Christopher Lydon returns to public radio, but WGBH this time

Let's not rewrite history here - yes, Lydon and McGrath (his producer) were getting big bucks (well for public radio - not really for successful talk radio in general). And yes, on top of that they were asking for a slice of the syndication revenue. But honestly, they and their crew made The Connection into a serious moneymaker for WBUR, and were becoming real powers not just in boston-area talk radio, but nationwide as well. In it's last year with Lydon, the show allegedly brought in about $2M/year (just through rights sales - not counting subscriber revenue) - that's 10% of the WBUR budget. And at the time, WBUR was claiming that it was poised to break nationally in a huge way and quadruple that amount in the next several years - That's would have increased WBUR's revenue by a third!

I can see why Lydon&Co felt they were due a piece of that action. Otoh, I can see why the mgmt was paranoid after letting Car Talk "get way", and WBUR General Mgr Jane Christo had a rep as a strong hand. She and Lydon at loggerheads was a recipe for disaster from the start.

Unfortunately, although On Point is a decent show, it's not as consistently excellent as The Connection. And Christo, whatever her former successes, didn't leave WBUR better than she found it.

Chris Lydon may be legitimately accused of being self-aggrandizing, but you'll note that when he left, a bunch of people left with him. When Christo left, she left alone.