Jeff Cohen directs WBUR’s live listening and local programs.

A journalist for 25 years, Jeff spent his first nine years in journalism at Connecticut newspapers — first at the Meriden Record-Journal and then at The Hartford Courant. While at the Courant, he won a National Headliner Award for a story about the ostracized widow of the state's first casualty in Iraq; wrote about his post-Katrina home in New Orleans; and was part of a team that broke stories of alleged corruption at Hartford City Hall that led to the arrest of the city’s mayor.

In 2010, Jeff joined Connecticut Public, where he worked as a reporter, host, and news director. In addition to covering state and Hartford city politics, Jeff covered the December 2012 Newtown shootings and the stories that followed. In 2012, Jeff was selected by NPR and Kaiser Health News for their joint "Health Care In The States" project. Much of his reporting aired nationally on NPR. As news director, Jeff began The Island Next Door — Puerto Rico and Connecticut After Hurricane Maria, which has won several awards, including one national and two regional Edward R. Murrow awards.

Jeff joined WBUR in 2023 as its inaugural managing producer for local news programs. He began his new role overseeing live listening and local programs in March 2026.

Jeff and his wife split time between Boston and their home in Connecticut. They have two daughters, whose haircutting incident brought the family more notoriety than journalism ever will. He's written two children's books, and he likes hiking with the family’s big dogs, whitewater kayaking, napping outside, learning to ski, and making bread and wine. He’s a New Orleans native, and he loves — loves — the Saints. And the Pelicans.