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Executive bows out at WEDUBy ERIC DEGGANS, Times TV Critic
© St. Petersburg Times Days before Tampa public television station WEDU-Ch. 3 welcomes a new president and chief executive officer, it will lose a top executive who has worked there for 30 years. Elsie Garner, chief operating officer and interim president at WEDU, leaves the station today, her position discontinued as the PBS affiliate's board merges her duties with the new president's position. Tampa native and Sarasota businessman Richard M. Lobo takes over as president and CEO on Monday. "It feels weird, but it feels right," said Garner, 54, who was among the 70 applicants considered for the president's position. "I have been here 30 years, and I've done it all. There was this little voice inside me saying, "Is that all there is?' I have an awful lot of other things I want to do, and I want to get started now." Liz Sembler, WEDU board chairwoman, said the move will save money, allowing the station to avoid paying both CEO and COO salaries (Garner earns $107,000 annually). Money troubles forced the station to lay off 18 workers last year and cut $2-million from its budget, prompting then-president and CEO Stephen Rogers to resign. "Elsie did a fabulous job for WEDU," said Sembler. "But the board was looking for a CEO that could help with entrepreneurial fundraising efforts."
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From the wire |
