Local public radio station fires iconic host amid controversy
Steiner had been at station since it was WJHU
Issue date: 2/7/08
The controversial firing of iconic WYPR radio host Marc Steiner - whose show has been a mainstay on the station since its days as WJHU - has sparked a public backlash and allegations of power-grabbing at the station.
Steiner learned of his firing on Friday, but says he's still unsure why the station cancelled his program.
"I've heard lots of reasons. I've heard I wasn't being a team player. I'm not sure what that means given the money I've raised [for the station]," he said.
"WYPR cancelled The Marc Steiner Show because his ratings were down, the station was having trouble drawing underwriters to his show because of ratings," said one employee at WYPR familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Steiner said he felt he was fired in a power play by specific management members with whom he has had personality conflicts and has differed with on the philosophy of the ownership and role of public radio.
The WYPR employee confirmed that there has been a longstanding power struggle between Steiner and Anthony Brandon, the station's president and general manager.
The station has received hundreds of e-mails since Steiner's firing, including members and station underwriters who say they will no longer support the station's upcoming winter pledge drive, according to the WYPR employee.
In a statement released yesterday on WYPR's Web site, Brandon said, "the sequence of events that led to the sudden cancellation of Marc's show unfolded rather quickly."
However, in a Feb. 5 radio interview on the WYPR program Maryland Morning, Brandon said, "this was a very agonizing decision for our senior management and for our board but it was not done hastily."
Brandon and other members of WYPR management did not return calls for comment.
Nearly a dozen protestors rallied outside the station yesterday in support of Steiner.
"I think the firing shows the attitude of WYPR is not consistent with their message," protestor Stan Markowitz said.
Steiner learned of his firing on Friday, but says he's still unsure why the station cancelled his program.
"I've heard lots of reasons. I've heard I wasn't being a team player. I'm not sure what that means given the money I've raised [for the station]," he said.
"WYPR cancelled The Marc Steiner Show because his ratings were down, the station was having trouble drawing underwriters to his show because of ratings," said one employee at WYPR familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Steiner said he felt he was fired in a power play by specific management members with whom he has had personality conflicts and has differed with on the philosophy of the ownership and role of public radio.
The WYPR employee confirmed that there has been a longstanding power struggle between Steiner and Anthony Brandon, the station's president and general manager.
The station has received hundreds of e-mails since Steiner's firing, including members and station underwriters who say they will no longer support the station's upcoming winter pledge drive, according to the WYPR employee.
In a statement released yesterday on WYPR's Web site, Brandon said, "the sequence of events that led to the sudden cancellation of Marc's show unfolded rather quickly."
However, in a Feb. 5 radio interview on the WYPR program Maryland Morning, Brandon said, "this was a very agonizing decision for our senior management and for our board but it was not done hastily."
Brandon and other members of WYPR management did not return calls for comment.
Nearly a dozen protestors rallied outside the station yesterday in support of Steiner.
"I think the firing shows the attitude of WYPR is not consistent with their message," protestor Stan Markowitz said.
Be the first to comment on this story