Elizabeth Arakelian, who has hosted KVPR’s morning news show “Morning Edition” for the past two years, has been named the new director of radio, the station announced Tuesday.

Arakelian will oversee KVPR’s broadcast and digital radio programs and podcasts, and she will continue to host the station’s local news podcast, “Central Valley Daily.” The podcast is published every weekday morning. KVPR, which is headquartered in Clovis, is the Central Valley’s public radio station and reaches Valley listeners from Merced County south to Kern County.

Arakelian’s new role began April 1.

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Joined KVPR in 2021

The Turlock native joined KVPR in 2021 and started out by hosting the local broadcasts of NPR’s afternoon news program, “All Things Considered.” Arakelian previously worked for the Turlock Journal and for CNBC in New York City. She became a public relations professional in higher education upon returning to California.

Arakelian has a bachelor’s degree in English language literatures from UC Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.

“We’re really excited to welcome Elizabeth into this new leadership position at KVPR. Radio is the core of our business and our service to the community. With her background in journalism, analytics, and media presentation, she is a great fit for this role,” KVPR President and General Manager Joe Moore said in a news release. “Liz is well positioned to help advance KVPR’s mission to bring listeners across our region voices and sounds that inform and inspire.”

“It’s been a privilege to deliver the news to our listeners as a host, and I’m excited to serve our audience in a more strategic role as director of radio,” Arakelian said. “I’m also happy to remain involved in our daily news operations as I’ll keep hosting the Central Valley Daily podcast. KVPR is such a valuable resource for the San Joaquin Valley, and we’ve seen great community engagement and growth in recent years. I’m looking forward to helping keep our momentum going in this new role.”