UT Austin Fires KUT Chief Debbie Hiott After 2026 Festival Security Dispute
Updated
Updated · CultureMap Austin · Jun 16
UT Austin Fires KUT Chief Debbie Hiott After 2026 Festival Security Dispute
3 articles · Updated · CultureMap Austin · Jun 16
Summary
Debbie Hiott, KUT’s general manager since 2019, said UT Austin fired her after concluding festival planning and security problems showed it had lost confidence in her leadership.
An April 29 university legal letter cited missing police coverage, no reunification plan for lost children, no emergency medical plan, weak crowd-control staffing, no weather shelter and no drone overwatch.
Hiott disputed UT’s account, saying KUT had months of meetings but was never told the concerns threatened the festival until the university shifted some May 1-2 events off campus days before launch.
UT declined to discuss personnel matters, while the public fight fueled online claims of political retaliation amid broader campus moves on DEI, civic leadership and pressure over perceived NPR partisanship.
KUT said the university could name an interim general manager as soon as June 16, extending uncertainty at Austin’s NPR member station.