WXPN manager retires after nine years at U.

After almost nine trailblazing years at the helm of WXPN, the University's public radio station, General Manager Mark Fuerst has announced plans to retire from his post. Fuerst and WXPN have received several awards including what many consider to be the most prestigious radio award -- the George Foster Peabody Award in 1990. "I have been here for about nine years and I felt like some of the best things I can do, I have done and I'm in the way of other people developing," Fuerst said. He said his main goal was to create a new type of public radio station for "younger listeners" aged 25 to 39. He added that in striving to achieve that goal, "WXPN became the fastest growing public radio station in the United States, in both audience and financial terms." Executive Director of the 21st Century Project Kim Morrisson, who has had the opportunity to work closely with Fuerst, had nothing but accolades for the general manager. "He is one of the most creative minds in public radio and he's recognized as such," Morrisson said. "I think he proved it with the work he's done at WXPN. He literally built the station into a public radio station that has a national reputation, that is considered one, I think, of the most creative stations in public radio." WXPN attracts 230,000 local listeners per week, an increase of 538 percent from 36,000 people when Fuerst took over. And each week 1.5 million people hear WXPN-produced programs on affiliate stations.

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