In the new reality of public media, the most successful organisations will employ creative solutions, whether reacting to budget shortfalls, staffing essential positions, or training or mentoring staff.
The University Station Alliance offers a group of professionals with proven track records to assist your station in its future success.
Services available from U:SA are outlined below and are customised for each station’s needs.
U:SA members receive a discount on each of these services. Basic phone and Zoom consults remain available to members at no additional charge.
Services Offered
Interim Leadership Services
Remote General Manager
Remote Program/Content Director
When a General Manager or Program/Content Director departs, the search for a successor can take months. U:SA bridges that gap with award-winning professionals in management and programming.
Each engagement is tailored to your station’s specific needs and budget and may include both on-site and remote support.
U:SA consultants can also provide ongoing management or programming leadership, as a remote General Manager or Program/Content Director, offering your station reduced costs while delivering the expertise of our experienced team.
We will work with you to design a scope of work aligned with your needs and resources.
Mentoring for Managers and Program/Content Directors
New leaders gain confidence and skills more quickly with expert support. U:SA offers personalized mentoring from experienced professionals to help new managers and content directors accelerate their growth and effectiveness—skills that often take years to build.
We’ll develop a mentoring plan customized to your station’s priorities and budget.
Strategic Planning & Research
SWOT Analysis • Strategic Planning • Contingency Planning • Programming Strategy
During times of transition or growth, a clear understanding of your organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats is essential. U:SA will guide your team—on-site and/or remotely—through the development of a practical, forward-looking strategic plan.
We also offer strategic consulting in management, programming, content, and journalism, helping stations align resources with audience needs to deliver stronger, more focused outcomes.
We ensure objectivity throughout the process and involve your staff meaningfully in shaping the station’s future.
Prime Time Airsound & Promotion Review
Your station’s on-air and streaming sound directly impacts audience engagement and fundraising success. Morning Edition and All Things Considered are your prime real estate—every moment matters.
Peter Dominowski will personally conduct your review; he has helped over 100 stations improve their sound and promotional strategy as a co-creator and facilitator at 30+ Morning Edition Grad School (MEGS) workshops.
Workscope:
- Baseline Analysis: A second-by-second review of the content in the 7am hour of Morning Edition and the 4pm hour of All Things Considered, evaluating over 25 variables plus local announcing and reporting.
- Initial Review Call: Your station receives the analysis and participates in a Zoom session with Peter to review findings, ask questions, and agree on potential adjustments to local inserts.
- Follow-Up Analysis: About six weeks later, a second analysis of the same hours is conducted to assess progress.
- Final Review Call: A second Zoom session is held to review the updated analysis and discuss improvements and next steps.
“G.M. 101” Teaching Outline
The G.M. 101 workshop is a comprehensive, multi-part workshop designed to help leadership teams understand and overcome the “Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” as identified by Patrick Lencioni. Through a blend of guided discussion, interactive exercises, and self-reflection, participants explore key barriers to effective teamwork: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. Each dysfunction is introduced conceptually and then examined in depth with practical tools, such as the Personal Histories Exercise and behavioral profiling, to encourage vulnerability-based trust and productive conflict. Participants also learn to identify and remove obstacles that hinder open communication, build buy-in through clarity and consensus, and establish clear commitments to organizational goals.
The last part of the workshop focuses on cultivating accountability and results-driven collaboration. The facilitator will guide teams in exercises that model constructive feedback, peer accountability, and goal alignment through measurable outcomes and dashboards. By emphasising emotional intelligence, open dialogue, and shared purpose, G.M. 101 helps leaders build cohesive, high-performing teams capable of making clear decisions, maintaining trust, and focusing collectively on organisational success. The latter classes conclude with applied case studies and a collaborative discussion on how these principles can be integrated into participants’ own organisations.
The GM 101 instructor is John Hess.
Other Services
Presentations to Licensee / Board / Staff / Community Groups
Outside experts can bring knowledge and credibility to your station and its goals. U:SA Executive Director Peter Dominowski, as well as selected members of U:SA’s Board of Directors, are available to present to your Board, Licensee, Staff, Community Groups, or other important constituencies. These presentations can be via Zoom or in-person.
Contact U:SA for additional information.
On-Air fundraising Talent and Producing – remote or onsite
U:SA can provide proven, enthusiastic on-air talent to bolster your fundraising campaigns. We can also provide a membership campaign producer.
Contact U:SA for additional information. Professional fees will be determined by the time required on-air, travel, and any preparation time required.
Expert Witness
Need an experienced, credentialed Expert Witness who understands public media management, programming, and operations? U:SA’s Peter Dominowski has been retained as an Expert Witness in multiple hearings.
Contact U:SA for additional information. Professional fees will be determined by the nature and complexity of the situation.
University Station Alliance
Professional Team Biographies
Peter Dominowski
Peter Dominowski is a public media thought-leader with a long track record of increasing public service through audience-focused programming and effective promotion.
He’s been an award-winning programmer at WFMT in Chicago and WMFE in Orlando, a co-founder of PRPD (now Public Media Content Collective), and co-founder and facilitator of the Morning Edition Grad School (MEGS) workshops, and the “PD Bee” program director training workshops.
Dominowski was the 2012 recipient of the Don Otto Award from PRPD & ARA, for “improving the listening experience for millions of public radio audience members.”
He has conducted more than 500 focus groups and surveys with public media audiences. Major national studies include: The Local News Projects I & II, the Public Internet Consumer Insight Study, and three articles in the Audience ’98 research anthology. He is co-author (with the late Tom and Joanne Church) of the book Audience Ratings: A Primer for Public Radio Stations.
His research and consulting clients have included CPB, NPR, BBC World Service, PRPD, APM, and more than 100 stations, programs, and networks.
Peter is the Executive Director of the University Station Alliance, whose goal is to strengthen the relationships between public media and institutions, and to create metrics that demonstrate the value of stations to their institutions.
He’s also been a General Manager, Station Manager, VP for Development, and a Board Member of the Radio Research Consortium (RRC) and Indiana Public Broadcasting.
John Hess
John Hess is an accomplished nonprofit and public media executive with over two decades of leadership experience in fundraising, strategic planning, and community engagement. Most recently serving as Development Manager at The Idaho Foodbank, he oversaw statewide fundraising campaigns, cultivated major donor relationships, and helped raise more than $10 million annually. His career includes senior leadership roles at WUWM–Milwaukee’s NPR, Arizona Public Media, and Boise State Public Radio, and Iowa Public Radio, where he consistently grew audiences, increased revenue, and expanded community impact.
A recognized leader in public broadcasting, John has served as president of both Western States Public Radio and the University Station Alliance. He is known for building strong stakeholder partnerships, championing diversity and inclusion, and developing innovative engagement strategies that drive mission success.