PBS 39, aka Lehigh Valley Public Media, has gone through some tough times. It is losing money and has cut jobs and is prepared to cut expenses if revenue continues to fall short.
The outfit is overseen by a board of directors, but they need help. For one thing, board minutes noted that they are having trouble getting members to attend committee meetings.
Meanwhile, the organization has an $80 million endowment. That pile of money needs to be protected.
LVPM, to use the acronym, has noted that television and radio are faltering. Perhaps that is why it decided to put money into local news? Unfortunately, as just about everybody knows, local news across the U.S. is also faltering.
I support local news. I put 12 years of my life into it, though I spent the bulk of my career at Bloomberg LP, an international company.
I even subscribe to a local paper that does not have much local news in it and has unfortunately lifted paragraphs from me.
But, alas, I would not invest money in local news, beyond the small expense of this news site.
Can it work? Maybe, but it is time to put the financial house in order and fight off any attempts to throw more public money at 39.
PBS 39 needs to get its house in order. Can the board do it? I am sure they are trying, but there is oversight at the federal level.
The Inspector General of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting “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.”
That sounds like just what the Lehigh Valley public outlet needs.
I have contacted the Inspector General twice. I advise anybody who cares about accountability at PBS 39 to do the same.
The email address is oigemail@cpb.org and a link to the office is below.
I also recommend contacting your county, state, city and federal officials and asking them not to provide money to PBS 39 until there has been a review of what it is up to. Part of LVPM’s latest plan is to seek more state and federal money — your money. No, no, and no.
I also know somebody who would be perfect for the PBS board (not me) but somebody who actually knows television, commercial and public. If 39 wants the name, they can contact me.
I have doubts about this organization’s ability to divine the future of media, and its financial performance speaks for itself. See earlier posts on this blog.
Here is the link to the Inspector General for public broadcasting:
I suggest that anybody who cares about PBS 39 — and I acknowledge that is probably not many people — contact the IG.
If you hate it and don’t think it should exist, contact them. If you love it and want it to continue, contact them.
The office is not the place to complain to about programming or allegations of political bias. This is about money and management.
I can’t claim to know what is going on at PBS 39, but I’m not sure if they do either. I attended the July board meeting virtually, and it was a stunner.
More later.
Jeff Ward, editor of Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 