Elise Pepple

The first time I visited Marfa Public Radio was in the spring of 2016. I arrived on a road trip to host a live storytelling event. One of the first people I met was Lonn Taylor, who told me a story about dropping out of his PhD program and living next to Janis Joplin. Standing in the station, I felt an inkling I couldn’t explain — a sense that I would be back. Six months later, on Election Night 2016, I arrived in Marfa as the station’s new director.

We have some news to share: after 7 years at Marfa Public Radio, News Director Carlos Morales has decided to move on from the station. Carlos joined the team in 2017 as Morning Edition Host and Reporter, then became the station’s first full time News Director in the summer of 2020 during the global pandemic. Newsrooms can be notoriously toxic, but Carlos brought a different approach to his work: an ethic of care for both his team and our community of listeners.