UT Appoints Interim KUT General Manager Following Hiott's Termination

The University of Texas has appointed Gerald Johnson, a Moody College of Communication leader, as the interim general manager of KUT following the termination of Debbie Hiott. Hiott was fired after a dispute over KUT's inaugural festival, which UT wanted to cancel due to security concerns. Hiott refuted these claims, stating that the station had followed all safety orders and the festival was held at a private off-campus location in early May. Johnson, who most recently served as the executive director for innovation and partnerships at Moody College, has worked at UT for over a decade and previously spent 16 years at the Houston Chronicle in various roles. Hiott had led KUT Public Media since 2019, overseeing KUT 90.5 and KUTX 98.9 within UT's Moody College of Communication.