My work spans reporting and leadership in public media.
I’m a Wyoming-based journalist and the executive director of 89.1 KHOL, where since 2019, I’ve overseen the station’s transformation from a volunteer-powered music station into an award-winning public media newsroom whose reporting now airs on more than 20 stations across five Western states
I’ve grown revenue, memberships and engagement by more than 400%. I draw on experience in teaching, policy and urban planning, and oversee the station’s full creative ecosystem — from breaking news and long-form reporting to music programming.
In addition to leading the station, I report and produce stories, be it breaking news in the American West to international reporting from Ukraine and Mexico.
I am also the co-producer and director of a forthcoming documentary about the American folk song “Li’l Liza Jane.”
When not racing deadlines, you can usually find me playing the fiddle or playing in the snow.
Recent Thought Leadership
The New Yorker – “What Happens to Public Media Now”
Quoted in feature on the ‘Republican-backed funding cuts and their impact on rural stations.’ Read »
WyoFile – “Public media is local journalism. Let’s get the facts straight about defunding it”
Authored op-ed on the impact of funding cuts. Read »
CPB/Poynter Executive Editorial Integrity & Leadership Fellowship
Selected for a year-long fellowship supporting ‘leadership, ethics and innovation in journalism.’ Read »
Shows + Editorial PROJECTS
Created and launched station’s flagship programming, developing the format, editorial vision and production pipeline. Scaled distribution for regional content collaboration with partner stations and podcast / streaming access.
Weekly newscast with distribution
Radio show + podcast | 2021 to present
Creator (and occasional producer and contributor) of KHOL’s flagship news magazine, featuring reporting and interviews.
Bi-weekly public affairs show | 2024 to present
From politics to powder, this bi-weekly show dives into the local headlines with in-depth conversation.
Five-episode long-form series| 2022
I was also the lead reporter on two of the episodes.
Regional Edward R. Murrow Award; LION Publishers Product of the Year; 2nd place, SPJ “Top of the Rockies”
TESTIMONIALS
“How does a grassroots radio station that started in the basement of a downtown barber shop grow into a robust local news source? Two words: Emily Cohen.” - Jackson Hole News&Guide
“… a special animal. incredibly smart and savvy. Mysterious…Vicious and fierce when necessary. Fundamentally nonplussed.“ - Dan Gutstein, vocalist for punk band Joy on Fire and author of non/fiction, Bloodcoal & Honey, and Buildings Without Murders
“One seldom meets a person so brimming with vision, who possesses the energy and tenacity necessary to make these visions a reality, and a talent for motivating her collaborators, coupled with the ability to overcome the challenges that arise when one is building something worthwhile.” - John Grunwell, NASA