PBS 39 Money Pit Staff Falls to 55 from 58

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The Lehigh Valley’s money-burning public media outlet has reduced its staff to 55, from a high not too long ago of about 80.

Yes, that’s PBS 39 aka Lehigh Valley Public Media, which operates a digital public news operation, a radio station and good old Channel 39, a broadcaster of old BBC reruns and children’s shows that are available elsewhere.

Based on LVPM’s website, the staff is now 55. A few weeks ago, it was 58.

Is this part of the organization’s much-ballyhooed “transformation” or just regular staff churn?

Remember, this outfit has an $80 million pile of money, courtesy of the federal government (you, the taxpayers). In fiscal 2023, LVPM did something remarkable: it spent $15.15 million while taking in only $6.49 million, for a deficit of $8.66 million, or almost $1,000 per hour.

I repeat those numbers a lot because they are staggering and reflect a lack of oversight that is hard to figure out. Maybe a lack of over things too.

At some point, the board of directors of LVPM noticed that this was perhaps not good fiscal stewardship, and the then head of the board deemed the financial follies “unacceptable.”

You think so, eh? How long did that take?

Anyway, three of the top four officers from that fiscal debacle are gone, and the fourth, Tim Fallon, is now CEO Emeritus, presumably as a reward for overseeing the $8.66 million deficit while getting paid $308,000. Not bad.

Meanwhile, I’d like to thank people who joined me in requesting that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting audit the operations of this fiscal inferno. The officer of the Inspector General for CPB has acknowledged my request, so we will see if it is happening, or will happen.