WABE lays off classical hosts

Classical music will continue on WABE 90.1-FM, but after Dec. 5 it might not be accompanied by the voices of two veteran hosts.

Robert Hubert, the station’s evening announcer for “Nocturne,” and “Afternoon classics” host Wanda Yang Temko were recently laid off in what Temko called “a restructuring due to budgetary shortfalls.”

Two classical announcer jobs were combined into one and a new reporter slot was created: The station’s website currently lists openings for “classical host/librarian” and “on-air host/reporter.”

Both WABE general manager John Weatherford and program director Lois Reitzes (host of the morning “Second Cup Concert”) were out of town on Friday and unavailable for comment.

Temko and Hubert were encouraged to reapply for these new positions.

“It’s humiliating to be fired from your job then told to reapply for a demotion,” Temko said Friday. Her full-time position paid about $36,000 annually and required at least three hours a day on the air plus production, editing, interviews and various cataloguing and other off-air duties.

WABE’s new plan, according to Temko, is to move drive-time afternoon host John Lemley to early afternoons with a program mixing classical music and talk. There are no plans to significantly reduce the number of hours classical music heard on WABE —- an issue that has stirred some controversy in recent years.