WYPR president goes on air to explain Steiner firing

Anthony Brandon, president of WYPR in Baltimore, went on the air yesterday to explain the firing of host Marc Steiner. Brandon said the ratings for Steiner's local public affairs show were declining, and the host's refusal to make changes in the program left management with no choice, reports The Baltimore Sun. A pre-taped interview with Marc Steiner preceded the Brandon segment, during which Steiner said he and management have different ideas about the role of public radio in the community. Later on his blog, Steiner wrote that Brandon "has constantly attempted diminish what I and our listeners did six years ago in raising funds to purchase what was then WJHU" and the station has been "hijacked." Steiner and Brandon's on-air interviews with Maryland Morning host Sheilah Kast can be streamed here.

Preparing to fight proposed budget cuts

Pubcasters may not be as successful at fighting off federal budget cuts as in the past, says NPR head Ken Stern in a New York Times article about the Bush administration's proposed budget. “I worry that this gets lost in a whole lot of other issues,” he said. John Lawson, president of the Association of Public Television Stations, was confident next week's pubTV lobbying day in Washington would help fend off cuts.