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 Millington is threatening to sue Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert for failing to pay nearly two years of rent for office space owned by the city. -
Criminals are getting caught, jails are filling up, but can the justice system handle it? -
This week on WKNO/Channel 10’s Behind the Headlines, Mayor of Memphis Paul Young joins host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries. -
The next production at Theatre Memphis is the ingenious and wildly comic romp "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940," running from Friday, October 17, through Sunday, November 2. -
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris says the county could take the Memphis Safe Task Force to court over unconstitutional arrests and traffic stops.
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With an increasing reliance on traffic stops, the Memphis Safe Task Force is getting more pushback from officials, says Mike Carpenter. -
Two weeks into a surge of federal agencies in Memphis, local officials are raising concerns about widespread racial profiling.
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Two off-duty Memphis police officers were arrested for drag racing over the weekend.
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Most Shelby County students who benefited from the state’s expansion of its education voucher program live in top-earning zip codes, according to an analysis of Tennessee Department of Education data.
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A Department of Defense memo reveals more about possible troop numbers and objectives, but how will this work in an already clogged court system.
