Blake Givens has joined Little Rock Public Radio as its new membership coordinator, bringing with him a passion for community engagement and a wide range of professional experiences across media, marketing, and public service.
A native of North Little Rock who now lives in Sherwood, Givens began his role in March and is already working to strengthen the station’s connections with listeners, donors, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the broader Central Arkansas community.
“My primary responsibilities are overseeing community engagement events, managing donations and member systems, and working closely with the Friends of KLRE/KUAR Board,” Givens said. “I’m especially focused on building new partnerships—both on campus and across the city—that get more people involved with public radio.”
Givens is a longtime listener of Little Rock Public Radio, having tuned in regularly since his college years at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he earned degrees in international economics and business as well as African American studies in 2019. He continued to listen even after moving out of state for work.
“I liked the idea of helping amplify what’s happening in the community through a platform that’s also rooted in that same community,” he said. “Central Arkansas is often talked about from the outside looking in. I think it’s time we tell our own stories—what’s interesting, what’s fun—and this role gives me the chance to help make that happen.”
Before joining Little Rock Public Radio, Givens worked as a research assistant at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where he helped manage a grant project focused on improving healthy eating habits for children. His earlier career included time in product management and marketing, working for startups, national retailers, and even a business that was featured on the popular television show “Shark Tank.”
Having returned to Arkansas from Denver last fall, Givens said he saw the membership coordinator role as a way to channel his experience into supporting a public service he believes in.
“I’ve spent a lot of time working with products and product management in my career,” he said. “Public radio is also a product. It’s a public service,” he said. “It’s something valuable that needs to be supported, and I saw this as the perfect opportunity to help a great community organization that is a wonderful resource for all of Arkansas.”
In his first year on the job, Givens is focused on three main goals: better understanding the station’s audience, increasing engagement through more community-focused events, and expanding connections with UA Little Rock students.
“We want to create more meaningful moments with the community and also grow our relationship with the university,” he said. “There are so many students interested in music, journalism, and production. We want them to see Little Rock Public Radio as a place where they can learn, grow, and contribute.”
Little Rock Public Radio is a listener-supported public service department UA Little Rock, housed within the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education. It operates KUAR FM 89.1 and KLRE Classical FM 90.5, reaching more than 80,000 listeners weekly through broadcasts, streaming, and digital content.