Another blow to Austin journalism

Yesterday brought some weird and scary news for local journalism in Austin. In what appears to be an entirely unprecedented move, the University of Texas has fired KUT General Manager Debbie Hiott.

It's weird because KUT is not supposed to be run by UT! For decades the station has operated independent of the university and funded entirely by members and sponsorships. And yet, at the end of the day, UT owns KUT's license and KUT staff are state employees.

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Hiott's firing follows a conflict between her and university leaders after the university abruptly demanded that the station move its festival off campus, citing "safety concerns."

The whole thing is really bizarre. Coverage of it hints at the broader universe of political pressure from the Trump and Abbott regimes that is warping higher education, but there is no clearly identified motive for UT's interference. At a meeting with KUT staff today, Anita Vangelisti, interim dean of the Moody College of Communication, took credit for Hiott's firing but declined repeated requests to explain it.

Hiott is not going quietly. KUT's Neena Satija reports:

In a phone interview shortly after she was fired, Hiott blasted the university for terminating her and called for a change in KUT’s ownership structure. UT Austin holds the broadcast license for KUT and its sister music station, KUTX, and it employs the station’s staff.

“It’s a clear sign that a community asset as important as KUT should not be in the hands of an institution that doesn't have any sense of accountability or concern for the community,” Hiott said, referring to the university’s current leadership. “My hope would be that the university would relinquish the licenses to the community.”

KUT and KUTX are editorially independent from UT. They are funded by community and business donations, rather than state taxpayer dollars or student tuition.

I hope in the coming weeks more will be uncovered about the real motivations behind Hiott's firing. Everybody I've known who has worked for or with Hiott likes and respects her. Here's the Wall Street Journal's Elizabeth Findell, who worked under Hiott for several years at the Statesman:

In the meantime, Vangelisti has appointed an interim replacement, Gerald Johnson, who said he only expects to be in the role for a few months while the university conducts a national search for a new manager. For what it's worth, Johnson has extensive experience in the business side of media and assured staff that he's "not a hatchet man."

This isn't Hiott's first rodeo with wrong-headed media management. She spent the bulk of her career at the Austin American-Statesman, leaving nearly nine years ago after it was purchased and gutted by private equity vulture GateHouse Media. In a piece for the January 2018 edition of Austin Monthly that no longer appears to be online, I interviewed Hiott about her thoughts on the future of local journalism. Fortunately I still have the copy handy. A couple of her quotes are very topical.

Hiott — who hadn't yet been hired by KUT — said she doubted whether the traditional business model of daily newspapers would endure.

Hiott believes that the future of local journalism may lie in nonprofit models. She points to the success of the Texas Tribune and the Austin Monitor, which are largely supported by donors. KUT, the local NPR affiliate, now has a membership base that rivals the Statesman’s subscriber base, she points out. 

What UT is doing threatens to undermine the confidence of KUT's members, who are not going to open their wallets for a station they fear has been castrated by political hacks.

This was how I ended the story:

“I’m very concerned about the future of local news,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean these news orgs, whether it’s the Statesman, the Chronicle or KXAN, it doesn’t mean they’re going to stop doing great work. It would be really dangerous for people to give up on them now and stop supporting local news organizations.” 

Indeed, she adds, “I’m still a subscriber.” 

I hope KUT is able to amicably divorce UT. The relationship no longer appears to align with the goals of independent journalism.

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