WNET names Edward O’Keefe president and CEO

WNET has appointed Edward F. O’Keefe as its next president and CEO, succeeding Neal Shapiro after nearly two decades leading the New York, New York-based public media organization.

O’Keefe will begin the role Sept. 21, 2026. Shapiro will become president emeritus and remain with WNET through the end of the year before retiring.

O’Keefe most recently served as president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota. As the institution’s founding CEO, he oversaw the development and opening of the $450 million library honoring the nation’s 26th president. He should not be confused for the CBS News reporter who shares the same first and last name. 

Before joining the library, O’Keefe spent more than 20 years in broadcast and digital media, holding leadership positions at ABC News, CNN and NowThis.

His journalism work has received a Primetime Emmy Award for coverage involving Anthony Bourdain, two Webby Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award. He also shared a George Foster Peabody Award for ABC News’ coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“Ed O’Keefe is the right leader for WNET due to his exceptional combination of nonprofit leadership, editorial excellence, digital innovation and operational expertise,” WNET Board of Trustees Chairman James Attwood said.

O’Keefe said public media’s independence from many of the commercial pressures affecting traditional media and streaming services creates opportunities to experiment with new formats and reach audiences across platforms.

“Returning to my roots to lead an institution as vital as WNET is a profound honor,” O’Keefe said. “Our mission is to tell the stories that need and deserve to be told.”

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O’Keefe is also the author of “The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women in the Arena,” published by Simon & Schuster in 2024. He is a former entrepreneurship fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and graduated with honors from Georgetown University.

The WNEP Group owns and operates WNET — which is known on-air as Thirteen, a Newark, New Jersey-licensed PBS member station serving the NYC metro area as well as WLIW, a Garden City, New Jersey-licensed secondary PBS station for the market. It also runs WLIW-FM, an NPR station serving Long Island, New York, as well as sub-brands such as Thirteen PBS Kids, Thirteen World, All Arts, N.J. Spotlight News and WLIW Create. 

It also produces prominent PBS programming including “Nature,” “Great Performances,” “American Masters” and “Amanpour and Company” as well as local news.