Ethan Raup Rises To President/CEO At KEXP Seattle.

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Ethan Raup Rises To President/CEO At KEXP Seattle.

The Board of Directors of adult alternative/variety KEXP Seattle has appointed Ethan Raup as its new President/CEO. Raup, who succeeds longtime CEO/Executive Director Tom Mara, has served as COO since

www.insideradio.com

 

[Kelly A]

Too many corporate positions for a local community funded public station. What the heck does a public station need a COO for?
Don't fill that COO position, and roll that six figure salary back into the station.

 

[fordranger797]

KEXP is a good example of throwing way too much money at something that doesn't require it.

 

[Kelly A]

To be fair; this is a problem with a lot of well-funded public stations. Some come up with all sorts of corporate positions, including ones with unusual titles.

 

[boombox4]

Well, they seem to get the funding, and the ratings, so something's working.

Hard to believe Tom Mara is retiring. I remember him at KCMU. How far things have progressed.

 

[The New Chico]

I had a staffer tell me in 2019 that they had more listeners online in any given period than listening OTA, and that more than 60% of their donations came from out of state. They once were a local, community funded station, but not so much any more.

 

[Kelly A]

I had a staffer tell me in 2019 that they had more listeners online in any given period than listening OTA, and that more than 60% of their donations came from out of state. They once were a local, community funded station, but not so much any more.

Haven't been in touch with them for a while, but I believe KNHC (C-89) is the same.

 

[The New Chico]

Haven't been in touch with them for a while, but I believe KNHC (C-89) is the same.

That would not surprise me in the slightest.

 

[TheBigA]

Too many corporate positions for a local community funded public station.

That's a decision for the local community board to decide, not a message board. They know the finances, and they know the leadership needs.

Take a look at the Pacifica Foundation. They own a few community stations including KPFA. They have constant leadership battles between the stations and the foundation. No such problem at KEXP. That's good leadership. When there's a vacuum in leadership, you have chaos and anarchy. There is no vow of poverty in public broadcasting. If they can raise the money, they can also spend it. The only limitation is they can't make a profit.

 

[Kelly A]

That's a decision for the local community board to decide, not a message board. They know the finances, and they know the leadership needs.

Just making my opinion known to a radio discussion board. Like any governance board, if management convinces them they need corporate roles because their operation is SO unique, then you're right, it's up to their board. Public radio has tenancies to live in their own bubble anyway.

Take a look at the Pacifica Foundation. They own a few community stations including KPFA. They have constant leadership battles between the stations and the foundation. No such problem at KEXP. That's good leadership.

Is the difference Pacifica owns several stations vs. just one?

When there's a vacuum in leadership, you have chaos and anarchy. There is no vow of poverty in public broadcasting. If they can raise the money, they can also spend it. The only limitation is they can't make a profit.

But just like churches, the well funded ones sometimes fall into the trap of getting too fat from a leadership perspective. Paul Allen isn't around to dump money on KEXP anymore. They get top heavy at potentially their own peril.

 

[TheBigA]

Like any governance board, if management convinces them they need corporate roles because their operation is SO unique, then you're right, it's up to their board. Public radio has tenancies to live in their own bubble anyway.

You're inventing a reason that I doubt they'd use. Quite a few community stations have COOs, so being "unique" isn't a factor. The reason people hire COOs is to put someone in charge of the OPERATION, which means primarily people & facilities. As you know, KEXP has a huge facility to manage. It's big but not unique. KCRW has a similar facility in LA, and they too have a COO.

Is the difference Pacifica owns several stations vs. just one?

The difference is they own several poorly run stations vs. just one well-run station. I'm sure the board would like to keep it that way.

Paul Allen isn't around to dump money on KEXP anymore. They get top heavy at potentially their own peril.

He has an estate and there is an endowment. So there will be money for some time to come. Someone also has to manage that. This is a $20 million operation. Spending around 10% on management is pretty standard in non-profit world. Someone has to keep the dollars coming in, and making sure the ship is still afloat. As I said, no one took a vow of poverty.

 

[Delete My Account]

There is something unique about the KEXP facility, as it also has a public venue that's open to the community as a gathering space and for artist sets, and a retail partner (or at least, they had) that was a coffee shop/vinyl seller.

 

[TheBigA]

There is something unique about the KEXP facility, as it also has a public venue that's open to the community as a gathering space and for artist sets, and a retail partner (or at least, they had) that was a coffee shop/vinyl seller.

There are several similar places around the country. I mentioned KCRW, but Minnesota Public Radio has a huge complex in St. Paul. It may be the biggest one I know. The public station in Cincinnati is pretty big. WBGO has a performance & gathering room.

 

[The New Chico]

According to the latest financials I can find, only like 6% of KEXP funding comes from foundations (I would assume the Paul G Allen foundation makes up most of this.) No small potato, for sure, but not a huge part of their funding. Over 65% comes from listener support, and the balance from underwriting.