外网天堂

Updated at 8:40 p.m. Oct. 1, with a new statement from Executive Editor Shula Neuman and salary figures for Tim Eby

Although Tim Eby resigned from 漏 2024 外网天堂 last week, he will remain at the station for six months as an executive consultant with the same salary and benefits he received while employed as general manager.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis has not addressed the reasons behind Eby's voluntary resignation. His departure as general manager came roughly a month after .

Eby will receive about $70,000 for serving as an executive consultant reporting to UMSL Chancellor Kristin Sobolik for six months, accordingtoUMSL spokesperson Bob Samples. Eby was recently impacted by pay cuts to those employees making over $50,000, Samples said. That role will end April 2, 2021.

During the . His was made public Monday in response to a records request filed with the University of Missouri鈥檚 Custodian of Records.

Tom Livingston, who was named interim general manager after Eby鈥檚 resignation, will earn $10,635 monthly. But his total compensation is not to exceed $99,999. In addition, UMSL will cover Livingston鈥檚 expenses while he represents 漏 2024 外网天堂, including travel to and from Baltimore, where he is based.

Compensation for Livingston and Eby will come from budget lines assigned to 漏 2024 外网天堂, according to Samples. UMSL is governed by the University of Missouri System's Board of Curators, which holds the licenses for the stations that make up 漏 2024 外网天堂.

鈥淭he bottom line is STLPR鈥檚 budget is UMSL鈥檚 budget,鈥� Samples said in a Thursday email. 鈥淎ll revenue, expenses, reserves, and everything in between is included in the overall UMSL budget.鈥�

Samples said 漏 2024 外网天堂 also would cover any additional consultants the university deems necessary to 鈥渉elp develop a more unified culture鈥� at the station. He said the university would not, for example, take funds from a 漏 2024 外网天堂 budget line to cover student scholarships.

Livingston will work onsite at 漏 2024 外网天堂 two weeks a month. When he is not in St. Louis, he鈥檚 expected to be available for virtual meetings,, which also says he will report directly to Sobolik. Livingston鈥檚 onsite schedule will be developed in consultation with the chancellor.

In his role, Eby will focus on pending matters and other special projects as assigned. Livingston said in a Thursday interview that he doesn鈥檛 anticipate working with Eby directly. If necessary, he said he would work with Eby through Sobolik.

Portions of the contract protect the university from legal action that could be brought by Eby. In addition, the contract says he won鈥檛 attempt to be reinstated in his role, nor will he seek employment at UMSL after his term ends.

Prior to his reassignment, Eby was the subject of complaints by journalists at 漏 2024 外网天堂. They contend that he could have made the station a more diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace. Instead, Eby refused to address discriminatory practices at the station, they said.

However, a line in Eby鈥檚 contract stipulates the agreement is 鈥渘ot intended nor should it be interpreted as an admission of liability by Eby or the university.鈥�

, Marissanne Lewis-Thompson, the only Black newscaster at the station, detailed an incident involving Eby in late 2018, when he introduced her to a donor who is white. The donor looked at Lewis-Thompson and said, 鈥淚鈥檓 so happy they hired someone who looks [emphasis added in original] like you.鈥�

鈥淪he said something else about Black people and diversity, but to be honest, I was still stuck on the first part,鈥� Lewis-Thompson said. She said the encounter was embarrassing because the donor had focused on her 鈥渓ooks.鈥� Then, she turned to Eby hoping he would respond in her defense, but he did not.

A group of the station鈥檚 reporters and producers, all people of color, at 漏 2024 外网天堂, perpetuated by both Eby and other members of the station鈥檚 leadership. In response, university administration hired Tueth Keeney, a St. Louis-based external law firm, to look into the claims and produce a report. But saying they have no confidence in the firm鈥檚 investigation.

The journalists in which a staff member was denied the opportunity to have a witness present during an interview with the firm鈥檚 lawyers. Nor were the journalists initially offered reassurance they would not be retaliated against, according to .

Tanisha Stevens, UMSL鈥檚 vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion, addressed the staff鈥檚 concerns in a Sept. 18 email, obtained through a records request. In the email, Stevens said the investigator鈥檚 role is to listen in order to gather information and provide UMSL administration with a report and analysis. She said University of Missouri System policies prohibit retaliation against anyone making a good-faith report of discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct.

Stevens said university leadership will use the firm鈥檚 report to work toward 鈥渁 positive working environment and an ongoing collaboration to fulfill UMSL鈥檚 mission to students and the community.鈥� Similar messages were shared from university leadership to 漏 2024 外网天堂 staff last week, , an education reporter at 漏 2024 外网天堂.

The officials said that 漏 2024 外网天堂 had 鈥溾�� from UMSL and that they wanted it to be more "鈥� with the university. School officials have not clarified how the station was perceived as straying from UMSL鈥檚 mission.

Many questions remain. Aside from the ongoing investigation by the law firm, 漏 2024 外网天堂 staff members are unclear about what university processes will be implemented to address their concerns. Neither Eby鈥檚 nor Livingston鈥檚 contracts include a resolution for addressing staff allegations.

Shula Neuman, executive editor at 漏 2024 外网天堂, said the station's leadership has approached Livingston about bringing in mediators in order to have an open discussion with staff about concerns, but she doesn鈥檛 know if the request will be accommodated.

Livingston said that if the staff wants to include mediators, he is prepared to explore that as an option and wants to listen to concerns raised at 漏 2024 外网天堂 while 鈥渦nderstanding that there鈥檚 a need for immediate action.鈥�

Many of the staff have said on social media that they have been left in the dark about the university鈥檚 staffing deliberations and decisions, noting they learned about .

Neuman said the station鈥檚 leadership was in a similar position. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been disappointing that even the senior leadership team received no communication from the university regarding Tim鈥檚 change in status,鈥� she said in a Thursday interview. 鈥淲e learned about it the same time everybody else did. We are very much in the dark, and it鈥檚 a very frustrating position for everybody to be in.鈥�

through a tweet that she did not understand how Eby was 鈥渘o longer fit鈥� to be general manager but could remain in a six-month consultancy role. 鈥淚 guess he鈥檚 been given time to as he once told my former colleague to 鈥榬eassess鈥� his situation,鈥� she said.

Eby鈥檚 contract with UMSL includes a stipulation that neither he, nor any of his affiliates, can share details or commentary about his agreement with members of the press.

Some staff members have voiced concerns about finances surrounding the agreements, wondering why , yet two management salaries are to be paid now. In addition, they said . Neuman said Thursday she believes additional staff can't be hired until the law firm completes its investigation.

漏 2024 外网天堂 management chose to pursue layoffs as a cost-saving measure earlier this year. Neuman said the university-driven pay cuts were a 鈥渟urprise to everybody.鈥� She said the university, to her knowledge, had never included 漏 2024 外网天堂 鈥渋n the financial problems the university has.鈥�

Livingston said he is not sufficiently familiar with 漏 2024 外网天堂鈥檚 finances. He did say that getting a clear picture of them is a high priority and that he plans to share findings with the staff. It鈥檚 not unusual for university-affiliated media organizations to be subject to university-wide financial decisions, he said, but a university鈥檚 finances are normally separate from the radio station.

When 漏 2024 外网天堂 staff expressed concern about participating in an upcoming pledge drive, Lewis-Thompson said, journalists were threatened with disciplinary action if they did not participate. UMSL鈥檚 .

In addition, she said, the staff was told that if the station does not raise enough money, . But, Neuman said, the possibility of further layoffs was never directly expressed by station management. She said fundraising efforts are important for the continued operation of the station due to an uncertain future.

After this story was published, a recent email from Neuman was shared with a reporter in which she expressed the possibility of staff layoffs.

鈥淲e are asking you to talk about the service that 漏 2024 外网天堂 provides our region,鈥� Neuman recently wrote, after asking staff members to record short segments for an upcoming pledge drive. 鈥淚f we do not raise enough money, we may be forced to make further cutbacks to that service by laying off more of our colleagues. We鈥檙e asking for your help because our audience looks to you as voices of authority and reason.鈥�

When asked about the conflicting statements, Neuman said she misunderstood the initial question. She said she believed the question was whether leadership had threatened layoffs if employees chose to not participate in fundraising efforts, but that wasn鈥檛 the case.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not discussing imminent layoffs,鈥� Neuman said Thursday evening regarding the email to staff. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more just saying it鈥檚 a possibility 鈥� it鈥檚 always a possibility, unfortunately.鈥� Whether additional staff will be laid off due to 漏 2024 外网天堂鈥檚 financial landscape remains uncertain.

When some staff members asked what would happen if they didn鈥檛 participate in the recorded segments, they were told disciplinary action would be taken for not upholding their roles as outlined in their job descriptions. Neuman said the disciplinary action would be a verbal warning as outlined in university policy. She said no one鈥檚 job was on the line for declining to participate.

Moving forward, Livingston said his goal as interim general manager is to help 漏 2024 外网天堂 move toward a positive future. 鈥淭he most important thing is to start working with the staff to bring everyone together and to move forward to address the concerns that have been raised.鈥�

Correction: Tim Eby will be making about $70,000 in his six-month consultancy role. A previous 漏 2024 外网天堂 report listed an incorrect compensation based on 2019-20 salary figures.

Brian Munoz is a freelance journalist in southern Illinois. He can be reached by email at brianmunozjournalist@gmail.com and on Twitter at @brianmmunoz.

Editor's note: This story was reported by freelance reporter Brian Munoz and edited by Ellen Sweets, who are working independently, without oversight from station managers or editors. Newsroom editors hired them to cover the story of Tim Eby's departure from 漏 2024 外网天堂 and the allegations of systemic racism at the station.