Vicky Mann, who was hired last July, declined to comment on why she was let go by KCPW.

"It's an interesting story, but I'm pretty outspoken, and that's my personality, and I try to do things the best that they can be done," Mann said. "It boils down to having enough money in the coffers to do what you want to do. In the 13 years of the station's existence, that's always been the issue."

Since Mann was hired in July 2004, the station increased its staff to eight, made programming changes and acquired an AM wavelength at 1010 AM (the station's programming also can be heard at 88.3 FM and 105.3 FM).

"The year I spent there we made a lot of changes," Mann said. "I assembled a killer staff, and they're making great headway, and I wish them great success with the marketing campaign."

Blair Feulner, holder of the licenses for KCPW and sister NPR station KPCW in Park City, declined to comment about the firing or Mann's potential replacement. Chris Eisenberg, former on-air personality and station manager of KCPW was hired as an interim manager.

Before Mann was hired by KCPW, she worked 30 years in commercial radio, including CBS radio in Chicago, Citadel Communications, and last for KSL radio as an account manager. Before that, she was the advertising manager for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics for two years.

"Fundraising is critical to the survival of any radio station, and KCPW in particular is not supported by a university. So you're really out there shaking the trees, and you have to constantly work on it," she said about the differences between public and commercial radio. "It is a different animal and there were things I had to do to get the radio station into shape, to get the programming right, and so on, and that's what I spent a good deal of time on."