Channel 39, which calls itself Lehigh Valley Public Media, has, by its own admission, problems with finances.
Could a federal Inspector General come in to help? I have asked for the IG to monitor what’s going on, and you can too.
The Bethlehem-based outfit, which operates Channel 39, public radio and a public news service, has missed revenue forecasts, shifted money to make payroll, and embarked on some kind of “transformation.” It may even bring in a “transformation officer.”
I will go longer than I like to here and get a bit repetitive, but some drums need to be banged again and again.
The public media outlet has been “rightsized,” but if one lives by jargon, one must die by it too — if it is now “rightsized,” it was “wrongsized” before.
The staff is down to 60 from 80, according to the July meeting of the Board of Directors, and if revenue shortfalls continue, an employee said the PBS outlet is ready to make more expense cuts.
That will not be a surprise. As noted in March by a board member, “each reforecast needs to be continuously corrected as the organization has come up short each time.”
Each time… EACH TIME.
Also in March, “it was determined that the organization has cash needs of $1.438 million dollars (sic) for the remainder of the fiscal year. This week a withdrawal is needed to make payroll.”
I don’t know where that withdrawal is from, but 39 has an $80 million endowment. Are they tapping the endowment for operating costs? Some colleges would envy that big cash pile. As noted earlier, PBS 39 has about twice as much of an endowment as Cedar Crest College.
Even with all that money, the organization is seeking donations and last month, the board heard about a plan to solicit state and federal funds.
If they came to me for money, I’d ask some pretty hard questions, specifically, “What in tarnation is going on there?”
Yet I’m here to help, so as an interested resident I asked the Inspector General for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help little old Channel 39.
Anybody can make that request to the IG. Here comes the cut-and-paste on what the Inspector does:
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a nonprofit corporation that serves as the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is an independent organization within CPB that supports public media by promoting accountability in and providing oversight of CPB funds, programs, operations, and initiatives. The OIG conducts independent audits, investigates complaints, and makes recommendations on how CPB and its grantees can operate more effectively and efficiently, and how to avoid fraud, waste, and abuse.
As noted, the public media outlet has $80 million, financial problems and seeks a new direction, and that’s not from me, that in its own words.
There is no time like the present for an independent watchdog to find out what has been going on.
I don’t know what’s going on there, so I’m just relaying facts. Based on what I see, I wonder who at 39 knows what’s going on.
Anyone who shares my concern can contact the Inspector General at oigemail@cpb.org or 800-599-2170. They don’t want to hear about programming, so don’t complain about tonight’s reruns of Antiques Roadshow. That’s not relevant, for some reason.
Don’t thank me, I’m just doing my civic duty.
Oh, here’s what the board did in March: Resolution 2024-09: Amending the Name of the Ad Hoc Management Council to the Transformation Council.
You can’t make this stuff up.
I am renaming this blog. As of Wednesday, it will be the Billion Dollar News Blog.
Thank you, and as David St. Hubbins said in Spinal Tap, “We hope you enjoy our new direction.”
Links of note:
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Inspector General:
Lehigh Valley Public Media Board of Directors:
https://www.wlvt.org/about/board-of-directors/
March 29 board meeting, minutes:
https://www.wlvt.org/bento-api/filer-file-download/367260/
At the last Executive Committee meeting, it was determined that the organization has cash needs of
$1.438 million dollars for the remainder of the fiscal year. This week a withdrawal is needed to make
payroll. Mr. Bahmueller added that this amount was determined under a worst-case scenario. Mr.
Donnelly noted that each reforecast needs to be continuously corrected as the organization has come
up short each time.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 