Torey Malatia resigns from WBEZ (Chicago: station, radio, deal)

[Lorielicious]

So as of Friday, Torey "South Side" Malatia is no longer the GM at WBEZ, to which the internet seems to have responded with glee. Gwuh? I'm pretty new to Chicago, so I'm not familiar with whatever changes made to programming that people seem to be miffed about. I just know him as the guy who Ira Glass makes fun of at the end of "This American Life" and as the producer of a lot of shows I like. But apparently he ruined this, crashed that, replaced whosit with whatsit, there's no more musical programming, and so on.

Was he really so bad? The WBEZ I know now is essentially the same as the WBEZ I knew when I got here a couple of years ago, with some slight changes not worth mentioning. The comments on the Tribune are pretty hilarious and scathing, but I've come to learn commenters on the internet are a cantankerous bunch. So in a bout of irony, I suppose, I'm asking commenters on the internet to give me the skinny on what the deal is with Mr. Malatia.

¡Gracias!

[Vlajos]

Malatia wasted lots of money trying to start an internet radio station called vocalo at the expense of regular wbez programming. A complete waste of limited resources. He should have been canned about 5 years ago.

[chet everett]

Terrestrial radio, regardless of profit / not-for-profit is run by people that have bizarre disregard for the realities of who their audience really is and what those people want. The folks that spend too much time worrying the interwebs stealing their audience don't understand who really listens to radio... I don't think Malatia was unique in his failings.

[Lookout Kid]

On the positive side, he was instrumental in the development of two incredible radio shows (This American Life and Sound Opinions), and one popular show that I only kind of understand the appeal of (Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!).

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Terrestrial radio, regardless of profit / not-for-profit is run by people that have bizarre disregard for the realities of who their audience really is and what those people want. The folks that spend too much time worrying the interwebs stealing their audience don't understand who really listens to radio... I don't think Malatia was unique in his failings.

Something must be wrong with me, I agree!

[Lorielicious]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

On the positive side, he was instrumental in the development of two incredible radio shows (This American Life and Sound Opinions), and one popular show that I only kind of understand the appeal of (Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!).

The appeal of "Wait Wait," of course, it that's it's hilarious!

Interesting about Vocalo. I hear ads for it, but ignore them because it sounds stupid. Didn't realize he was stripping from the radio to support his net station.