Scott Hanley

General Manager



Scott is an experienced broadcaster, manager, and technology leader. He has served on many local and national boards, including NPR, the Pittsburgh Radio Organization and the Public Media Business Association.

He has been a news reporter, anchor, feature producer, and music program host. Stints as a news director and program director preceded his role as a station manager in 1991. He has also created and taught college-level courses in broadcasting, journalism, media sales, digital media and regulation, and media management.

Scott served on the NPR Board of Directors from 2002-2008, active on the executive, investment, membership, and strategic planning and technology committees. From 2003-2008, he chaired the NPR distribution/interconnection committee, responsible for the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), which sends programs to public radio stations throughout the United States. In 2011 he received the Public Radio Regional Organization PRRO Award for contributions on behalf of public radio stations nationwide.

Maternity, Marketing and Malpractice

Medicine is a major economic driver in greater Birmingham. This week, a civil court lawsuit over medical marketing and medical malpractice may have major implications for maternity care in Alabama. Brookwood Baptist Health lost in Jefferson County Circuit Court. Nick Patterson of the weekly publication Weld for Birmingham give us an overview of the case.

It Might Just Be Legal

Spending practices regarding election campaign funds in Alabama are under review. How those funds are spent, now, can be looked up as public information, and there are some questions that come from the details. Kyle Whitmire of AL.COM and the Birmingham News took a dive in to the data about Alabama Representative Mike Hill, a Republican […]

The Definition of Ethics In Alabama is..

If you look for a definition of the word, “ethics,” terms come up like, “moral principles,” and “the concept of right and wrong.” Appropriate behavior, or noting the lack of it. Kyle Whitmire, political columnist for the Birmingham News and AL.COM, notes that the latest changes to ethics laws in Alabama have allowed for a […]

A Birmingham Business Mystery may be Revealed, Soon

A “good news” Birmingham business mystery may soon be revealed. The firearms business is booming. Changes in the industrial economy are impacting Alabama’s waterways and roadways. Ty West is Editor of the Birmingham Business Journal. He joins WBHM’s Scott Hanley to consider some of these latest stories in the Magic City Marketplace.

There is Never a Final Word on Barbecue, John Archibald

A Road Trip – Columnist John Archibald of the Alabama Media Group has almost finished his month of travelling the highways and two lane roadways of Alabama, writing a story a day from places, all over. He says he's learned a lot from people from all over in a redeeming trip with a lot of miles.

On the Road and A Haircut with John Archibald

Columnist John Archibald of the Alabama Media Group continues his sojourn across Alabama, finding interesting people and places - including a storied barber, a church that has taken a trip, and gluten-free soul food.

Anniston Police Officers Accused of Belonging to Hate Group

Two Anniston police officers were placed on administrative leave Wednesday pending an investigation by the city into their participation in what a Montgomery-based civil rights group describes as a hate group.

Waiting for a Plan for Alabama’s Budget, and Birmingham – Destination City or Not?

Kyle Whitmire says he was certain that a small group of public officials, business leaders, and bureaucrats was busy working and drafting up a solution to the General Fund deficit. But when the session ended, no group was revealed. The Special Session later this summer should offer an ability to work out a deal, since the legislative rules allow leadership to limit the scope of what can be considered, focused on solving the budget crisis. Kyle and Scott also discuss another topic of debate – there’s a debate brewing within the pages, printed and digital, about whether or not Birmingham is a “destination city,” and what that may or may not really mean.

John Archibald: Security and Service

The topic of security for public officials is getting special attention this week writ very, very large. The Secret Service in Washington has a very big task. Keeping public officials safe is important, and John has written about the topic on a more Alabama-focused level. Meanwhile, election day is about a month away. The final push has a lot of energy, rhetoric and money at play. After November 4th, what's next?

Kyle Whitmire: The Practice of Law and the Practice of Journalism

The practice of journalism and the practice of law are getting deeply intertwined in Alabama and nationwide. Kyle Whitmire of Al.com and the Birmingham News joins us to discuss.

Alabama Gets National Attention, Working Across Political Lines

Today on Morning Edition, NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with Alabama State Sentator Cam Ward and attorney Maria Morris of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The theme of the story - working across political lines to reduce overcrowding and other critical issues in Alabama's Prisons.

Eric Essix Evolution

Alabama native Eric Essix has released his 20th record. "evolution" is a musical excursion from the times of Birmingham in 1963 to the progress of the city and its people, today.

Kyle Whitmire: Privacy Perceptions and Pondering Good News

Privacy concerns are news with the NSA and PRISM stories, Alabama makes news with roadblocks to gain samples from drivers. And good news about Birmingham? We talk with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.

Montgomery and Life are like High School

In his column this week, the Birmingham News' John Archibald writes that the just concluded legislative session was a bit like high school. Also, we discuss the new intermodal transit hub for downtown building, to be constructed on the site of one built just 14 years ago.

Kyle Whitmire: Jefferson County Top Attorney Job Reopens

Jefferson County has put the "Help Wanted" sign up again for the top legal job in the county. The Water Works Board is wrestling with the future. We talk about those topics and more with The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.

John Archibald: Education Reforms, Gridlock and what of Atticus Finch?

Education was a leading topic in the courtroom and the statehouse. The Common Core seems to still be the curriculum path of choice in Alabama, despite a major effort to overturn it. Meanwhile, the Alabama Supreme Court has lifted a temporary restraining order that now paves the way for a controversial school choice bill to be signed into law by Governor Robert Bentley. John Archibald and Scott Hanley discuss how leaders came to make changes and also choose to not make a change. Is there room for reason, diplomacy, detail and unwavering decency?