Sept. 9, 2026 — Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) has named Meg Samples as new general manager of KMHD, Portland’s only full-time jazz-format radio station. Samples joined KMHD as an on-air host in 2020 and served as interim general manager beginning in March before stepping into her new role. With a long history of hosting “The AM Bridge” and “Blue in Green” on KMHD, as well as teaching percussion, composing music and performing as a drummer, Samples is known for championing jazz and boundary-pushing music for all listeners. In her role as leader of KMHD, she has big plans to expand KMHD’s “Jazz Without Boundaries” mission beyond the studio.
Samples says she sees events – from live broadcasts at food cart pods and coffee shops, to collaborations with jazz festivals and members-only concerts, to monthlong celebrations featuring local performers playing the music of jazz greats – as a critical way to connect a wider array of people to jazz and ensure the art form continues to thrive.“We want people to feel that jazz is music for everyone, no matter where they are in their music journey,” she said.Samples is joining KMHD at a time of steady growth in online listeners and members. The station, which is 100% member-funded, has seen online listenership grow 3% to 5% annually while member households have increased from 7,600 in 2024 to more than 9,300 in 2026. Samples succeeds former program director Matt Fleeger. The nonprofit station employs eight full-time staff plus 10 to 15 on-air producers.
“Meg’s commitment to exposing audiences to jazz’s multicultural heritage and inviting them to experience music through live events, along with her strong leadership experience and deep connection to the Portland jazz community, make her the ideal person to lead KMHD during this phase of growth,” said Rachel Smolkin, CEO and president of OPB, which operates KMHD in partnership with Mt. Hood Community College.
A career rooted in jazz and community
Samples grew up in Eastern Kentucky and earned a bachelor of arts in jazz studies from the University of Louisville, becoming the first woman drummer to graduate with a concentration in jazz drumming. She taught percussion, performed in bands, and hosted on-air at Louisville Public Media station WFPK 91.9 FM before moving to Portland in 2019. She continued to teach and perform, and she served as the executive director of the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble from 2020 to 2026. Samples performs regularly with the Meg Samples Trio and improv jazz comedy trio Triple Martini. An outdoors enthusiast, she volunteers with Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue.