I agree-this is a horrible mistake. Everyone I have talked to is mad about this, and many of them donate (or used to..) to the station. I think Marc lost a lot of listeners to Ed Norris, but I think that's ok, and not really Marc's fault-they are both good but different shows in a local market with a finite # of listeners. Appropriately for public radio, the Steiner show was a bit more highbrow. If YPR thinks they are going to pick up new listeners I'd like to see how. Something that has more of a state-wide reach is likely to bomb. It's not like the station has anything else going on, this is going to cost them listeners and $s.

Thank you for this post… It is my view that the Marc Steiner, with his keen wit and a first rate intellect, added rare content, and value to the Baltimore and Maryland airways – and was an asset for WYPR. It will be hard to duplicate and replace. I appeared on his program on a number of occasions and I thoroughly valued working with Mr. Steiner and his quite talented producer, Marcus Charleston. More of this variety of discussion and dialogue is needed in Maryland’s airways. Hopefully another venue will be found for Mr. Steiner. Keep us posted.

On another hand, I donated to WJHU. It was a staple of the manual tuner radios that still play in my house. It was the first FM station on all the vehicles, including the motorcycle.

When the local programming veered way left of center, and the ownership changed, I missed the alternative (to my) views and the evening jazz that stimulated and relaxed me.

Marc Steiner kept far to the political left. His love-fest with Mayor, errr, Governor O’Malley on opening day of the legislative session enraged people who re-tuned their radios. Alternatives, Ed Norris and, can you believe it, C4, picked up listeners. Some of us on the political right have had to tune out the morning whine on WCBM and the vapidness of right-wing staple WBAL between 9:00 am and Noon.

The bottom line in radio, though, is listeners. If nobody is listening to public radio, is it serving the public? Air America was established to feed red meat to the political left. The political right has its own troughs. I pray, really pray, that public radio will return to the middle of the political spectrum, more interesting than C-SPAN to the masses, more entertaining through diversity of programming subject matter than right-wing radio; that it returns to the kind of programming that makes parents of small children (no longer in our household) want to keep it on in the car and the den.

Like the tree falling in the woods, public radio, if no one is there to hear it, will not make a discernable sound.

Bruce R. has it right: No matter how much you and others may want "public service" to be about providing what YOU think people should be hearing/reading/thinking about, there are still economic pressures to bear. The fact that public radio takes tax monies complicates it further. It's like comparing a public library that keeps all the best classics and "good" music/books on the shelves and is empty most of the time, versus a library that stocks multiple copies of whatever hot bestsellers are out there and discards most of the copies after a year or two, and gets a lot of traffic as a result. Which should be considered a more effective use of money? Air America failed in part because NPR was, and remains, a subsidized competition to them, and people flock to conservative talk radio because the viewpoints expressed there are largely absent from most other media and news media. Public radio has to learn to compete in the same marketplace as other media, not some imaginary utopia of "higher thinking." (And incidentally, don't think that your elitist slam of people that don't listen to WYPR--that "informed 2 percent of Listener Land"--went unnoticed.)

WYPR has lost it. Why they would cut out Marc Steiner, the heart and soul of the station, is simply incomprehensable. They are making a serious mistake, and by doing so are essentially providing WAMU and satellite radio a new body of listenership. The station has lost my respect.

A few exasperated points:

* Steiner's show, very often, was a powerful voice for viewpoints that would otherwise go unheard. In the totally deregulated, money-driven world of media, we're seeing and hearing less and less of that.

* Neither Norris nor Mitchell can be mentioned in the same breath as Steiner. He's a pro: they're, um ... not.

* "...people flock to conservative talk radio because the viewpoints expressed there are largely absent from most other media and news media." Gaaaack! Yeah, let's hear from the conservatives, for a change. They've been unheard for way too long. It's a shame when giant corporate interests and their tools are denied a voice by the Mighty Liberal Media.

Puh-leez.

This reminds me of when Maryland Public Television, in its infinite wisdom, told Louis Rukeyser he was out-of-date and dumped him. Talk about self-inflicted wounds! These local yokels just don't understand show business. We don't care about management and personality problems. I'm sure Steiner is hell to work with, but that's their problem. I enjoy his shows, his guests, his intellect--even when I can't stand one more hour of programming on Baltimore housing issues. He's a personality and a face for public radio. To resent that and not be able to harness that shows a fundamental ignorance of the entertainment industry. WAMU is 2 clicks away. My membership just ended.

I was never comfortable with bringing Brandon to Our public radio. Too much mixing of ideals. The only thing that separates us from AMU is Marc. I can go to 88.5 for D Rehm and ATC. Now that I've dropped my dollar a day membership I will.
Marc is the most respectful radio host on the air. I once called him becauseI thought he had slighted Gerry of Pikesville; a listener who I do not always agree with but I do as does Marc. Marc answered me right away and felt very upset with himself and I know he contacted Gerry to let him know this. I learned alot from Marc about listening to all opinions with generousity. No one can match his interviewing skills. He did the absolute best interview with Ben Bradlee when Bradlee was book touring. A few weeks ago had the Mothers of children would had been wounded by crime in the city. Who will give these people compassion and a voice now?Marc's curiousity and enthusiasm about politics, culture, literature and,space exploration and yes, even people who play the flute with whales,is what sets him apart. I raised my children with Marc's voice in the background. It kept me informed and educated which is not easy while staying home with children I've told many young mothers it will help keep their minds stimulated even when one is throwing food on the floor.. In many ways Marc is to the Baltimore area and the State what Diane Rehm used to be to DC, my hometown. She's been the stalwart of WAMU for many years. His dicussions about the middle east should have been picked up nationally. This is not a cult of personality but let's face it without Marc's passion there would be no YPR. I gave because he inspired me to give and he lived up to every promise. Has anyone listened to the show he did on the Viet Nam vets who traveled over there to heal the pain of that war? This is the epitomy of everything that made me proud to be part of YPR. Brandon has made it clear the "YOUR" has become a ruse.

It boggles the mind why WYPR would fire the only recognizable employee they have. The Marc Steiner Show was the only in-house program worth noting on that station. Maryland Morning is bland. The programming that replaced Steiner on Fridays a couple of years ago has always been trite and uninteresting. And guess what? That's about all the programming they generate in-house at WYPR.

The Marc Steiner Show was informative. I learned so much about the city just by listening to the show, and Steiner even had the ability to handle national and international issues competently. He's the best moderator I've ever heard.

I hope he lands on his feet somewhere. I doubt he's controversial or aggressive enough to get a job at a commercial station, but perhaps room can be found for him elsewhere. . . perhaps WTMD (Towson U's college radio station) would break format for a couple hours a day and make room for him.

As for WYPR, I was once a "dollar a day" member. I had to drop that support as I'm in law school at the moment and can no longer afford the contribution. That will change in about a year and a half when I pass the bar, but I don't see my member status changing. They aren't getting a dime.

Hey Patrick...Gaaaack THIS: Conservative radio and media are relatively new! You liberal hacks have had it your way for so long, i.e., decades, that when the conservative voices FINALLY did surface you were stunned by your own outrage...(being the true believers in Freedom of Speech that you all are...).

I'm one of the folks that used to give money. The last year or so, I would choose between Marc or Ed Norris, depending on what was coming up in the show. I don't always agree with either. Regardless of what YPR will have in his place, I won't be listening anymore. The preset's already been moved over to 88.5. I hope some other station picks him up quick.

This Bozzuto sounds like a nightmare. Who in his/her right mind let this person speak for the station? She seems extremely unprofessional, as well as very thin-skinned - gee, guilty conscience? I had been drifting away from YPR for the past couple of years for lots of reasons that had nothing to do with Marc Steiner... (e.g. having the 5:30pm drive time news turn into an array of inane features like Cellar Notes, which always had a very infomercial sound to me). This pretty much tears it. With WAMU so easily receivable, you'd think YPR would tread a lot more lightly. None such luck. By the sound of Bozzuto, Marc is probably lucky not to have to deal with them anymore. Good luck Marc. Thanks for blogging about this Dan.

I'm furious! I have been listening to Marc in one form or another since I came to Baltimore in 1993. Wow what an education I recieved from him! I already feel depressed--I listened to both hours & podcasted every day and I was shocked at his absence today. I can tell you this--my ears and my membership are going down the road to WAMU. Finally, when WYPR was getting to be a stellar station, they did the bonehead thing...and let go of the one person everyone associated with WYPR.

For me the decision to move to Baltimore was clinched the day I heard the Marc Steiner Show for the first time. I also once took the bold step (for me) of emailing a query to his show - and was completely flabbergasted to receive a thoughtful response directly from Marc within two hours. Marc's love for the city and for the state of Maryland, his respect for callers and guests, and his creativity and vision in bringing all kinds of informative and entertaining material to the listening public, are rare treasures that any city and any radio station ought to be mighty thankful for. Big Mistake, WYPR. And to Marc, Best Wishes! This moment of adversity shall pass, and you'll be the better for it!

Perhaps WTMD & Marc might collaborate. Wouldn't that be ironic? WTMD is being carried on one of WAMU's digital subchannels!

Thank God I am not the only one who feels so stongly that WYPR has made a huge mistake in letting Marc Steiner go. For me, he is the voice of Baltimore Public Radio in so many ways and will truly be missed.

I concur with Zeb Synder. Maryland morning is bland and uninteresting. Marc's show good. At times I switched to WTMD at 12:00 b/c the topics on Marc's show did not interest me. I'm they interested someone though. If the 12:00 to 2:00 time slot is filled with more programing like maryland morning I too will be moving to WAMU for ME and ATC.

I agree that what WYPR has done to Steiner is a huge mistake. It's also disgusting and petty. The way they're trying to spin it-- that he didn't appeal to a statewide audience-- is totally bogus and transparent.

What a colossal mistake. Now that the Board has stated that they are going after corporate money they should change the name to WCAR, corporate advertising radio. The loss of individual memberships will show that they vastly underestimated the popularity of Marc Steiner, without whom WYPR would not exist.

Come on, Dan. "I have never understood why people who work in public radio seem determined to appeal only to the informed 2 percent of Listener Land. Why be so dry and humorless? Why be so dull? Why so often so esoteric? Why not have a laugh once in a while, for God's sake? I don't know who wrote the rule -- talk radio on NPR stations must not be considered entertainment." You know what people consider entertaining? Rush Limbaugh. That's what you get when the marketplace dictates. And thanks to Newt Gingrich and Co., public radio is largely beholden to those dynamics now.

That was the last time I will listen to WYPR and it was only to hear Marc again. It is clear what the people want and they want Marc Steiner back. It is a sad day when internal politics and egos such as Tony Brandon get in the way. Marc Steiner's show was top quality, fair, passionate and above what other local and national shows offer. WYPR and Tony is has forgotten what public radio is about. Marc nailed my definition of what public radio is. Frankly all the new programs have been adding have turned me off - they are superficial and cheesy and meaningless. Marc talked about what was important to me as a resident of Maryland and a citizen of the country. His program was NOT "Baltimore Centric" and when he did talk about Baltimore it was always a voice that was much needed. No else addressed issues that were important to me. Besides it was what made WYPR unique. I might as well listen to other "national" NPR stations now.

Both my husband and I are in your 30-40 demographic range and WYPR has just lost another two listeners that have been with you back when it was WJHU. And I tell you that Marc Steiner was a huge reason why we listened. We will no longer support this station financially either. The fact that Tony offered $50K to shut Marc up disgusts me and to think that this is they way he is using our money is outrageous. Marc is too talented to go way - I am confident that his listeners will support him and follow his where ever he goes. It is certainly a sad sad commentary on management - just like when "decision makers' let go Louis Rukeiser, Bob Edwards, Bill Moyers, etc. they just don't understand what good work is. Marc to me is certainly of the caliber of these people I respect.

Disappointed, outraged and now very disallusioned Former Listener

I swear to God, I won't ever listen to WYPR again. I can't believe I actually used to work the fund drives for that place, answering phones.

I AM disgusted and outraged by the way Marc was shown the door. Marc was a distinctive and authentic local voice. Maybe the man was difficult to work with - whatever. What the management did was cowardly and underhanded.

If you want to fire a guy, do it to his face.

A personal anecdote about Marc -

I remember one time I was working the phones for the WJHU fund drives. Some woman called in. She said she would sign a check, but only if I found Marc and told him that she was in the bathtub, and she was thinking of him while she was signing it.

Ok, maybe not the most relevant story, but I remember him chuckling when I told him, and the little twinkle in his eye. PEOPLE LIKE MARC. He's not some interchangeable part of the machine down there - he's unique.

I was dismayed to see Marc's show missing from the wypr.org full schedule, so I googled his name and found this blog. WHAT?!?! I hope WYPR can fill that hole with an interesting show that will cover local, state-wide, national, AND international stories the way Marc Steiner could. Even if he was Baltimore-centric, why is that a bad thing? There are plenty of stories in the city that would have remained unknown to me had they not been address on the Steiner show. And where can we go to hear thoughtful, insightful (sometimes heated) discussions on current issues in the city?

Marc Steiner was the reason I started listening to WYPR when I moved to Baltimore 5 years ago and he was one of the biggest reasons why I continued to listen at work each day (and donate) even when I moved to DC this past year. I let my membership lapse at the end of last year, but I fully planned to take care of that during the next membership drive. Not anymore...

The world is a strange place.... Marc will be a guest on the Ed Norris Show tomorrow 2/6 at 11:00 am

Dan--Please help spread the word that WYPR is engaged in blatant censorship of it's own staff.

When Sheilah interviewed Marc, she promised there would be a link to his blog on the Maryland Morning website. And there was--for a few hour. And then it disappeared. Why? Could it have been because Marc made a blog post criticizing what Tony Brandon said on the air?!

Public radio...censoring it's own staff. How is this okay?

Like many of the previous posters, I've been unhappy with the direction that WYPR has been taking over the past couple of years.

Despite my initial enthusiasm for the idea of a locally produced program like "Maryland Morning," the show itself has proved disappointing -- bland and unprovocative. I tend to switch stations when it airs, switching back only to catch "Writer's Almanac," a nationally syndicated piece.

Come to think of it, much of the local programming, from Fraser Smith's weekly essay to the above-mentioned "Cellar Notes" to Gil Sandler's "Baltimore Stories," has prompted me to turn the dial. With the ouster of Marc Steiner, the only reason to listen to WYPR besides its national news programming has vanished.

As others, including Mr. Rodricks, have noted, "The Steiner Show" had become inconsistent in its quality of late. But that calls for improvements to the show, not an abrupt cancellation. In doing so, WYPR's board and general manager failed to take into the account the fact that Marc Steiner is much more significant than simply the host of a talk show; for many of us he has been the face and voice of local public radio in Baltimore.

WYPR's move was precipitous, short-sighted, and ill conceived. I'm not sure what sort of listenership the management is interested in cultivating, but their removal of Marc Steiner demonstrates that they're not interested in my continuing to tune in.

What is the point of public interest radio? Or rather is all radio public interest as it is the interest of the public that supplies the listners and thus results in the ratings.

Maybe Mr. Steiner's show was no linger of public interest. Is it not the responsibility of Public Radio's management to manage and spend taxpayers' and contributors' dollars in the best way possible? If the majority of taxpayer's and contributors' no longer listen to Mr. Steiner does he have a legitimate place on the "public" airwaves?

Is it a loss? Yes. Was it a loss when other shows have been taken off the air? Yes. That is the way the busness works.

Supply and demand. Even in Public Radio that has to be the way it is. Public radio is suppopsed to bring content to the citizens and since it is the citizens air wave(s) it should be the voice of the citizens and not the voice of a few.

My voice has been one in the storm of protest over the firing of Marc Steiner. When I heard that Dan was taking over the slot, I had a minor epiphany directly reflective of the Maryland primary outcome. I've been a Clinton supporter who will not cry if Obama is the candidate. If the battle to save Marc Steiner's position is lost, then Dan Rodricks is an excellent replacement and one I can support.

I know that this is not addressing the bigger issue of why Marc Steiner was fired and what future WYPR has as a voice of public radio, etc. BUT……I just have to say this.

I have always admired Dan Rodricks and enjoyed his columns in the Sun. That being said, Dan has only lived here for several decades, though I thought he had become a ‘real Baltimorean’,ie: one who loves this blemished city and all its traditions and quirks. His actions in accepting the job at WYPR and trying to take Marc’s place show that no matter how long he lives here, he will not really understand that those of us who have generations of roots here do not forget and forgive insults easily. My late father, an avid Colts fan and navigator in WWII and the Air National Guard said that he would never even fly over Indianapolis’ air space after the Colts were stolen….to give an example of Baltimore loyalty. I think Dan Rodricks has made a fatal career move and think that other Baltimoreans will think the same…..no matter how much we admire his writing. He shouldna done that!

Bad news, folks. In spite of all the caterwauling herein, at each reporting point in Sunday's fundraiser programming, WYPR reporting achieving and exceeding the hourly goal.
All right. It's good news for Dan, unless he's working for free.