Torey Malatia

Torey Malatia (born August 1951) is an American journalist, radio producer, and public media manager. In 2016 he was named president, CEO, and general manager of Rhode Island Public Radio. Until resigning on July 26, 2013, he served as chief executive officer and president of the board of directors of Chicago Public Media and general manager of radio station WBEZ. He is also a member of the board of the Public Radio Exchange, a program distributor, and the Station Resource Group, a public radio program development and fundraising group.

Malatia began work as program director of WBEZ radio in Chicago, Illinois, in 1993 and in 1996 was promoted to station manager.

In 1995, journalist Ira Glass and Malatia created the radio program This American Life (originally titled Your Radio Playhouse). In 1990 he became program director of KUOW, a public station in Seattle, Washington. After leaving KUOW Malatia worked as a talk show producer at WLS, a non-public (for-profit) radio station in Chicago. He was hired as WBEZ vice president in charge of programing in 1993.

Malatia serves as a member of the board of directors of two public media organizations. WBEZ is one of several founding member stations of the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), a non-profit organization that distributes programing to public radio stations; Malatia serves on the PRX board.

Controversy erupted in 2012 when WBEZ cancelled the program Smiley & West, an interview program hosted by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West. Smiley criticized comments from Malatia suggesting that the program focused unduly on advocacy for African American social and political issues and that the program's guests were "far less inclusive" than the station wished. In response, Malatia published an editorial at Current.org criticizing "advocacy journalism" and defending the program's cancellation.