Haarsager responds to tech bloggers angered by Stern's ouster

"This is not a coup by Luddite station CEOs who want to stop or slow down effective responses to [the] very types of disruptive change we've been trying to strategically accommodate," writes NPR interim CEO Dennis Haarsager, in a blog post attempting to explain why Ken Stern is no longer at the helm of National Public Radio. Haarsager is responding in part to Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine, who characterized Stern's ouster as a protectionist takeover by "local yokel" stations that feared his digital distribution strategies. [Be sure to read the comments to both blog entries.] Responding to a request for the NPR Board to explain in more detail why Stern was forced out, Haarsager writes: "I cannot comment in detail on this personnel matter except to say that Mr. Stern chose the time and day when he left the building . . . . I've said repeatedly that no malfeasance or misfeasance should be imputed. Ken made many important contributions and should be remembered for those. Arguably, transparency is an important ideal; his privacy is a right."