Lehigh Valley Public Media asked Easton earlier this year for $10,000.
I’m happy to report that Easton did not give them $10,000.
I’m not happy to report that it did agree to provide $8,000 to an organization that burned through millions of public dollars in the year ended in June 2023. LVPM, known to many as PBS 39, took in $6.49 million in revenue and spent $15.15 million, for a loss of $8.66 million.
That’s a loss of almost $1,000 per hour — PER HOUR. Take $8.66 million, divide it by 8,760 hours in a year: $988.58 cents PER HOUR.
To be honest, I’m kind of impressed. How can a fairly small PBS outfit in South Bethlehem go through that kind of money?
On the other hand, I’m outraged, particularly because the organization plans to seek more state and federal money to burn.
LVPM has $80 million of public money in an endowment, mostly from the sale of airwaves several years ago.
Despite that, it had the nerve to ask Easton for $10,000 of its Community Block Grant money, a federal program that is supposed to help low- and middle-income people.
Do those reruns of Antiques Roadshow qualify?
Anyway, Easton City Council voted to give Lehigh Valley Public Media $8,000 for something. It doesn’t really matter what, money goes into a pot and flows out.
Why does an organization with $80 million go after little grants? Why does it not live within its means? Who is overseeing this group?
There is a board of directors. It’s time for them to answer.
It is time for people to demand accountability, to ask local, state and federal governments to stop the flow of public money to this organization. LVPM by its own admission is seeking a “transformation” but based on its financial track record, will it make good decisions?
There is $80 million of public money at stake, and a bad track record.
Stop the financial madness. Ask all elected officials you know to take a hard look at this place. City, county, state and federal. I have started contacting them, but the more people who do it, the better.
Ask the Inspector General for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to review the Lehigh Valley outlet’s operations.
What is going on is not sustainable. Don’t give them more money to burn.
Just say no.
Contact the Inspector General: oigemail@cpb.org
— Jeff Ward, editor, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Easton City Council meeting link, see the 49-minute mark:
https://boxcast.tv/view/city-council-6262024-mwdd3oamaljbijrqrizx
Inspector General hotline:
https://cpboig.oversight.gov/hotline
Lehigh Valley Public Media board of directors:
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 