Months of public discontent about how the Vineyard’s local National Public Radio station is being managed came to a head Friday, when about 60 CAI listeners protested the station’s ribbon cutting ceremony for its new location in Falmouth.

CAI’s parent company, GBH, which is headquartered in Boston, elected earlier this year to move the station out of Woods Hole’s historic Captain Davis House, despite a million-dollar community campaign to stop it. Last week, it came to light that GBH will not provide space in the new building for Atlantic Public Media, CAI’s founding company that has created award-winning programming for the station from the Davis House for 25 years.

Many listeners who rely on CAI for Cape and Islands news are concerned about what GBH’s recent decisions could mean for the station and its hyper-local identity.

“I just think GBH is possibly shooting themselves in the foot,” said Islander and former CAI contributor Shelley Christiansen, who publicized the protest on Facebook last week.

Both Atlantic Public Media and CAI were founded in 2000 by six-time Peabody-Award winning broadcast journalist Jay Allison, with CAI operated as a service of GBH. Under Mr. Allison’s leadership, Atlantic Public Media has produced several globally-recognized programs, including The Moth Radio Hour, Sonic IDs and This I Believe.

Jay Allison hosting the Moth on the Vineyard in 2022. He founded CAI and Atlantic Public Media in 2000.

Mark Alan Lovewell

Jay Allison hosting the Moth on the Vineyard in 2022. He founded CAI and Atlantic Public Media in 2000.

Mark Alan Lovewell

Last Wednesday, Mr. Allison published an open letter criticizing GBH’s decision to bar Atlantic Public Media from sharing space in the new location, and announced he would not attend Friday’s ceremony. He also announced he would be removing his name from CAI’s Jay Allison Founders Fund, which matches gifts to the station.

“As you may have heard, current management at GBH has decided to terminate the contracted access and office space for APM in the new facility,” Mr. Allison wrote. “APM is being locked out of the radio station it founded. The reason cited is security.”

When GBH decided to sell the Davis House in Woods Hole, Atlantic Public Media helped with local fundraising efforts. Listeners quickly raised $1.8 million through the Woods Hole Community Association, which purchased the building and offered GBH the opportunity to have CAI stay in the building rent-free. But GBH declined the offer — a move that confused Mr. Allison.

“I’ve been mystified at why they’ve done this,” he said in an interview with the Gazette. “I remain that way, and I think a lot of other people do. Basically, our question is, why?”

GBH president Susan Goldberg previously said the move was being undertaken in part because CAI was losing approximately $500,000 a year, and the studio needed upgrades to meet broadcasting standards.

Mr. Allison said he was also surprised by the fact that GBH would not provide space for Atlantic Public Media in the new location. He found out about the decision a week before the ribbon cutting. He said Atlantic Public Media staff will only be allowed in the Falmouth office at GBH employees’ discretion.

Captain Davis house had been the longtime home of CAI.

Ray Ewing

Captain Davis house had been the longtime home of CAI.

Ray Ewing

“We are the founding group and principal producing partners,” he said. “We’ve had access and key cards and been in the studio for 25 years, 24/7. We do a lot of our work in the evening, so we don’t disturb the news shows.... It’s worked great.”

Currently, Atlantic Public Media continues to operate at the Davis House. Mr. Allison said not sharing a physical space with CAI will be an adjustment. He nonetheless praised GBH for years of “excellent partnership” with CAI.

“I think it’s more the spirit of the thing, that hugely fruitful collaboration between APM and WCAI... [that] we value, and now mourn a bit,” he said.

GBH spokesperson Nicole Boudreau provided the Gazette with a statement in response to Mr. Allison’s letter.

“CAI is focused on our mission – covering local stories about the Cape and islands,” the statement reads. “We’re excited to be moved into our new, state-of-the-art studio in Falmouth, a space that is accessible and has room to bring the community together for in-person events. Atlantic Public Media continues to create programming for CAI and CAI continues to air it. As always, APM staff remain welcome to work on our programs in the CAI offices when they are open. We’re grateful for Jay Allison’s work and share his passion for public radio and trusted journalism.”

Ms. Boudreau did not define the exact security concerns to which Mr. Allison’s letter refers, but confirmed that only CAI staff have the keys to the office.

Tessa Morgan, owner of Flying Pig Pottery in Woods Hole, was at the protest Friday.

For years she made the themed mugs CAI has sold to raise funds for the station. But now, she’s discontinuing the long-standing partnership, accusing GBH of “underhandedness” and a “lack of transparency.”

Ms. Morgan was already disappointed by GBH’s sale of the Davis House and its decision to lay off longtime CAI news editor Steve Junker. For her, GBH’s decision to not provide dedicated space for Atlantic Public Media in the new building was “the last straw.”

“I think the worst part is the way GBH has behaved, which is so shocking for public radio,” she said. “It kind of mirrors what’s happening in the country right now, where locals and people’s voices don’t seem to matter.”

For much of the protest, Ms. Morgan said the crowd simply chanted, “why?”

Rep. Thomas Moakley attended the ceremony and protest to listen to citizens’ concerns.

“I have been a longtime listener of WCAI and while it was disappointing they decided to leave Woods Hole, it’s important that they stayed local,” he wrote to the Gazette. “I spent time with some of the folks in the parking lot and hope some of the leaders from Boston did as well, since they know the station must remain of and for the community.”

Mr. Allison told the Gazette that Atlantic Public Media is figuring out the best path forward, but for now it remains in the Davis House.

“In these days, when public media is under such great attack from outside, we should be joining forces,” he said. “We will keep doing the work. We’ll figure out a way to do it.”

Editor's note: this article has been updated to reflect the number of employees recently laid off at CAI.