Rieland takes helm as WOSU general manager

COLUMBUS – A veteran producer, reporter, and public broadcaster is the new general manager for WOSU stations.

Thomas Rieland will on Nov. 12 replace retiring Dale Ouzts as the leader of the FM and AM radio operations, as well as the television stations that comprise the WOSU organization. Ouzts, who arrived at WOSU in 1979, held the top position for nearly a quarter of a century before his retirement.

“Tom Rieland brings a record of accomplishment, a quality of leadership, and an entrepreneurial style that should prove immensely helpful in moving the WOSU stations forward,” said Lee Tashjian, Ohio State vice president for university relations. “He comes to the university highly regarded by his peers in the profession.”

Rieland will leave his position as director and general manager for the Center for Public Television and Radio at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. There, he manages a staff of 65 people and a budget exceeding $4 million. His staff here will include nearly double the people and an approximately $9 million budget.

“Although the size of the organization is larger, the function and purpose of WOSU are not that drastically different than what we do in Alabama,” Rieland said. “The goal in Columbus, as in Alabama, is to provide quality programming that impacts the communities we serve while maintaining a solid bottom line.”

Rieland has won numerous national and regional awards for his work in documentary programming. He’s held commercial and public broadcast positions in Wisconsin, Florida and Mississippi over his 25-year career. Rieland holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi and a bachelor of science from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He has taught for 16 years at two universities.