Executive director discusses goals and future as she prepares to step into post.

Julie Grimes has been named the new executive director of Texas Tech Public Media and begins her new duties Feb. 1. Julie comes to Texas Tech University after serving as general manager of Panhandle PBS in Amarillo and brings a robust media background to the role. To help introduce her to the campus community and beyond, we asked Julie to share some of her thoughts and ideas as she prepares to lead Texas Tech Public Media in its mission of delivering PBS and NPR content to a vast expanse of West Texas that includes the Lubbock, San Angelo and El Paso markets. The following interview has been edited throughout for clarity:

Texas Tech Now (TTN): Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

Julie Grimes: I earned an English degree from Texas Tech before going to culinary school and working for Southern Living magazine’s food department. I spent a good bit of my early career in Birmingham, Alabama, but I’ve always had a connection to Amarillo. Both of my parents were born and raised in West Texas. I am so grateful for this opportunity to return to Lubbock. It is an exciting time to be a Red Raider, and I am looking forward to getting involved in the community and doing good work.

TTN: What are some of your immediate goals for Texas Tech Public Media?

Julie Grimes: What we want to do immediately is ensure our team is well-integrated with the footprint of Texas Tech Public Media, which spans from Lubbock to San Angelo and El Paso. Second, we want to work as efficiently and effectively as possible as far as coverage of that broad area. Then, as far as our educational opportunities, our community engagement and our public safety messaging, we want to do everything in our power to reach as many Texas residents as possible.

TTN: What are some of the complementary efforts to achieving those early goals?

Julie Grimes: Texas Tech Public Media has a long and outstanding history of content creation and production. I want to get my arms around that, get to know the staff and hear the priorities from the people who have been there working throughout the years. From there, we will set goals and move forward in a way to promote growth and better integration into the communities we serve.

TTN: What are some of the strengths of Texas Tech Public Media that attracted you to the job?

Julie Grimes: I am a Texas Tech grad, so I am excited, and after living a good bit of my adult life outside Texas, I was thrilled to return here three and a half years ago. To me, public media service is really important, especially in rural markets like Texas Tech Public Media services. It’s important nationwide, but it’s critical in rural markets, and the chance to serve those residents is of utmost importance.

TTN: What do you see as opportunities to continue growing Texas Tech Public Media’s presence?

Julie Grimes: I think we can build a strong local network in the Lubbock community and expand on our network in El Paso. I think those are some of the most exciting opportunities available to us. The things people know and love about PBS, like its national content and the important programming from NPR, will continue to be of the same caliber as always. It’s important to me that Texas Tech Public Media be the one to define what we are to our service area.

TTN: What drew you to work in public media?

Julie Grimes: I am something of a media nerd. I didn’t wind up in magazines by accident. I have always been an avid reader, and I am a lifelong learner. My career in the media has followed a progression, and the public service element of it appeals to me – the community outreach, the community building and collaborating with partners.

TTN: What do you see as most important for Texas Tech Public Media to accomplish day in and day out?

Julie Grimes: We are living in a day where it is more important than ever to be able to deliver reliable, factual and local information to folks, regardless of whether they have broadband or if they can afford cable and so forth. I have heard the testimonials from people in terms of what PBS has meant in their lives, and programming was foundational to their childhood. What we do has impact on people and is really meaningful work.

TTN: How do you feel that your collective professional experiences have prepared you for this new role?

Julie Grimes: Over time, I have learned that what I am at heart is a storyteller, and that is the business of what we do, whether it is educating or building community. The way to capture hearts and minds is through compelling storytelling. The common thread throughout my career is it’s been all about storytelling and shared experiences.

TTN: How will you approach the fundraising aspect of your job?

Julie Grimes: I think we have to be able to define ourselves as public media stations and make sure the public has a full awareness and understanding that there is no public media station that was ever 100% dependent on federal funds. It’s a piece of the budget, and the piece varies depending on the market size. What that means is we are, in fact, full-time fundraisers now, and the key to success in fundraising is relationships, so one of my key responsibilities will be building relationships and networks of support in the communities we serve.

TTN: What is the one message you want to make sure people understand about Texas Tech Public Media?

Julie Grimes: The first thing I would ask is if they had watched or been to an event produced by Texas Tech Public Media. There are close to 350 PBS affiliate stations across the nation, and each one is unique. They have a common mission and do similar work, but the real heart of each individual station’s mission is local service, so if you’re not familiar with Texas Tech Public Media, you can’t understand it based on any national characterization or connotation. If we hold up a mirror to Texas Tech Public Media, and we are not reflecting the community, then we are not meeting our mission.

TTN: How would you characterize Texas Tech Public Media’s mission?

Julie Grimes: One thing that is important in this conversation is, PBS in general, but certainly Texas Tech Public Media, is not political. Our mission is Lubbock, San Angelo, El Paso and the surrounding viewing areas, and the stories are to reflect the values of the community. So, to me as a leader of a public media station, it’s equally as important the things we choose to cover and choose to tell as the ones we choose not to. Getting involved in the political fray is not part of the station’s mission.