FAYETTEVILLE — Randy Dixon, former news director for KATV, Channel 7, in Little Rock, has been named the new director of the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History at the University of Arkansas.

Dixon, who will earn $89,284 annually, will be responsible for managing the center’s staff, fundraising efforts and budgeting, as well as finding ways to organize the center’s collection to make it accessible to the public.

He will also lead two projects - the Arkansas Story Bus, which is designed to generate more interviews with residents across the state, and the center’s move to new facilities in downtown Fayetteville.

Dixon had a 31-year career in the KATV news department,earning 10 regional Emmys, 22 regional and four national Edward R. Murrow Awards, and more than four dozen Associated Press awards during his tenure. He founded Dixon Digital Media in 2011.

The Pryor Center was established in 1999 to document Arkansas history through the collection of audio and video interviews using $220,000 in unused campaign funds from U.S. Sen. David Pryor. Don Tyson and his family created a $2 million endowment for the center in 2005.

To date, center staff members have compiled hundreds of images and interviews along with 24,000 hours of video and news film dating back to the 1950s from KATV.

Dixon’s first day was Monday.

Arkansas, Pages 10 on 01/15/2013