Ashlie Wilson Pendley, a senior producer at Georgia Public Broadcasting, has resigned to protest the station’s decision in December to hire a former state legislator at the suggestion of Gov. Nathan Deal.
Pendley detailed her decision to leave the station, where she has worked since 1997, in a letter to GPB President Teya Ryan, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In the letter, Pendley said former Georgia Sen. Chip Rogers’ salary of $150,000 is “more than any other Executive Producer, more than many of the Vice Presidents — and all in a time when budget cuts are deep and the rank and file have been told there is no money. I think it is unconscionable to create a position and compensate any individual in this manner during these difficult times.”
The letter added: “For all of those who cannot, I resign in protest. For all those who disapprove but must stand mute for fear of losing their jobs, I take this opportunity to speak up and speak out. This was the wrong decision for GPB. It has the appearance of the political manipulation of the public airwaves. This stinks of cronyism. I believe that this decision was in fact made at the highest political levels and forced upon this organization.”
In related news, Better Georgia, a progressive government watchdog group, has posted a petition calling for Rogers’ termination from GPB, reports alt-newspaper Creative Loafing Atlanta.
It is truly sad when public radio has to resort to hiring a conservative, our tax dollars should not be spent in this manner. Lets keep it the way it is now