LAYOFFS AT WFMT/WTTW • THE LEGACY OF LORENZO MILAM

Chicago media reporter, Robert Feder, was the first news source to report that Windows to the World Communications, the licensee of WFMT-FM and WTTW-TV, has layed off four staff members because of the economic impact of the Covid pandemic.

In his Monday blog post [link], Feder said in addition to the full-time staff cuts, seven staffers had their weekly schedules reduced by eight hours, and company vice presidents and other executives were ordered to take one-week furloughs before the end of the year,

Feder said he received a memo from an internal source that gave the details of the changes. No public announcement has been made by WTTW or WFMT but a company spokeswoman confirmed the changes, but had no further comments.

In the memo, Sandra Cordova Micek, the President and CEO of Windows to the World Communications, thanked the terminated employees for their contributions and service to WTTW and WFMT:

“Those affected by these job eliminations will be eligible for severance as well as unemployment benefits. We will continue to manage the business dynamically and monitor economic and other factors. As always, we will continue to prioritize essential projects and expenses and plan for financial stability.”

The employees leaving Windows to the World Communications have not been identified.

LORENZO MILAM, “THE JOHNNY APPLE SEED OF COMMUNITY RADIO” HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 88

Lorenzo Milan in 1972

Lorenzo Milan, a man who had an enormous impact on noncommercial radio in the U.S., passed away in in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico on July 21^st.

Paul Riismanderl posted a loving tribute to Milam on Radio Survivor [link] in which he said:

“It’s hard to imagine a single person who had greater influence on US community radio. My favorite aspect of his legacy is playfulness, and a willingness to experiment.”

“[He] reminds us that the enterprise should also be fun, and that we should also take the opportunity to thumb our noses at the powerful.”

Milam is perhaps best known for his self-published handbook Sex and Broadcasting, published in the 1970s. The handbook was used by dozens of people to establish nonprofit community radio stations.

He was a co-founder of KRAB-FM in Seattle in 1961, thought to be the first non-Pacifica community station in the nation. Milan also co-founded or consulted KBOO in Portland, Oregon, KCHU in Dallas, KDNA in St. Louis, KUSP in Santa Cruz and WYEP in Pittsburgh.

Though Milam’s work and writings had a major impact on community and public radio, he did not think like a businessperson or an effective radio programmer. He remained a dreamer and prankster after he left radio in the early 1980s.