Public relations specialist joins Cronkite School, Arizona PBS as director of communications

Chris Fiscus, an experienced public relations and journalism professional, is joining Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Arizona PBS as director of communications.

Fiscus comes to Cronkite from OH Partners, an international marketing and advertising agency based in Phoenix, where he was vice president of public relations and social media. He was responsible for working with clients in Arizona and several other states on social media campaigns, brand awareness and philanthropic strategies.

He previously was vice president and director of public relations for the Moses Anshell marketing and advertising agency in Phoenix, managing strategies for local and national clients in tourism, hospitality, state government and other areas.

In addition to his public relations experience, Fiscus worked for almost 17 years as a journalist. He was a reporter for The Arizona Republic, the Phoenix Gazette and the Arizona Business Gazette before moving into management roles, eventually serving as Page 1 editor at the Republic.

“Chris’s unusually rich background in both strategic communications and journalism is a perfect combination for this position,” said Christopher Callahan, dean of the Cronkite School and CEO of Arizona PBS. “As communications director, he’ll be responsible for a team that creates the printed, digital and visual materials that tell our story to the world.”

Fiscus has been recognized for both his public relations and journalistic work. He has won more than 20 Public Relations Society of America “Copper Anvil” awards for excellence as well as a number of national, regional and local ADDY awards, given by the American Advertising Federation. Early in his career, he was a finalist for the prestigious Livingston Award for Young Journalists, and he was nominated by The Arizona Republic and the Phoenix Gazette for the Pulitzer Prize three times for investigative and explanatory reports.

Fiscus has served on committees that helped plan various aspects of the NCAA Final Four and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl held in the Valley. He also participated on the Cactus League spring training museum advisory board and the local board of the International Rescue Committee.

“I am eager and excited to join and grow the strong, talented team at the Cronkite School and Arizona PBS,” Fiscus said. “As an Arizona native, working with ASU has always been a dream. My entire career has been about telling good stories, whether as a reporter, editor or an advocate for a brand. I’m thrilled to be able to now help tell the story of the Cronkite School and Arizona PBS.”

About the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
The Cronkite School is widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier professional journalism programs. Cronkite champions a “teaching hospital” model of journalism education in which students create professional content under the guidance of top professionals. Cronkite News, the student-powered, faculty-led news division of Arizona PBS with news bureaus in Phoenix, Washington and Los Angeles, produces a daily newscast for the station. Cronkite emphasizes programs that experiment with new forms of audience engagement, digital interactivity, in-depth information gathering, revenue models and storytelling.

About Arizona PBS
Arizona PBS is one of the country’s largest public television stations, reaching 1.9 million households each week on four digital channels and a website. The station has focused on fostering lifelong learning through quality programming, in-depth news and public affairs and critical educational outreach services. It is based at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and has been honored with numerous local and national awards.