Ben Manilla is a broadcaster, audio producer, and teacher. He has produced and directed numerous award-winning radio programs. His work in the late 1970’s included the alternative news features, News Blimps and music documentaries for WLIR-FM, where he was Production Director and on-air personality.
In the 1980’s, Ben created news documentaries for WOR-AM, and is perhaps best known for the syndicated radio series he helped develop at Radio Today, New York, including Flashback, Rock Stars with Timothy White, and Radio MTV.
In 1991, he moved to San Francisco and started Ben Manilla Productions which created national radio series including The House of Blues Radio Hour with Dan Aykroyd, Philosophy Talk with Stanford University, The Loose Leaf Book Company with Tom Bodett, and Sounds of American Culture on NPR’s All Things Considered.
Ben’s multiple awards include the Armstrong Award, the International Radio Festival Grand Award, Billboard magazine’s Best Syndicated Radio Show, and the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award.
In 2003, he formed the multi-platform production and consulting company Media Mechanics with broadcast veterans Mike Henry and Paul Marszalek.
Since 2005, Ben has been an Instructor at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism where he teaches Radio Reporting in the Digital Age.