As we reported yesterday, Kimmel Prez Janice C. Price announced her resignation, effective early September. Price is taking off for the Great White North to become CEO of Toronto Festival Of Arts, Culture, Creativity. Ah, Canada — that semi-socialist paradise for the arts. (Plus universal health care, the skunkiest of the skunky — and we’re not talkin ’bout the beer — and still no extradition treaty!) During Price’s three-year tenure, the Kimmel pumped a reported $321 million into the local economy via salaries, taxes and various expenditures. How nice for us. Now, in the wake of Price’s announcement, speculation is running hot and heavy about who will replace her. One of the names being batted around by the peanut gallery is WHYY’s imperial president Bill Marazzo, he of the titanic salary and union layoffs. Word has it that Marazzo lobbied for the Kimmel presidency back when it was still just a hole in the ground on Broad street and had to settle for the WHYY captain’s chair. Furthermore, WHYY’s board of directors — who Marazzo has to answer to; cannily stocked with his handpicked cronies — is in a transitional period and looking for a new chairman. According to the minutes obtained by Philebrity from a May meeting, when various board members were kicking around names for a new chairman, Marazzo suggested that current board treasurer — and disburser of his mammoth $466, 640 annual salary — Robert Auritt, who was quoted in a recent City Paper story about WHYY saying that Marazzo was worth every donated penny they spent on him. The rest of the board shot down the idea, suggesting that Auritt didn’t have the necessary juice with the corporate donor community. Read into that what you will. Eyebrows have also been raised around WHYY by the announcement of a rare all-staff meeting on Friday, followed by a BBQ. Is this just a make-nice after all the ugliness surrounding the union contract negotiations? Or will there be some major announcement about a shake-up in the station leadership? Developing…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 12th, 2006 at 1:19 pm.