WYPR hires Steiner replacement, scraps pledge drive

WYPR in Baltimore has hired Baltimore Sun columnist Dan Rodricks to replaced talk-show host Marc Steiner. Rodricks will inherit Steiner's noon to 2 p.m. slot on Feb. 25 and follow a similar call-in format. The station canceled its winter pledge drive in the wake of listener outcry about Steiner's firing. Station v.p. Andy Bienstock said the station will hold a combined winter and spring drive in April, after listeners have had a chance to hear the new show, reports the Sun. Steiner, who helped raise money to buy the station from Johns Hopkins University in 2001, was fired Feb. 1. Management cited the show's falling ratings and said it was too Baltimore-centric for its geographical reach. Steiner cited differences with President Tony Brandon said he and management had conflicting opinions about the role of public radio in the community.