POLITICAL BLOW-BACK POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF EXECUTIVE SALARIES DISCLOSURE

On Wednesday (11/17) the public media trade publication of-record – Current – published a detailed report about salaries and other compensation for many top public media executives [link]. Almost as soon as the digital ink dried, observers began speculating that the compensation data may fuel another round of CPB bashing in Congress. 

A typical reaction to the Current article warns that high executive salaries may discourage listeners and viewers from pledging:

If this list goes viral, I can envision a substantial - and justifiable - public backlash. Don't many Pub Radio stations tell their listeners at Pledge Time "we need your $50 to keep the lights on"? Many might now say - justifiably - that you need the $50 to help pay your GM their $400K salary...

The salaries play into the narrative that public broadcasting is doing so well it doesn’t need taxpayer money or CPB.  In 2011 former Senator and current Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

When presidents of government-funded broadcasting are making more than the president of the United States, it's time to get the government out of public broadcasting.

This mantra has replaced the alleged “liberal bias” as a way to argue against public funding of public media.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: On the list below you will see names you recognize because of their excellent work at local stations.  With very few exceptions, the executives on the Current list are appropriately paid. Some need a raise, for instance, Wally Smith at WPPB, Southampton, Long Island.

 

There is no doubt the info published in Current will go viral and it should. It is the public’s right to know when tax dollars and public institutions are involved.  I salute reporter Ben Mook for his work on this and other topics. Current has emerged from years of sleepwalking to become a vital mirror and conscientious voice about how public media operates.

Last April we reported on salaries for public and religious broadcasters [link]. That post went viral – over 4,000 page views so far. I reported some of the same salaries but Current’s list is larger. 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CURRENT LIST

This is an abridged version.  You can see the complete  list (81 names)  at [link]:

ST	STATION	MARKET	EXECUTIVE NAME	AMOUNT	TAX YEAR
AZ	KJZZ	Phoenix	Jim Paluzzi	$141,466	2014
CA	KCET-TV	Los Angeles	Al Jerome	$186,916	2013
CA	KCRW	Los Angeles	Jennifer Ferro	$311,523	2013
CA	KDFC	San Francisco	Bill Lueth	$255,852	2013
CA	KUSC	Los Angeles	Brenda Barnes	$226,012	2013
CA	KPCC	Los Angeles	Bill Davis	$441,535	2013
CA	KSJV	Fresno	Hugo Morales	$125,925	2013
CO	KCFR	Denver	Max Wycisk	$234,057	2012
MI	WUOM	Ann Arbor	Steve Schram	$229,500	2014
MO	KWMU	St. Louis	Tim Eby	$140,709	2013
NC	WUNC	Chapel Hill	Connie Walker	$150,014	2014
NY	WNYC	New York	Laura Walker	$790,115	2013
NY	WPPB	Long Island	Wally Smith	$36,000	2013
OR	KOPB	Portland	Steve Bass	$394,921	2013
PA	WXPN	Philadelphia	Roger LaMay	$234,000	2013
PA	WYEP	Pittsburgh	Abby Goldstein	$112,166	2013
PA	WHYY TV/FM	Philadelphia	William Marrazzo	$580,080	2013
WA	KPLU	Tacoma	Joey Cohn	$125,000	2014
WA	KEXP	Seattle	Tom Mara	$197,232	2013