IU removed WTIU/WFIU’s executive director and chief financial officer from their positions Wednesday, the news organization first reported.
WFIU/WTIU reported that IU Provost Rahul Shrivastav told leaders of IU Radio and Television Services, the department which includes the journalism outlets, that RTVS was not going in the right direction.
Jay Kincaid, director of facilities and technology for The Media School, was appointed interim executive director of RTVS. Kincaid confirmed to the Indiana Daily Student that Executive Director Brad Kimmel and Chief Financial Officer Christina Lirot were no longer working for RTVS. Rhonda Inman, principal accountant for IU Bloomington, will take over the department’s administration and finances in the interim, according to WFIU/WTIU.
Kimmel had led RTVS since 2020, and Lirot has worked at IU since 1999. An IU staff member escorted Lirot out of the RTVS building, according to WFIU/WTIU.
Kincaid said he first met with the provost in a 10-minute meeting on Monday, where Shrivastav asked if he would be interested in taking the interim role.
On Wednesday afternoon, the provost’s office confirmed to Kincaid that he would take over. Thursday morning, Kincaid said, he and WTIU/WFIU executive staff met with Shrivastav again. There, the staff repeatedly questioned why Kimmel and Lirot were removed, Kincaid said.
“Even if I did know why, I couldn’t really say why, because they’re personnel issues,” Kincaid said. “But I really don’t know why.”
The organization held an all-staff meeting Thursday morning, he said.
“There was more questions than answers,” Kincaid said.
WFIU/WTIU reported an outside consultant, hired by the provost, said staff had “morale issues,” and that the consultant was looking into potentially moving RTVS administration out of the provost’s office and into The Media School.
RTVS produces audio, video and digital content covering local news, education, arts and culture. RTVS houses WFIU, a public radio station, and WTIU, a PBS station operated by IU. RTVS also works with IU Athletics. The IU Board of Trustees governs WFIU and WTIU. However, the outlets are editorially independent from Indiana University.
IU executive director of media relations Mark Bode said IU could not comment on “individual personnel matters.”
“RTVS’s vital community and university service missions remain a priority for IU, and we aim to ensure even more success and impact from RTVS moving forward,” Bode said in a statement to the IDS.
