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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A proposed bill would shield oil and gas giants from lawsuits in Tennessee over climate change. -
Otis Sanford says resources used to fight crime could also be used to build communities. -
This week on WKNO/Channel 10’s “Behind the Headlines,” Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon and Director of Shelby County Division of Corrections Anthony Alexander join host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries. -
Two state senators have filed bills that would give Shelby County back the Criminal Court judgeship that it lost in 2024.
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A new bill by State Senator Brent Taylor would require additional disclosure reports for the Shelby County District Attorney General’s office.
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Six months after President Donald Trump sent a multi-agency federal task force to fight crime in Memphis, White House officials and Republican lawmakers praised the president’s efforts Monday at a forum held at the local Air National Guard facility. (
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The garden's new Director of Horticulture navigates his first Memphis bloom. -
Six months after President Donald Trump dispatched a host of federal agencies to Memphis as part of a crime fighting task force, the president is expected today in the city for a victory lap.
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Three Tennessee teenagers have filed a class action lawsuit againt xAI, alleging that the company provided tools used to make nonconsensual nude and sexually explicit videos of them when they were girls.
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The Memphis Safe Task Force has helped significantly reduce crime. Politicians are careful with praise.
