KTOO managing editor departing, will take over as editor of the Alaska Beacon
- Mark Sabbatini
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Claire Stremple worked as a reporter for KTOO and the Beacon before taking over as head of the Juneau public media station’s newsroom last November
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Claire Stremple, managing editor of KTOO Public Media, is departing on Sept. 26 to become the new editor of the Alaska Beacon on Oct. 20, according to officials at both media outlets.
Stremple worked as a reporter at KTOO for two years until March of 2023, and then as a reporter for the Beacon from April of 2023 until she became the managing editor of the Juneau public media station in November of 2024. She is returning to the Beacon to replace Andrew Kitchenman, who departed after three years to become an editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"I think state political reporting is really exciting," she said in an interview on Wednesday evening. "I love the team there and one of their national editors that I'd worked for before asked me to consider the role. So I wasn't looking — I was very happy at KTOO — but I did."
A job listing for KTOO’s managing editor’s position was posted at the station’s website Wednesday and initial screening of candidates is scheduled to start Sept. 15. Justin Shoman, the station’s president and general manager, told the Juneau Independent, "We're going to try to be as aggressive as possible about rehiring." Digital Content Director Adelyn Baxter will serve as the interim newsroom manager.
Stremple’s departure comes as KTOO — and other public media stations nationwide — are trying to cope with major funding losses due to President Donald Trump signing off on the rescission of $1.1 billion in federal funds for public broadcasting. Shoman has previously stated $1.2 million of that funding intended for KTOO is about one-third of KTOO’s operating budget and some cutbacks have already resulted, including Gavel Alaska reducing the level of coverage it provided during a special legislative session in August.
But Shoman said on Wednesday the current focus of KTOO officials is trying to replace as much of the money as possible rather than making further staffing or program cuts.
"At this point our focus remains on fundraising and our strategy is to build the longest possible runway before we have to make any drastic shifts," he said. "And we're seeing some early success on that strategy. Our drive starts in two weeks and, in the interim, we have already raised over two-thirds of the $1.2 million hole."
Stremple oversaw a restaffing and expansion of KTOO’s newsroom, which has four full-time reporters now compared to two last November, plus a full-time morning host and part-time editor. She also initiated community outreach events like "Coffee with KTOO" meet-and-greets at the studio, and a "Brews with the News" panel discussion about local media industry issues.
KTOO also received acclaim from community leaders for its coverage of a record glacial outburst flood in August, including live video monitoring of conditions along the Mendenhall River and a four-part "Outburst" podcast.
"The news team is a dream, and it was so much fun to hire and work with that group of reporters," Stremple said. "I obviously had some visions for the newsroom — flood coverage and collaboration with our video team was obviously a big one, probably on everyone's minds right now — but also (community) engagement was huge."
"Stay tuned — we're not done yet," she added. "I'm still going to be there for four weeks (and) our municipal election coverage is coming up."
Stremple gained notoriety as a reporter at KTOO by winning the Alaska Press Club’s 2022 Public Service Award for a series of articles that exposed a backlog of food stamp and other assistance applications at the Alaska Division of Public Assistance.
“We are thrilled to welcome Claire back to the Beacon as editor and look forward to more great reporting from our talented team under her leadership,” said Chris Fitzsimon, publisher and CEO of States Newsroom, the parent company of the Beacon, in a prepared statement Wednesday.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
