Zac Babb Named Operations Manager for KNTU Broadcasts

The University of North Texas appointment highlights a preference for internal succession in media station management.

Updated on Oct. 23, 2026 in People

Isometric editorial illustration of a broadcast transmission tower and audio mixing board, symbolizing university radio station operations. — Zac Babb, a long-time station staffer and university alumnus, has been appointed as the new Operations Manager for KNTU at the University of North Texas. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The University of North Texas has appointed alumnus Zac Babb as the new Operations Manager for KNTU. Babb, who has a decade-long association with the university, will manage operations for the 88.1 FM broadcast station.

Why it matters

The appointment transitions a long-term staffer and broadcaster into a leadership role at the station. For operators managing broadcast or media assets, such internal promotions often signal continuity in programming and station management strategies.

Babb assumes the Operations Manager role following a 10-year affiliation with the university, dating back to his 2017 graduation. He takes over station management for KNTU, which operates on the 88.1 FM frequency serving the Dallas-McKinney market.

The players

Zac Babb

The newly appointed Operations Manager at KNTU with a background in sports production and engineering.

KNTU

A broadcast radio station operating on the 88.1 FM frequency serving the Dallas market.

University of North Texas

A public research university that owns and operates the KNTU broadcast license.

The details

Babb moves into the Operations Manager position after serving as the station's Sports and Events Manager since September 2022. His background includes roles as the play-by-play voice for women's basketball and as a sideline reporter, engineer, and producer for the football team. These operational experiences provide him with experience across both the technical and content-production aspects of the station's broadcast output.

2017: Zac Babb graduated from the university.
September 2022 to January 2025: Babb served as Sports and Events Manager.
October 23, 2026: University of North Texas announced the appointment.

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Market Landscape

This appointment follows the leadership cycle established during the 2022 hiring of the prior Sports and Events Manager. It signals a move toward internal succession for university-owned broadcast assets in the competitive Dallas-area media market.

Operators of media or campus-affiliated outlets should monitor this leadership change for potential shifts in station engineering or sports-programming workflows. The transition underscores the value of cross-training production staff in management roles to ensure operational stability.

The takeaway

Internal promotions often mitigate the risks of turnover in specialized roles like station operations. Operators should maintain detailed records of internal staff skill sets to simplify succession planning when managerial vacancies arise.