WLRN Public Media on Tuesday announced that Tom Hudson has been named Chief Executive Officer, following a nationwide search for the organization’s next permanent leader. Hudson, who has been serving as Interim CEO, will now officially take the helm of one of South Florida’s leading public media organizations.
The appointment marks a new chapter for WLRN — and a return to familiar territory for Hudson, whose career at the organization has spanned newsroom leadership, award-winning journalism, statewide public affairs programming and some of WLRN’s most ambitious coverage of South Florida’s economy.
“This is a critical time for public media and Tom has the right mix of journalistic integrity, collaboration and innovation to take WLRN into the future,” said South Florida Public Media Group Board of Directors Chair Cheryl Wilke.
As CEO, Hudson will lead WLRN’s television, radio, digital, journalism and community engagement operations while helping shape the organization’s strategy for reaching and serving audiences across a rapidly changing South Florida.
“WLRN has an extraordinary opportunity to build on the trust we have earned in South Florida while finding new ways to be essential to the communities we serve,” said Hudson. “That means Florida-focused journalism, compelling local programming, meaningful community engagement and creating more opportunities for South Floridians to understand and participate in the issues shaping this region. I am incredibly proud of this organization, the community which supports it and excited about what we can build together.”
Hudson has spent much of his career at the intersection of journalism, economics and public media. He previously served as WLRN’s Vice President of News and later returned to the organization as Senior Economics Editor and Special Correspondent. Earlier in his career, he was managing editor and co-anchor of PBS’ Nightly Business Report. At WLRN, he also helped create and host programs that became fixtures for audiences across South Florida and the state.
With his move into the permanent CEO role, Hudson will step down as host of The Florida Roundup, WLRN’s weekly statewide public affairs program covering the politics, economy, environment, culture and news shaping Florida.
WLRN Broward County Bureau Reporter Carlton Gillespie will take over as host of The Florida Roundup. Gillespie began his career at WLRN as an intern and has grown into one of the newsroom’s recognizable voices, most recently covering Broward County and regularly contributing to The Florida Roundup as a reporter, expert guest and fill-in host. His appointment represents another important step in WLRN’s commitment to developing journalistic talent from within the organization. Gillespie's journalism recently was recognized with a national Edward R. Murrow award.
Hudson, however, will not be leaving the microphone entirely.
This fall, he plans to bring back The Sunshine Economy, the signature WLRN program he created and hosted for a decade exploring the people, businesses, industries and economic forces transforming South Florida.
The program, which originally ran from 2013 to 2023, took listeners beyond economic statistics to tell the stories of the people behind them — from entrepreneurs and CEOs to workers, policymakers and community leaders — while examining issues ranging from housing and tourism to technology, climate change, employment and the region’s evolving business landscape.
Hudson will once again serve as host when The Sunshine Economy returns to WLRN radio and podcast audiences this fall.
And its return will begin with a live conversation about where South Florida’s economy is headed next.
On Sept. 23, Hudson will host and moderate the WLRN Sunshine Economy Summit 2026, a major gathering of business leaders, policymakers, community experts and other key stakeholders examining the opportunities and challenges defining South Florida’s economic future. Gillespie and WLRN Palm Beach County Reporter Wilkine Brutus will also serve as panel moderators.
Hudson hopes to use the Summit as a launching point for the next chapter of The Sunshine Economy, turning the conversations taking place on stage into the beginning of a renewed, ongoing dialogue with South Florida audiences.
“The economy touches virtually every part of our lives — where we live, how we work, what we earn, how our communities grow and what kind of South Florida we are building for the future,” Hudson said. “There has never been a more interesting or important time to tell those stories. The Sunshine Economy Summit gives us an opportunity to bring people together around those questions, and I’m looking forward to carrying that conversation back to our listeners this fall.”
Hudson’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for WLRN as the organization continues to expand its reach, deepen its local journalism and strengthen its connection with audiences and communities throughout South Florida.
His new role brings together the different chapters of his WLRN career — journalist, host, newsroom leader and executive — around a single mission: ensuring WLRN remains the beacon of trusted journalism, storytelling, culture and public service for the region it calls home.
