointment caps her 22-year career with the University's Broadcasting Service.
She joined the operation in 1981. Since then she has worked as a field representative for education services; director of programming, promotion and outreach; assistant director of technology and planning and most recently acting director and general manager of WSIU/WUSI-TV.
The Broadcasting Service encompasses the WSIU-TV stations (WSIU-TV/DT Carbondale; WUSI-TV/DT Olney) FM radio stations (WSIU-FM, WVSI-FM Mt. Vernon and WUSI-FM Olney), the Southern Illinois Radio Reading Service for people with disabilities; ChalkWaves K-12 digital media services; WSIU Ready to Learn Services; a satellite uplink truck and production facilities.
Isberner will administer all aspects of WSIU Public Broadcasting; providing leadership in strategic planning, fund raising, technological readiness, staff development; and building internal/external relations with the various publics served by the unit - which includes the University, community, state and federal government.
Additionally, she will be fiscal officer of a $3.6 million dollar operating budget, $17 million in technical equipment and assets as well as personnel officer in charge of 37 full-time staff and 23 part-time/contract and student staff.
Her new position comes with a number of new challenges, Isberner said.
"We face tight budgets, limited staffing and the requirements and costs of digital conversion of our television stations," she said.
"Clearly I will be examining many critical areas of our operation, looking for sustainable funding, efficient use of staff and resources, analyzing our programming lineups and very likely will be looking to create a new broad-based community advisory group composed of people from the community and the campus to assist with fund raising and to add input on developing future local programs."
Isberner is a member of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts graduate committee, the college dean's management council and she has been adjunct faculty in both the colleges of communication and education.
Before coming to SIUC, she taught junior high science and math for 11 years in Illinois, New York, Connecticut and Canada. She holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from SIUC and a master's in secondary education from Hofstra University.
She has received numerous awards in education, broadcasting and in the community, including SIUC's University Woman of Distinction Award, its Outstanding Administrative/Professional Award, the WSIU Broadcaster of the Year Award and the Carbondale