Chris McBride has been named president and general manager of KCBX Public Radio, a National Public Radio member station founded in 1975.
McBride has been with KCBX since 2023, when she was hired as development director to oversee fundraising and outreach activities including the biannual pledge drives. The following year, she was promoted to assistant general manager to support executive leadership while continuing her work in development.
KCBX was a constant part of McBride’s life well before her hire date, from listening to news and music to attending the Live Oak Music Festival with her family.
“I’m excited to step into this role,” McBride said. “It is inspiring to see how deeply our staff, volunteers, and the Central Coast community care for and value KCBX. The station truly is a community treasure.”
McBride succeeds Frank Lanzone, who has stepped into the executive director role for Live Oak Music Festival.
“I believe Chris to be an outstanding choice to meet the expected and unexpected challenges ahead of us,” Lanzone said. “Her expertise in planning, fundraising, collaborating, and troubleshooting will serve KCBX well. Chris has also been a longstanding member of the community with deep roots in San Luis Obispo County, just like KCBX, making her a great match for this position.”
Prior to joining the team at KCBX, McBride served as director of annual giving for more than a decade at Cal Poly, and was the first outreach director at the Performing Arts Center SLO. She attended Cal Poly, graduating with a degree in business administration.
KCBX is a non-commercial public radio station serving Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and southern Monterey counties. The station broadcasts local and national information programming, NPR Network shows, and an eclectic music format with genres ranging from jazz and indie rock to Americana, soul and world music. Nearly 100 percent of the financial support for KCBX comes from individual subscribers, local corporate underwriters, and proceeds from the Live Oak Music Festival.