— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Below is an item I shared on Facebook with WLVR alumni and supporters. WLVR 91.3 FM is a public radio station owned by Lehigh University and managed by Lehigh Valley Public Media, aka Channel 39.
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Al Fritzinger and I attended the meeting of the Lehigh Valley Public Media Board of Directors on Dec. 2 in south Bethlehem.
We had spoken on the phone earlier, via text messages and we chatted a bit before the meeting.
Fritz spoke for several minutes about WLVR and its mission. He spoke with passion but respectfully. He and I exchanged some messages before the meeting too; those were a little less diplomatic.
He died just 29 days later at age 67. In recognition of his dedication to public radio, I’m posting comments he made at the last meeting. Fritz and I exchanged messages after he saw a news blog I put out (I’m a semi-retired journalist). The blog is at https://lehigh-valley-news-briefs.media/blog/ and there are several posts about Lehigh Valley Public Media and how it has spent millions of dollars, cut staff and is adrift, without a mission.
Somehow in fiscal 2023, this small outfit on the Southside managed to lose $8.66 million, or almost $1,000 per hour. See https://lehigh-valley-news-briefs.media/2025/01/27/future-of-wlvr-radio-is-in-doubt-lehigh-valley-public-media-manages-the-station-which-is-owned-by-lehigh-u/ and there are other posts from earlier about the fiscal follies at what used to be known as Channel 39.
Big salaries, big promises, not much payback and an endowment that sits now at about $75 million. That endowment is public money, given by the federal government for rights to use airwaves. For those who keep telling me it’s not public money, bull. The public owns the airwaves.
For the benefit of his friends and fans, I compiled notes from my audio recording of the meeting. Fritz’s commentary ended on a good, cooperative note, even though the fate of the station remains unknown.
Here is a summary of the comments. The audio file is too large to send but I still have it.
“I’ve been a supporter of this television station for many, many years,” Fritz said, later adding, “You people have done a fine, fine job over the years.” He noted that his family contributed items for the Channel 39 on-air auctions over the years.
Then he addressed the agreement for 39 to run WLVR. “In 2019 you entered into a lease management agreement with WLVR, Lehigh University’s radio station.”
He discussed recent WLVR schedules, noting, “I have worked at Lehigh University running that radio station for almost 30 years.”
“At the peak of our existence, we had 100 students and community members volunteering in that station, running that station, under a budget of less than $52,000 a year.”
“It is an asset of Lehigh University. The asset does not belong to you.”
“I have questions regarding how you’re managing it and how you plan to manage it going forward.”
“We have kept you on the air,” he said, introducing a colleague who also attended the meeting.
“This organization (Lehigh Valley Public Media) has not lived up to its obligations.”
Fritz said they’ve raised money with the radio license, “and yet you have failed to pay the bills.”
“We have no money.”
“The station is decimated,” he said, adding, “I cannot even buy equipment to upgrade it. I can’t buy computers. Why? Because we have no money.”
He asked board members to read the lease-management agreement (LMA). He made it clear he did not blame anybody at the meeting for what has been going on. Still, he made his point clear.
“We’re the landlord. You’re the tenant, and you know what, you’re not paying the rent.”
“I have supported you guys all along, I have not made any trouble, made any waves,” he said, adding later that he prefers surfing waves to making them.
“There’s an education mission” as part of the station, he said. Yet there have been no internships for some time.
“The college radio station is decimated,” he said. “Someone here has to decide, what is the future of this radio station, in your hands.”
“You’re leasing it but you’re not living up to the obligations of the lease.”
He proposed a solution: “I suggest you give it back” to Lehigh University.
He discussed student-led programming and interviews in earlier years, but he again was diplomatic.
“I can’t blame anybody in this room for that. Do you know why? You didn’t know about it.”
“I’m here to make you aware, and I believe it’s time that everybody here takes a look at this agreement, looks at these schedules and then makes a prudent decision going forward.”
He lamented five years lost, with no opportunities for students and not enough local programming.
“What we don’t want is the FCC looking into this,” he said. “I’m here to bring this to your attention so something is done about it, one way or the other.”
“We need answers.”He said again, “Support it or give it back.”
“You can’t even put a price on what those children, these young men and woman walk away with every year” from working at the station.
“I did this for practically nothing, money was never the issue.”
As he was close to finishing, LVPM board member Susan Yee said there should be a meeting with Fritzinger. Within a week or two, perhaps. I don’t know if there was a meeting. No note of one was made at the board’s next meeting in January.
She noted that what is now known as Lehigh Valley Public Media took over the station right before the Covid epidemic.
Fritz noted, “The board is not aware of what WLVT signed on for,” using the call letters of Channel 39. He agreed that Covid hurt the operation.
“I don’t like to make waves, I like to surf them,” he said. Fritz said he’d been in broadcasting for about 40 years.”I think we can find a solution that makes everyone happy,” he said.
“I don’t want anyone walking around with a black eye, not you, not Lehigh.” Board members said a decision would be made soon on the fate of WLVR.
As of Feb. 13, I haven’t seen anything official.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 