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KUT Public Media General Manager Debbie Hiott was fired Monday by leadership at UT Austin. The dismissal followed a dispute ahead of KUT’s inaugural festival in May and comes at a time when public radio stations across the country are dealing with mounting financial and political pressures.
Today, the university named an interim general manager to lead the station going forward. We’ll tell you what we know about the firing and the new leader on today’s show.
The firing has raised questions from listeners and readers about how KUT and the university are connected — as well as how monetary donations to KUT/X impact UT Austin. We’ll share answers to those questions.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] KUT public media general manager Debbie Hyatt was fired Monday by leadership at UT Austin. The dismissal followed a dispute ahead of KUT’s inaugural festival in May, and comes at a time when public radio stations across the country are dealing with mounting financial and political pressures. The university named today an interim general manager to lead the station going forward. We’ll tell you what we know about the firing and the new leader, coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:33] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:39] And the firing has raised questions from listeners and readers about how KUT and the university are connected, and how monetary donations to the stations impact the university. We’re going to answer those questions and bring you the latest on this developing story. That is up next, it’s right here on Austin Signal. This is Austin Signal. It is Tuesday, June 16th. I’m your host, Jerry Kikono. Thank you for being with us today. Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday fired KUT Public Media’s general manager, Debbie Hyatt. The Texas newsroom’s Nina Satija, investigative reporter and editor, has been reporting on this developing story and she is here with us now. Nina, thanks for being here. Thanks so much for having me. So this all happened really quickly yesterday afternoon. I got an email about 3.30 with the news. Can you tell us what exactly happened with Debbie’s firing?
Neena Satija [00:01:40] Debbie told me in a phone interview yesterday that she was invited to a meeting with the interim dean of the Moody College of Communications. That’s the department that houses KUT. On Monday morning, that was yesterday morning. So she got this invite. She wondered if that meant she might be about to be fired. A few hours later, she attended this meeting with the Interim Dean of Moody college and she was presented with the option to either resign or be fired
Jerry Quijano [00:02:06] And what was the reasoning for that being on the table?
Neena Satija [00:02:11] Debbie says that according to her resignation letter, or I’m sorry, to the termination letter that they gave her a chance to look at, the firing is because of her performance.
Jerry Quijano [00:02:24] And we have a little bit of tape from that. Let’s listen to it real quick.
Debbie Hiott [00:02:27] A letter from the dean to me saying that because of planning problems with the KUT festival and security issues and my behavior after we were told we would have to relocate the festival that she had lost her faith in my ability, my leadership of the station.
Neena Satija [00:02:56] That’s right, so basically a job performance issue, as the letter sort of describes, and it has to do with this weeks old by now dispute over the planning and the running and the location of the KUT Festival.
Jerry Quijano [00:03:08] And that letter was sent by the interim dean. What did they have to say about this?
Neena Satija [00:03:12] You know, we all had a chance to talk to the interim dean at a meeting this morning. That’s KUT staff and KUTX staff. She did own the decision for deciding to fire Debbie Hyatt, but she would not comment on why we pointed out. I pointed out that I thought that was interesting. She said, you know, the university doesn’t comment on employment matters, but the reality is the university publicly shared a letter they had sent to Debbie Hyat weeks ago, accusing her of making false statements related to the festival and kind of accusing her of a whole host of things related to poor planning. So we couldn’t really square this understanding of, well, we don’t comment on personnel matters, but we did make this letter public weeks ago, you know, regarding allegations about Debbie Hyatt’s job performance. So we don’t really know what to make of that.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:01] That was the interim dean. What about other university leadership have we heard from anybody else?
Neena Satija [00:04:05] I reached out to the University of Texas at Austin spokesperson, Mike Rosen. He also said the university doesn’t comment on employment matters. But the dean, of course, did announce to us that we have a new interim general manager. His name is Gerald Johnson. He is the interim general manger. He is currently the executive director for innovation and partnerships at the Moody College. And he’s worked with KUT and even with Debbie Hyatt before. So, he’s going to be, as he described to us during the staff meeting, leading us through this transition for at least three months, that’s according to him.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:42] Was there anything else that he said during that meeting that stood out to you?
Neena Satija [00:04:46] He told us that he does not anticipate further changes to the way we do our jobs, or any changes to the ways we do jobs at KUT. Now we don’t really know, you know, that’s just what he said. He also vowed that we would be able to remain editorially independent and continue our operations, and that he had been given authorization to immediately start a search for the new general manager. So those are the things that he was trying to emphasize that we would continue to be able to be KUT, be KutNews and KutX just as we have been, despite this very unsettling development for the whole staff. And so we’ll just see how that plays out.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:26] This has been a developing story for almost 24 hours now, and you are reporting on it. Lots of members of the KUT newsroom have been reporting on, and you were basically reporting on it as you came into the studio today. What other questions are you and other reporters following up on right now?
Neena Satija [00:05:42] We have a lot of questions. I think we are interested in what’s going to happen to the station. What’s the future of KUT? KUT is entirely funded by community and business donations, even though it is housed on UT’s campus. And so what happens to those donations? How do the station’s business operations sort of maintain that continuity and make members feel like they should keep donating? And then we also still want to understand what actually happened here. I’ve already done some reporting indicating that. We just don’t have a lot of evidence for what the university has been saying about the planning of the KUT Festival. And if anything, we’ve gotten records indicating the opposite of what the University has claimed. And so we are still reporting that out and trying to figure out what actually happened there. Was there a security issue? Was there something else going on? We’re still working on that.
Jerry Quijano [00:06:30] Okay, well, there has been a lot of reporting that the KUT Newsroom has been doing on this story. We will put all of that in today’s podcast show notes. And as it continues to develop, we will bring you the latest here on Austin Signal. We have been speaking with Nina Satija, investigative editor and reporter for the Texas Newsroom. Thank you for coming on the show. Thank you. Okay, Well, this story has generated tons of questions from listeners and readers of KUT News and KUTX in the Texas Standard. Namely, more specifics about the connection between KUT Public Media and UT Austin and the funding mechanism for the stations and for the shows. Here to answer some of those questions and talk about KUT’s path forward is Matt Riley, Associate General Manager for Programming at KUT and KUTx. Matt, thank you for coming on the show. Thanks for having me. So we’ve had a lot of questions. We’ve been seeing lots of questions from lots of listeners. And I wanted you to explain as clearly as you can the relationship between UT and KUT.
Matt Reilly [00:07:27] So the University of Texas owns the licenses for KUT and KUTx. So for all intents and purposes, we are a part of the University of Texas and we are housed inside the Moody College of Communications and we report to the Dean.
Jerry Quijano [00:07:42] Of the movie college and this is not a lay outer situation that’s unique to KUT and UT this happens with lots of other radio stations in the country correct
Matt Reilly [00:07:51] Yes, we are a university licensee. So a lot of stations are what they call community licensees where they are governed by a board made up of members of the community. We are governed by the University of Texas and then we have an advisory board that just kind of helps us make decisions.
Jerry Quijano [00:08:11] After yesterday’s firing of Debbie Hyatt, I think there may be some concern among the community that this move will effectively result in censorship going forward for KUT or for KU-TX. How will this move affect KUT’s coverage?
Matt Reilly [00:08:24] Not at all. We are continuing to do the work we have always done. Nothing for the audience or for you, the listener, is going to change in that regard. We are committed to providing the best news, music, entertainment coverage of Austin and Central Texas. And none of that changes with this news.
Jerry Quijano [00:08:47] Okay, well, still looking forward, I think there also may be concerns among some in the audience that Debbie’s successor could somehow be chosen by the university leadership. Can you talk about the hiring process that is gonna happen going forward?
Matt Reilly [00:09:01] Yeah, so you may have seen the news that we now have an interim general manager, Gerald Johnson. Gerald and I have worked together for many years. I’ve known Gerald for over 10 years, and he was a staff member of KUT for two years, and he has helped us in numerous ways around fundraising and revenue. And so I’m very familiar, and a lot of the staff is very familiar with Gerald. I just wanna get that out of the way. He is not an unknown. Entity to us. So we like Gerald, we know Gerald, but going forward, Gerald is a caretaker in his words. And so he is here to help shepherd the search process for the next general manager of KT and KTX. And, so what we were told today by the dean and by Gerald is that this will be a national search. It will be open to applicants from all over. It won’t uh… Not be a closed door process it will be very similar to every other general manager search we’ve had in the past
Jerry Quijano [00:10:04] I wanted to ask when there is leadership change in these types of news organizations, a lot of times the first things people think to do is to pull their financial support if they don’t agree with the moves that might happen. What would be your message to supporters of KUT and KUTX right now in this moment of change, of leadership change.
Matt Reilly [00:10:23] Well, let me back up a little bit to a year ago. So the federal government rescinded public media funding. We still are reckoning with that from a year. And so we’re looking at a new budget year coming up September 1st. We’re looking potentially a deficit going into a fiscal year 27. So I would. Ask that folks who are fans of KUT and KUTX and like the work that we do to continue your support. I understand if this news gives you some trepidation around that, but just know that all money we raise goes right back into the programming here. It doesn’t disappear into mysterious coffers. It goes right into the programing on the news and the music side. So it enables us to do the best work we can when we get a good flow of donations.
Jerry Quijano [00:11:21] Any last message, Matt, for KUT and KUTx listeners about the station and the sound of it going forward?
Matt Reilly [00:11:29] I mean, I understand that this is totally unsettling. It is internally for us here at the radio stations. I mean this caught us all off guard yesterday when it happened. We’re all still processing it. And the main thing, I think, is that we’re not changing how we do business here. Nothing’s going to change. We are still going to report on the same things we report on. We’re still going play the same songs and we’re still gonna mine for the best talent. Uh, to put on the radio and the most newsworthy stories out there in our region. So none of that is changing. And you, the audience, if you sense that, let us know because we are not, uh, changing anything we do editorially. I can tell you that right now. There, there is no, uh… There is not chance that’s happening.
Jerry Quijano [00:12:20] All right, that is Matt Riley. He is the Associate General Manager for Programming here at KUT and KUTx. Matt, thank you. Thanks for having me. Okay, well, as you might understand, it’s been a hectic 24 hours or so here at kut with lots of changes. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the commitment from our newsrooms and our music nerds here to bringing you the best darn radio that you’ve come to count on from KUT. So thank you for tuning in every single day, but especially today, we appreciate you. And we have more Austin Signal coming up after this break. This is Austin Signal, welcome back. The World Cup is in full swing with exciting matches over the past week in Dallas, Houston and many other arenas across North America. Our football experts Jimmy Moss and Juan Diego Garcia from the podcast Vamos Verde are following all the action and bringing you daily updated sprinkles throughout your day here on KUT news. And in the latest episode of Vamos Verde, the fellas caught up with KUTX host and professional soccer announcer Adrian Healy about the squads that they think have the best chance of emerging victorious this summer. Top 2
Juan Diego Garcia [00:13:40] going to be a surprise right anyone but which order that’s what I’m waiting for yeah that is correct so in second I have France okay
Jimmy Maas [00:13:48] Hey, we are in agreement. We agree.
Juan Diego Garcia [00:13:50] We agree. OK, yeah, I think they’re they have this is the Mbappe that.
Jimmy Maas [00:13:55] Everything we just talked about, Cristiano Ronaldo. Yes. Comes to play for Mbappe. Yeah. And they could, I mean, France could win without Mbappé. Like they could like, they have a, they’re lowed out. They’re just loaded. But I feel like the, I don’t know, the gravity pull that he requires. I mean he had an amazing year for, I mean statistically an amazing year for Real Madrid. I think like. Yeah. 45 two goals and 44 appearances or something crazy like that.
Adrian Healy [00:14:27] And not a great Real Madrid team.
Jimmy Maas [00:14:31] And constantly the kind of the chatter was like, mm, eh, you know, it’s just the chemistry’s just not working. Even though like, I mean, I think in the entire history of Austin FC, they’ve scored 42 goals. So you’re being generous. So my point being, there is something there that doesn’t quite work. Now, it worked when he was a young up and comer with veterans on the team to kind of like, you Minimize that yeah, but I mean he can’t we’re talking a whisper thin Margin away from winning last time and we could have gone any way. Yeah in penalties, but he didn’t and that’s the way it goes So I’m not saying that this is a bad team and I’m saying Mbappe will lose it for them But I just feel like there’s it’s a it’s vibes call I guess, you know It’s just kind of like that’s why I put them at two Just because I feel like something there that people can’t really put a finger on and those kind of the Rinaldo thing And what not to messy for so long is until us. Yeah
Juan Diego Garcia [00:15:35] I feel like Mbappé is, his game is better suited to play off of someone like they had at the last tournament, such as Olivier Giroud. Kind of like that Cristiano Ronaldo finisher up top, sort of focal point for him to sort of drift around. I don’t know if Ousmane Dembele is that player. And that’s where I think the big question is, is can Mbappe be that striker or is he better off. Playing off of somebody else that they just don’t have on the team this year.
Adrian Healy [00:16:07] Yeah, because they’ve got Elise and they’ve got due to, I mean, it’s just, as you said, it is unbelievably loaded. But that’s a problem for Disharm, because they all want to play similar positions. They can’t all, you know, maybe he can find a way to shoehorn all four of them in. But I think their Achilles heel, yeah, exactly. Their Achilles heels is at the other end. So they may have to find ways to win shootouts in this competition. You know, win three two, rather than two nothing or one nothing. They have the goal scorers. They do. And they can certainly do it and you know it almost came out of nowhere to win it in 2018 that was when Mbappe was you know what was he wasn’t even 20 at that time and then they’ve got back to another can they make three finals a row brazil were the last time to make last team to make three finals in a row they won it in 94 lost to france in 98 and then won it again in 02 so france looking to follow that can judge it’s de champs last tournament so he’s got his legacy to think about. It’s funny, for a World Cup winning coach, he’s still not that loved in France because they still consider him a bit of a defensive coach, which is strange with all these attacking options. You can’t argue with that.
Jimmy Maas [00:17:10] You can’t argue with success. Yeah. I find generally it is the national pastime everywhere to be upset at your national coach. Yes.
Adrian Healy [00:17:19] That’s very true. I mean, Leon Scaloni for Argentina was derided when he first came in and he’s done nothing but win.
Jimmy Maas [00:17:27] So let’s let’s land on I think Spain is is great you
Juan Diego Garcia [00:17:34] I also think Spain is number one. Going into this.
Jimmy Maas [00:17:37] Why is Spain so good and why do a lot of maybe not all, but why do many, many betting sides and others and ours feel they are odds on one of the two at least.
Adrian Healy [00:17:51] Yeah, well they seem they seem the most complete team doesn’t they when you look at the technical ability from from back to front it doesn’t it does there’s no drop-off like we’re talking with France perhaps the defense is a little bit of a weakness maybe the midfield with Brazil when we mentioned Brazil yet but um but with Spain they’re just the continuity across the board yeah and again talking about continuity it’s pretty much the same team. From 2024 that not many people picked to win the Euros, you know, the European World Cup two summers ago, and they beat England in that final. And that was Lameen Yamal’s coming out party at the age of 16. Oh, by the way, he’s still only 18. I think he’s actually going to turn 19 during this tournament. And this could be his, his tournament. He could, he could take over if he’s fully fit. So this year’s in buffet. Well, exactly. Oyafabal, they have an amazing goalscorer who doesn’t ever get the credit he deserves because he doesn’t play at a, he plays for Real Sociedad, who are not one of the superstar clubs in Spain, but he’s just Mr. Consistency and with Pedri and all the midfield talent they have, it’s hard to make a case that they’re not the favorites and going to be.
Juan Diego Garcia [00:19:04] Were thereabouts. 2010, who was picking Spain to win that World Cup? They were talented. They were definitely like in contention, but I don’t remember Spain being an obvious World Cup champion that year. Yeah. And then they went and won it all.
Adrian Healy [00:19:19] That’s a good point and they like 2010 they’re coming in having won the euros because in 2010 they’d won the Euros in 2008 and still weren’t considered. Yeah, they may have been top five in South Africa in 2010 but they definitely weren’t the favorites.
Jimmy Maas [00:19:32] Technically, there is no better team when they’re on. There is no more fun team to watch, despite what Alexi Lawless might say in some of his broadcasts. I just think there is, there’s a point where momentum gets behind you and you know how to win your way through weird situations, which inevitably come up in tournaments. This is a team that seems to have that package put together. They understand a lot of those things. And There’s the, they have the benefit of youth. Like there’s a lot of people that just, you know, they don’t know they can die. You know?
Juan Diego Garcia [00:20:09] Lamine Yamal is not only turning 19, he’s also two years better than he was at the Euros. Right. It’s, when, when you’re on that side of youth, I feel like the extra time between tournaments helps because you’re still kind of in your physical or approaching your physical prime, but now you have the experience to kind of back it up. Yeah. As opposed to a team like Argentina that is the same team four years on from the time when. Folks expected Leonel Messi to retire from international football. And now he’s back in another turn. Everything was like this.
Jimmy Maas [00:20:42] Back in another turn. Everything was like this could be his last cup last round and here we are again.
Jerry Quijano [00:20:48] And if you want to hear more from the fellas, head on over to the Vamos Verde podcast. We’ll have a link in today’s show notes too. The Texas Longhorn baseball team is still alive in the College World Series after beating Alabama yesterday. Texas will now face Georgia in an elimination game that’s set for tonight at seven o’clock. Texas already lost to Georgia on Saturday night in their opening game of this year’s College World Series. And from KUT’s Art Beat, this weekend in honor of Juneteenth, the Poetry Collective Every Word will host Freeverse, a Juneteeth open mic. It’s scheduled for June 20th at 8 p.m. Out at the Vortex Theater, highlighting black poets and musicians. Poets can sign up at the theater’s box office, and we’re gonna have more coverage of Junetenth activities later this week right here on Austin Signal. That is it for today’s show. Thank you for listening. And seriously, thank you for your support of KUT and KUTX and Texas Standard. We couldn’t do what we do every single day without you. Thank you a million. Thank you to the Austin Signal crew, and we will be back at the same time tomorrow. Talk to you then.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
