(W) God Bless Harvard in fiscal trouble according to Alex Beam

[webcastboy]

From Alex Beam's Globe column today:

Temple of doom?
If people are going to take the trouble to leak us internal memos, we are going to take the trouble to print them. In an all-points bulletin issued last week, WGBH president Jon Abbott warned that the World's Greatest Broadcast House may end its current fiscal year in deficit, and declared an immediate freeze on hiring.
[EDIT]

WGBH doesn't exist in a vacuum, either. One has to think that if the current economic climate really is affecting WGBH, then it likely is affecting WBUR and WUMB, too. Of course, neither WBUR nor WUMB have to pay for a giant new building, but I'd imagine it has to hurt.

Quick, what's the other building in Boston that's a "folly", and has ties to a public radio outlet? ;D


[EDIT-post truncated because originating material is copyrighted.]

 

[wavelength9]

Membership contributions are down, advertising revenue from corporate sponsors is off but is pacing ahead of the market. The economic downturn is effecting everyone. The new buildings were paid for with money from the sale of the land at the old campus to Harvard and a large capital contributions campaign.

The hiring freeze only effects departments that due not generate revenue for the foundation or positions that have not already had funds allocated for them.

But unlike at WBZ I don't think you are going to see them asking for volunteers from other departments taking turns answering the phones.

 

[TSBench]

But unlike at WBZ I don't think you are going to see them asking for volunteers from other departments taking turns answering the phones

I believe their usual SOP is to use people not on the payroll to answer the phones ;D

Regards,
TSB

 

[ZRXOA 5248]

WBZ ended their decades old intern /co-op program with Northeastern recently.

There went the free clerical staff.


Lets try linking the Beam piece again, read down till you see "Temple Of Doom" in bold print
(previous post was deleted by the mods for my encouraging people to post a paragraph each)
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/05/17/charity_begins_at_home_for_this_bookseller/

 

[wavelength9]

TSB, The office phones at GBH are answered by paid staff members. Volunteers called Docents give tours and run the merchandise shop called the Murphy Store.

 

[TSBench]

TSB, The office phones at GBH are answered by paid staff members. Volunteers called Docents give tours and run the merchandise shop called the Murphy Store.

Nice catch. But I knew that.

That comment was in response to a comment implying that it is somewhat untoward for a operation that survives on the largess of taxpayers, donors, and volunteers to ask staffers to fill in at clerical duties due to a financial pinch, as a well known commercial operation apparently does.

I guess it is possible to be too subtle.

Regards,
TSB