Christopher Blank
News DirectorMemphis' cultural and historical influences — from Elvis to civil rights to soul music — have been Christopher Blank's favorite subjects since moving here from Florida in the early aughts to be the Commercial Appeal's arts and culture reporter.
As WKNO's News Director for more than a decade, he's been a frequent contributor of news and features to NPR. His numerous awards for both print and radio reporting include 2020 and 2021 Green Eyeshade Awards for Public Service Journalism.
He also serves as Senior Producer for the University of Memphis' Institute for Public Service Reporting. This collaboration with professional and student journalists has resulted in multiple award-winning radio features, most recently for various stories related to immigration and civil rights by the Public Media Journalists Association.
Recent extracurricular projects include co-producing the first full-length recording of the Orpheum Theatre's historic Wurlitzer organ, serving as a production assistant with Company d, which promotes Down syndrome awareness, and writing a popular blog of local theater and arts criticism called The Memphis Review.
Tune in Fridays for his regular Tennessee Politics conversations with political analyst Otis Sanford. Or check out our ongoing Civil Wrongs series for insightful stories about restorative justice.
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As SpaceXAI expands its campus on the Memphis-Mississippi border, residents say noise pollution has become a major concern. -
The National Guard and ICE are operating in legal gray areas with little to no accountability. Otis Sanford says its time for mayors to speak out. -
State Troopers played a supporting role in last Sunday’s ICE raid of a Memphis restaurant and bar, though officials have not so far acknowledged that the Tennessee Highway Patrol, The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and ICE were working in conjunction.
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On this week’s WKNO/Channel 10’s “Behind the Headlines,” Democratic candidate for U.S. House District 5, Chaz Molder, joins host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries. -
The Sierra Club of Tennessee says the Trump administration's decision to scrap $7.6 billion in clean energy grants across the US has impacted eight specific projects.
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An effort by some Memphis City Council members to place a moratorium on new data centers faces new hurdles as legal questions and alternate proposals emerged at Tuesday’s meeting.
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Architects paid careful attention to the Instagram-able allure of Overton Park's jewel box during renovations for a new occupant. -
More than 100 people were detained in a major ICE raid overnight Saturday at a restaurant in the Berclair neighborhood.
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Gov. Bill Lee’s office stated that the Tennessee National Guard will remain in place in Memphis, which was announced after an autopsy found that troops shot Tyrin Johnson in the back.
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The man killed by a National Guard member in Downtown Memphis in July was shot in the back, according to the official autopsy released from the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center.
