Bill Chappell
Bill Chappell is a producer who works with Morning Edition and NPR.org, coordinating with radio and digital media staff to create Web features that complement stories heard on-air. He also frequently writes original Web pieces.
Chappell's work at NPR has ranged from being the site's first full-time homepage editor to writing for its World Cup 2010 blog. Chappell's assignments have included being the lead Web producer on NPR's trip to Asia's Grand Trunk Road, as well as being the Web liaison and producer of the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps project.
Chappell was an integral part of the team that executed a comprehensive redesign of NPR's Web site in 2009. One year later, the site won its first Peabody and the National Press Foundation's Excellence in Online Journalism award, among others.
Drawing from his experience in improving NPR's storytelling ability, he trains both digital media and radio staff in using NPR's digital tools.
Other shows he has worked with include Fresh Air, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation and Piano Jazz with Marilyn McPartland.
Prior to joining NPR in 2003, Chappell worked on the Assignment Desk at CNN International, handling regions from Asia and Africa to Europe and Latin America.
During the intensive early months of the Iraq War, he coordinated packages and live shots out of Qatar, Israel and Australia. During the war, he set up live interviews and brought in packages to supply content to CNN's global networks.
From 2002-2003, Chappell served as Editor-in-Chief of the Trans-Atlantic Journal, a business and lifestyle monthly geared for expatriate Europeans working and living in the United States.
Chappell's prior work included producing Web pages and editing digital video for CNNSI.com, as well as editing and producing news and features at CNN.com. His entry to CNN came via the network's central library, where he often manned the reference desk.
Chappell's entry into national journalism came after years of writing about movies, restaurants and music for alternative weeklies. A holder of bachelor's degrees in English and History from the University of Georgia, he attended graduate school for English Literature at the University of South Carolina.
