The board of directors of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters has dismissed NFCB President Maxie Jackson as of March 4. He had led the organization since January 2010.
Neither Jackson nor Sue Matters, chair of the NFCB Board, would discuss the reasons for Jackson’s dismissal, due to terms of a severance agreement. NFCB Board Treasurer Janis Lane-Ewart is acting as interim president of the organization. The board plans to start a nationwide search for a new leader.
“The board intends to continue with all the work that’s currently in motion,” said Matters, station manager of KWSO in Warm Springs, Ore. “Nothing is going to change with that.”
The dismissal “was a huge mistake,” said Ginny Berson, NFCB v.p. Berson credited Jackson with stabilizing the organization’s finances and with developing its 5×5 Model, a training program to help community radio stations improve in the areas of engagement, programming, development, governance and compliance. The model has been “fabulous” and engaged many stations, Berson said.
Board members had praised the 5×5 Model as recently as January, during a planning meeting, Berson said. She has heard that board members said their vision for NFCB differed from Jackson’s, but “that’s incredible to me, because I’ve never heard the board articulate a vision.”
The board had also cited “style issues” with Jackson, she said, but “you don’t fire a visionary leader over style issues, in my opinion.”
The timing of the board’s decision was especially bad, Berson said. NFCB’s conference will be held in San Francisco May 29–June 1. In addition, three North Carolina stations that serve African-American audiences are meeting this week to discuss a collaborative programming and development project that Jackson had been shepherding.
Jackson is now working as a consultant and hopes to find another job in public broadcasting.
Style issues? What a step backward for the NFCB, and for its member stations. Maxie & Ginny were a great team, and articulated a vision of growth and development for community radio that was desperately needed. Thanks for your great work, Maxie, and I wish you the best (and a more appreciative board) wherever you go next.
Maxie you will be missed. I have enjoyed my time spent on NFCB’s African American Public Radio Stations advisory council, and I hope we will still be able to move forward on the groundwork the group laid together with you. I’ll be looking out for you wherever you land in the larger public media community. Good luck!
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