[Kzyxtalk] KZYX GM/ED Selection Process

[Scott Peterson]

Dear Mr. Hopmann,


I understand that you presided over the MCPB Board of Directors that

hired John Coate as General Manager / Executive Director of MCPB. 

That's recorded in the meeting minutes here:

http://www.kzyx.org/images/pdf/mtg_minutes/Minutes%20of%20KZYX%20Board%20mtg%208-08.pdf

It has just come to my attention that Mr. Coate has a disability serious

enough to have been disqualified from military service. You can read

about that in Mr. Coate's memoir here:

http://johncoate.com/porchlight_story.html 

As you can see, the nature of Mr. Coate's disability is psychological.

This undoubtedly had a negative impact on his ability to operate the

only high-power public radio station in Mendocino County. And given

MCPB's serious financial decline during his -- and your -- leadership,

it was a bad choice. Certainly for MCPB and KZYX. And for Mr. Coate

as well.

I'm sure you must realize what a challenging position that is. Even for

healthy individuals. I can't imagine how difficult it'd be for someone

in Mr. Coate's condition. And for anyone working with him. In fact, it

seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

Mr. Coate's memoir is on his website. It was published in January of

2008. Seven months before you hired him. It's next to his resume.

According to the meeting minutes, you had "50-60" job applicants.

And that you went through "all the right formal processes" in hiring 

Mr. Coate. Did that include screening for psychological disabilities?

Also, Mr. Coate's background seems problematic as well. His only

management experience was virtual, i.e., in chat rooms. In particular,

one called 'Habbo Hotel'. A place with a reputation for pedophiles, 

hate speech and cyber bullies. You can read about that here:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/habbo/user-reviews/adult

In fact, Mr. Coate worked there for two years as a cartoon character 

named 'brojo'. Who gained a reputation for stealing cabbages and

farting in teleporters. You can read about that here:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=brojo&defid=1117424

Does that seem like the appropriate experience for the someone to

run Mendocino County's only high-power public radio station? Were

the other job applicants _less_ qualified than Mr. Coate? That's hard

to imagine.

I know that you have experience in psychological operations. And that

you even got a medal for it. What impact would hiring someone like

Mr. Coate have on other board members? Or employees? How would 

that tend to affect morale? Or membership? What impact would that 

tend to have on major donors? Like the CPB?

Did you ever see 'The Producers', Mr. Hopmann? It was a story about

a couple of Broadway producers who made the worst hiring decisions

imaginable. To undermine their own musical -- 'Springtime for Hitler'.

Now for one last question. In retrospect. Is there any possible way that 

you could have made a _worse_ hiring decision than John Coate?

Sincerely,

Scott M. Peterson

Mendocino

cc:    Meg Courtney -- mcourtney1 (at) mcn.org

         John Coate -- tex (at) well.com

         Jonathan Middlebrook -- suspiry (at) gmail.com

         Stuart Campbell -- scamp1104 (at) comcast.net

         Benj Thomas -- ukiahguy (at) yahoo.com

         Jenness Hartley -- bronzegold (at) gmail.com

         Jane Futcher -- janefutcher (at) me.com

         Clay Eubank -- clayeubank (at) gmail.com

         KZYX Talk -- kzyxtalk (at) lists.mcn.org

         David Hopmann -- david.hopmann (at) pillsburylaw.com

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