After a nine-month search, Detroit public television station WTVS-TV (Channel 56) has found its new leader in the middle of Detroit's AM radio dial.

Rich Homberg, vice president and general manager of all-news WWJ-AM (950) since 1996, has been named president and general manager of Detroit Public Television. The move, announced Tuesday, fills the top slot left vacant last April when former president and general manager Steven Antoniotti resigned unexpectedly.

The board of trustees said in a news release at the time that Antoniotti left because of a "failure to comply with station requirements, unrelated to financial matters."

Homberg takes over DPT -- which operates Channel 56, DPTV.org, DPTV Media and WRCJ-FM (90.9) -- with the station in the midst of a $22-million capital campaign to complete its control room and other facilities at its new Riley Broadcasting Center in Wixom. Station officials said $7.3 million was still to be raised.

"My strongest interests are in local programming and really working to complete the capital campaign," Homberg said.

He said it was too early to talk about program initiatives but pointed to his track record at WWJ in creating business and cultural news features like "AutoBeat Daily" and "GreatStuff to Do" as examples of his interests.

"My plans are to make Detroit Public Television a larger part of the Detroit community," he said. "I love telling the Detroit story."

Homberg starts Friday. He has more than 30 years of TV and radio experience in management, sales, marketing and research.