BY PATIENCE COLLIER, Assistant News Editor
After multiple students complaining to Human Resources, the Burg, Central’s student run radio station, terminated four administrators in the span of a few months.
Over the course of last year, the Burg lost four administrators. Jessica Castaneda, former broadcast technician, resigned in February, Kurt Oberloh was terminated in the spring quarter, and in the following months, Chris Hull and Jonathan Cerney were also asked to resign.
The administrative staff positions have been filled by all new personnel, chosen for experience and background. Chris Pearce, production coordinator at the Burg, was enthusiastic about the new staff.
“The Burg is going through very serious changes,” Pearce said. “We’ve got new, creative minds hard at work.”
Jeffrey Cote, the Burg’s former news and public affairs coordinator, said that the atmosphere in the radio station had been very stressful and tense in the time before the personnel changes. Cote also said that the main complaint against the administrators was their authoritative attitude towards the students.
“They were the boss, they were in charge – in student media, that should not be the case,” Cote said.
A former student employee of the Burg, who wished to remain anonymous, agreed.
“The bigger picture with the entire management was that it wasn’t focused on the students,” the source said. “Four students complained to Human Resources about [the Burg] not being student-oriented, and not feeling represented.”
The source also said that the school’s administration had worked very quickly to address the problem, once it had been made clear.
“Action was taken almost immediately; within two weeks, something was done about it. They kept us in the know the whole time.”
After Oberloh and Hull had left, the university hired Jillian Ingram as an interim general manager over the summer. Ingram was in the running for the general manager, but the job eventually went to Box. Pearce said the station was going through very serious changes with the new staff.
“It’s about time we bring more of an education element into this place, rather than just a clique, or a club,” Pearce said.
Pearce specified that the Burg would be working to get more involved with the community on campus, and the Communications department as well, especially with the lack of a major radio curriculum in the broadcast journalism major.
“We’re really putting more effort into the music. Listening to students is something we’re all about. It’s your channel,” Pearce said. “We’ve always said that, but I don’t know if it was true.”
