The new bilingual radio station owned by the University of Utah has announced its program director. Edgar Zuniga will lead KUUB (formerly KCPW) beginning July 1. Sister stations PBS Utah and KUER, also licensed to the University, acquired the 88.3 frequency from Wasatch Public Media in October 2023.
Zuniga is finishing an 18-month assignment in Europe as the Ukraine Communications Delegate for the American Red Cross. He worked as a journalist for NBCUniversal for 11 years, at both NBC News and Telemundo before returning to Utah in 2020.
“Public radio listeners are known to be curious about the whole world, while also deeply committed to their local communities,” said Maria O’Mara, executive director of KUUB and sister stations PBS Utah and KUER. “Edgar’s journalism experience and extensive travels make him the perfect person to develop a bilingual public media service for Utah.”
Born in New York City to Colombian immigrants, Zuniga moved to Utah as a child and grew up in a bilingual household. After graduating from the University of Utah, he returned to New York City to work for NBCUniversal. Zuniga speaks eight languages, four of them with professional proficiency.
"The new KUUB station presents an incredible opportunity to attract younger audiences and showcase a broader range of Utah voices," said Marcie Young Cancio, clinical assistant professor of communication at the University of Utah and a member of the program director hiring committee. "I'm thrilled Zuniga is stepping into the role of program director and am excited to explore new pathways for our students to engage in local media."
Zuniga is a two-time Emmy Award winning journalist and also served on the board of West View Media, a journalism non-profit that covers the majority-minority neighborhoods of Salt Lake City’s West Side, and on the advisory board of PBS Utah where he provided a voice to the state’s Latino communities.
"This investment we are seeing in expanding public media and radio is important in ensuring stories across our state are being heard and appreciated,” said Claudia Loayza, planning policy and engagement coordinator for the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs and KUER advisory board member. “KUUB, now under the direction of Edgar Zuniga, is embracing what's local while celebrating Utah's global and bilingual connections, which will only prepare us even more as a state to lead the nation in new and innovative ways."
