Michael Rancilio serves as WETA executive vice president and chief content officer, and general manager of News Hour Productions LLC, a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of WETA Washington, D.C. He reports to WETA President and Chief Executive Officer Sharon Percy Rockefeller and is responsible for the development and execution of the company’s research strategy and all content inclusive of national and local productions and learning media. As general manager of News Hour Productions, Rancilio oversees operations of the primary daily, breaking and special news producer for PBS.
WETA’s robust portfolio includes marquee public affairs programs PBS News Hour, PBS News Weekend and Washington Week with The Atlantic; projects with acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; vibrant classical music, arts and performance programming; local series that spotlight the people, places and culture of the D.C. area; and resource-rich educational websites.
In 2012, Rancilio joined WETA/News Hour Productions. He previously served as chief operating officer and publisher of The New Republic. Prior to that he held digital strategy, consumer marketing, and advertising sales positions at Atlantic Media Company and worked in marketing strategy at AOL. Rancilio holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in business administration from Georgetown University.