Nine PBS Hired New Production Staff
The St. Louis station has added three new members to its production and reporting teams.
Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in People

Nine PBS announced the hiring of three new staff members to bolster its local content production. Genell Reynolds has joined the station as a producer for the program Living St. Louis.
Why it matters
The additions strengthen the station's ability to produce local programming in the St. Louis area. These hires reflect a commitment to expanding staff resources for public media journalism and storytelling.
Nine PBS has expanded its team by three staff members in a single round of hiring. This recruitment initiative fills production and reporting vacancies within the station's existing structure.
The players
Nine PBS
This is the public media organization based in St. Louis that provides educational and cultural content to the regional community.
Genell Reynolds
She is a producer for Living St. Louis who previously worked as a digital producer at KSDK and holds a degree from Lindenwood University.
Kara Vaninger
She is a newly appointed senior producer at the public media station.
Rose LaForest
She joined the station as a member of the Report for America corps to assist with local news coverage.
The details
Genell Reynolds, a Lindenwood University alumna, brings experience from her previous role as a digital producer at KSDK. Joining her are Kara Vaninger, who steps into the role of senior producer, and Rose LaForest, who has been appointed as a Report for America corps member.
Timeline
September 25, 2026: Nine PBS announced the new staff hires.
Market Landscape
The hiring move follows the standard recruitment model for local public media organizations seeking to expand newsroom capacity. By utilizing external programs like the Report for America corps, the station is positioning itself to maintain competitive local output.
Viewers of Living St. Louis can expect to see new production influence on the show as the staff transitions into their roles. These personnel changes are aimed at maintaining the consistency and quality of local public media services for the community.
The takeaway
Adding dedicated producers and reporting corps members helps stations maintain local relevancy in a competitive media market. Local viewers benefit from increased capacity for deep-dive journalism and storytelling regarding their region.
Further reading
For more on industry personnel changes, visit People.
Source note: This article includes information reported by St. Louis American.










