NEW YORK—Neal Shapiro, president of The WNET Group, will retire from his role at the end of the his contract in 2026, the public broadcaster said.The WNET Group is the parent of public TV stations WNET New York and WLIW Garden City, N.Y.
Shapiro's decision, made in consultation with the board of trustees, follows nearly two decades of leadership that strengthened WNET's position as one of the nation's most respected public media organizations, it said.
Shapiro will remain as CEO until a successor has been identified. Following a transition period, he will then assume a new role as president emeritus, continuing to support WNET's fundraising priorities and organizational objectives.
"Leading WNET has been the privilege of my professional career," said Shapiro, former NBC News president, executive producer of “Dateline NBC” and a producer at ABC News. "After careful consideration, I believe this is the right time to pass the torch to new leadership who will build on our momentum and guide WNET through its next chapter. I'm enormously proud of what our team has accomplished together, and I'm confident WNET's future is bright."
In announcing the retirement, WNET highlighted some of his major accomplishments that have helped transform and strengthen the organization. They are:
- Launched its transformation from a broadcast organization to a multiplatform media company, pioneering company-wide digital initiatives and production to meet audiences where they are. This includes modernizing technology by implementing advanced systems that streamlined fundraising, production, and distribution, resulting in significant cost savings and revenue increases.
- Expanded local and national programming—including the creation of ALL ARTS, the 24/7 local and national multiplatform arts portal; the creation of daily news, weekly arts and science series, and the “Treasures of New York” library. WNET also acquired, preserved and modernized New Jersey's statewide public television network, rebranded as NJ PBS, with award-winning daily news coverage, and WLIW-FM, the NPR station on Long Island.
- Developed key partnerships with for-profit and non-profit news organizations, including CNN (“Amanpour and Company”) and Newsday, while leveraging philanthropic support to maximize resources, improve operational efficiency, and enable the 2026 move to new headquarters. The move will reduce overhead by more than 60 percent and create a collaborative workspace for the office of tomorrow.
- Strengthened the entire PBS system by driving the growth in CentralCast, a joint master control facility now serving more than half the country's PBS stations and saving the system millions of dollars; launched Wavelength, a content-sharing platform that enables dozens of PBS stations nationwide to produce local arts programming.
“We are deeply grateful for Neal’s exceptional leadership,” said James A. Attwood Jr., chair of WNET’s board of trustees. “His vision, integrity, and unwavering commitment to our mission, have elevated public media and strengthened our service to millions of viewers. While we will miss his leadership, we celebrate his remarkable legacy and the profound impact he has had on our organization.”
WNET said the board has started a comprehensive search for Shapiro’s successor and will announce further details in the coming months.
“In this next chapter, WNET remains committed to operating in alignment with our mission, even amid a complex industry environment,” Attwood continued. “We look forward to finding a leader who will build on Neal's legacy with the same commitment to excellence and innovation.”
