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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Memphis criminal justice reform nonprofit Just City is committing $50,000 from its existing bail fund to pay bail for at least 30 people currently incarcerated at the Shelby County Jail. -
Democratic lawmakers are sounding the alarm after the Tennessee Building Commission voted to gift a no-rent lease to Elon Musk’s The Boring Company.
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The North Memphis house once owned by Memphis hero Tom Lee has received funding for restoration.
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Students return to schools this week with a new ban on cellphones. Otis Sanford sees the potential for some first-day hiccups. -
This week on WKNO/Channel 10’s Behind the Headlines, Roshun Austin, President & CEO of The Works, Inc., Amy Schaftlein, Executive Director of United Housing, and Ashley Cash, Memphis Housing & Community Development Director, join host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries. -
The Memphis Grizzlies will play their first-ever overseas games in January, taking on the Orlando Magic in Berlin and London.
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In a deposition taken in the lawsuit over her ouster, former Superintendent Marie Feagins answered questions about how she sourced claims that Memphis-Shelby County school board members illegally met in private to plot her termination.
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State leaders announced Monday that Elon Musk’s Boring Company plans to dig an 8-mile tunnel under Nashville, connecting downtown to the city’s airport.
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Bill Morris, a former Shelby County Mayor and Sheriff who is commemorated on a local parkway, died last Friday. He was 92.
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The County Commission wants an all new board, elected all at once. Could this restore trust in the school system?
