WRNI Sale
General Manager of Boston Radio Station Resigns
BOSTON (AP) -- Jane Christo, the longtime general manager of the Boston University-owned public radio station WBUR-FM, said Friday she will resign effective October 15. Her resignation comes amid an investigation by the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office into the proposed sale of two affiliated radio stations in that state, and a separate internal probe by the university into allegations of mismanagement at WBUR.
The station said Christo notified the staff of the decision at a luncheon meeting. "I am eternally grateful to the listeners, corporate and individual contributors, the staff of WBUR, and Boston University for the opportunity to have been a part of building something very special over the past 25 years," Christo said in a statement released by the station. "However, the present controversy regarding my leadership of WBUR has become too large a distraction," she said. "I am confident that when concluded, the internal investigation will show that the allegations of improper conduct against me are baseless." Christo became general manager in 1979. Since then, WBUR's weekly audience has grown from fewer than 80,000 to more than 500,000.
The station produces several shows broadcast by other National Public Radio affiliates, including "Car Talk," "Only a Game," and "The Connection." Boston University last month announced its plans to sell its two public radio stations in Rhode Island, WRNI-AM and WXNI-AM, angering donors and listeners. Their complaints have prompted Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch to investigate the sale, and raised questions about the management of the entire WBUR operation.
BU announced last week it was conducting its own internal investigation into allegations of wrongdoing at WBUR. The university released a statement last Friday saying that the administration had received "a number of anonymous allegations with regard to administrative practices" at the station. These included a charge that dozens of employees were patronage hires. BU spokeswoman Nancy Sterling has said BU was reviewing "a number of governing practices," and that the station was instituting "more stringent hiring practices." The station said an interim general manager will be appointed by university officials. Christo will continuing working through a transition period.
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