University probes management of KWMU in St. Louis
The University of Missouri is reviewing "deficiencies" in management and accounting practices at KWMU, the NPR News station licensed to its St. Louis campus.
The probe, revealed last week in a lengthy exposé by the St. Louis alt-weekly Riverfront Times, was initiated after auditors notified the University’s board of curators of problems with the station’s financial reporting.
In a Jan. 9 letter, the auditors reported inadequate documentation of expenses charged to the Friends of KWMU credit card and said “an employee” had used the card to cover personal expenses, which were later reimbursed. The auditors also faulted internal controls in the station’s accounting system.
Although the accountants didn’t name names, the Times pointed squarely at longtime KWMU manager Patty Wente and cited sources within and outside the station who said an investigation of her management practices is long overdue.
Thomas George, chancellor of the university’s St. Louis campus, notified station employees of the probe last month. “Recently, some issues have been raised concerning KWMU that need to be explored, and I have taken steps to initiate a review of those issues,” he wrote in an April 14 memo. He asked KWMU staff to cooperate with investigators.
To ensure objectivity in the probe, the chancellor referred the matter to university headquarters in Columbia, according to Bob Sample, university spokesman. The review team, which included consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers, arrived on campus last week, he said.
In the article, Vermont Public Radio President Mark Vogelzang backs up accounts of Wente's abusive treatment towards employees and questions her professionalism in other arenas. "Speaking for myself, I've observed her to seem inebriated or under the influence when she's addressed the NPR Board," says Vogelzang, who serves on the board. "What's most dismaying is that her behavior is such a glaring contradiction to what we expect in public radio."
The last paragraph of this article originated on this website and did not appear in the print version.
Web page posted May 12, 2008, updated May 17
Copyright 2008 by Current LLC
