Christopher Blank
News DirectorTrading his hometown newsroom of the St. Petersburg Times (alligators, beach bars and Florida Men) for the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Elvis, civil rights and barbecue) more than two decades ago, Christopher continues his quest for culturally rich human interest stories as News Director at WKNO.
He is a regular contributor to NPR and moderates conversations about Memphis' arts and culture community through the station's Culture Desk Facebook page. His numerous awards for both print and radio reporting include 2017 and 2020 Green Eyeshade Awards for Public Service Journalism.
He also serves as Senior Producer for the University of Memphis' Institute for Public Service Reporting. WKNO's collaboration with professional and student journalists has resulted in a number of award-winning radio features, including a special report “The Waiting Decade: Rape Victims Still Seek Justice”, which won First Place prizes in Investigative Reporting and Short Documentary from the Public Media Journalists Association in 2020.
Recent extracurricular projects include helping to produce the first full-length recording of the Orpheum Theatre's historic Wurlitzer organ.
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The City of Memphis has restructured its gun violence prevention program, which is now called 901 Peace. -
Memphis has become a major market for solar panel storage, leasing more than 5.5 million square feet of space in South Memphis for upcoming projects.
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A report says Tennessee has shortchanged public schools by hundreds of billions of dollars over the last decade, widening long-standing inequities for students.
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Political analyst Otis Sanford says the state's reaction to the MSCS audit and MPD's response to a protest may have been overly dramatic. -
Memphis rapper Pooh Sheisty and eight others have been arrested on federal kidnapping and robbery charges.
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This week on WKNO/Channel 10’s “Behind the Headlines,” Memphis Mayor Paul Young joins host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries. -
Analyst Mike Carpenter says that while the initial report shows problems, politicians will no doubt use it to make a case for or against a state intervention—or takeover—of the district. -
The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied a final appeal by Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert to avoid being ousted from office.
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State Republican lawmakers say report is an indicator of larger systemic failures in the state's largest school district. -
Tennessee lawmakers say the results of a major forensic audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools provides clear evidence of “widespread operational failures.”
