NEW HAMPSHIRE REPORTER DISSES PUBLIC RADIO SALARIES • EXCELLENT SALARY OFFERED IN SEATTLE

Kevin Landrigan has been called a “New Hampshire news legend,” because of his many years of reporting on the state’s political scene. 

Now Landrigan has amped up the chorus of right-wing pundits advocating the elimination of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

He imagines there is outrage about salaries paid to folks at New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR).

Landrigan reported in the New Hampshire Union Leader on July 8^th [link] that High NHPR salaries don't dampen support for the broadcaster.

Then he cites a litany of annual salaries for NHPR senior managers to support his notion that NHPR and CPB don’t need federal support. Here is how Landrigan tries to make his case:

Betsy Gardella (photo credit
Matthew Lomanno)

“The head of NHPR Betsy Gardella, earned $263,430 in total compensation during 2015, according to the station's filing with the Internal Revenue Service. 

That's roughly double the salary paid to the governor of New Hampshire.”

Of course, that comparison is irrelevant.

He talks about salaries as if readers should be outraged. Then he uses the salaries to show how flush public broadcasting is as justification for defunding CPB. His rationale is shame on you for doing a good job.

Past efforts to nix CPB funding because some folks make decent salaries have not proven successful. As we reported in November 2016 [link] former Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD) tried this approach in the 1990s when he lashed out at salaries for “public radio stars.” The people of South Dakota were not outraged by the compensation, they were outraged by Pressler’s attempts to eliminate a valuable service to people in his far-flung rural state.

Senator Pressler was “privatized” in the next election.

 

Landrigan’s salvo is part of an ongoing drumbeat by the right-wing to eliminate federal funding for a long list of programs they don’t like for various reasons. 

Public broadcasters should remain alert after Congress in May approved a stopgap federal spending bill that increased money to CPB and maintained funding for National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for Humanities.

Landrigan ominously says at the end of his story:

This fight will be renewed when that budget bill expires in September.

On this point, Lardrigan is probably correct.

A GEM OF A JOB: NEWS DIRECTOR, KUOW, SEATTLE

KUOW is searching for a News Director. Senior management openings are usually rare at the Seattle news powerhouse but new management has recently been making changes. Jennifer Strachan became KUOW’s Chief Content Officer in June. The new News Director will report to Strachan.

At KUOW, the News Director oversees a 20+ person newsroom. The station is looking for a visionary individual who knows how to compete on all platforms.

Salary and benefits are competitive. (But, the salary is probably too much for Kevin Landrigan – see story above.)

The search is open until filled, however to ensure consideration, please apply by July 31, 2017.

Livingston Associates is handling the search. You can see more here.