Lehigh Valley Public Media seeks `transformation officer’ after burning through millions of dollars

Lehigh Valley Public Media (known best as PBS 39) seeks a “transformation officer.”

First, the title. “Transformation” sounds like jargon used to obfuscate what is going on, just as “strategic” and “action” do. When somebody’s title has “strategic” in it, I wonder what they really do, if anything. When a plan is an “action” plan, well it’s probably not a plan at all, but perhaps an appeal for money.

I’ve heard LVPM (ugly acronym, sorry) may have chosen such a person already.

LVPM spent $15.15 million in fiscal 2023 while taking in only $6.49 million. That works out to revenue less expenses of negative $8.66 million. In short, this Bethlehem-based outfit spent almost $1,000 more per hour — PER HOUR — than it took in. Impressive, and yet awful.

There is a lot of work to be done, but PBS 39 is looking for a “short-term part-time consulting basis for an initial period of up to 6 months.”

That seems like a cavalier approach to the 2023 fiscal disaster. A part-time consultant to help an organization that lost $8.66 million in a year?

Remember, LVPM/PBS 39, or whatever you call it, has $80 million in public money under its control. Most of that, perhaps all of it, comes from a sale of airwaves years ago.

In theory, a board of directors governs this place.

That is not enough. It is time for some external oversight. I’ve contacted several elected officials and the federal watchdog for public broadcasting.

It is time for clarity on what is going on.