Christo at Murrow Center

Published Feb 28 2006, 03:39 PM by webteam

There's been a Jane Christo sighting, of sorts. Since she resigned in October 2004 during a roiling management scandal after 25 years at the helm of WBUR, Christo -- who is credited with the programming brilliance that turned WBUR into a major NPR flagship and faulted for her autocratic stewardship of an unhappy, turbulent workplace -- has laid pretty low.

But now on the Web page for the Edward R. Murrow Center at Tufts Fletcher School is this little blurb about the former WBUR GM:

Ms. Christo is developing programs with the Fletcher School’s Edward R. Murrow Center for journalists reporting in fledgling democracies and areas of crisis.

Christo tells Media Log that the Tufts gig is really an extensive of a program she initiated at WBUR to train foreign journalists -- largely from the Middle East and the Balkans. "I've more or less taken this program to the Fletcher School," she says. "It's something I have a great deal of passion for."

This is by no means a second career for Christo, who is still looking around for a post-WBUR gig. When I spoke to her, she at first seemed unaware that Tufts had even officially announced the project.

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3 Comments

A. Nonnie Moose said:

Tell Insane Jane to keep her passions to herself. Nice to be able to listen to BUR with a clear conscience these days. I'm even giving them money again now that she's gone.

February 28, 2006 5:16 PM
Man With One Hand said:

I certainly enjoy Jane-bashing, and I loathed the culture she created that allowed some really useless people to stay in power at WBUR while many good, talented folks were shown the door (or quit in disgust). But at the same time, I can't deny she did turn WBUR into the product of excellence it is today, and she sacrificed herself to do it. Whether knowlingly or not, her management style had a good chance of success...but it also guaranteed that someday the entire world would turn on her. I do vaguely admire that kind of single-minded commitment to any cause, no matter what the personal cost. Anyways, I can't believe any station in the country would touch Jane with a 10 foot pole today. Nobody will look at her and think about how WBUR went from nothing to everything under her watch...they'll just think about all the hatred that spewed forth from everyone associated with her, and they'll think about the $12 million in deficits she racked up. That said, maybe UMass Lowell will hire her; they seem determined to beat their students into the ground until they abandon the student radio station (WUML) so it'd be a perfect fit, eh? :-) Kidding, just kidding...god I hope they don't hire her...

March 1, 2006 3:50 PM
A. Nonnie Moose said:

I'm not asking to be rhetorical. Can someone (maybe Mark, if you're reading this?) clarify for me the extent to which it is fair to attribute the success of WBUR solely to Jane Christo? I greatly admire what has been accomplished there. And I suspect lots of others deserve credit, but you never hear about anyone but Christo. Meanwhile, as was said, she drove them into debt in the end, and she lost a lot of very talented people along the way (often by firing them). For my part, I'd say WGBH deserves some credit for WBUR's succcess, for so completely dropping the ball and letting WBUR run away with public radio in this market. It's easier to succeed when you have no serious competitors.

March 1, 2006 6:50 PM