Lehigh Valley Public Media Chairman Michael Keim Makes Statement on Organization’s Mission, Future and Challenges

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The board of directors of Lehigh Valley Public Media met Monday. Board Chairman Michael Keim started the meeting with a statement addressing recent comments on the organization from this blog and elsewhere.

Keim is president of Univest Bank and Trust Co. and Chief Operating Officer of Univest Financial Corporation. He has also served other non-profit groups, according to his biography on the bank website. Those include Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County, the Bucks County Historical Society and he was on the Advisory Board for The City School in Philadelphia.

He was elected chairman of LVPM’s board in January 2024.

I have been writing since last year about how LVPM, which operates PBS Channel 39, WLVR radio and a digital news operation, has spent public funds recklessly. That’s not just some crazy blogger’s judgment. A former board chairman deemed the results unacceptable.

That was after fiscal 2023, when LVPM ran an $8.66 million deficit. The organization also spent millions on a television news program that LVPM touted to the skies, then quietly terminated. LVPM hired too many people, paid some of them way too much and then cut staff from 80 to 46.

Bethlehem-based LVPM sits on a $75 million pile of public money and must be held accountable by the public.

Keim’s statement yesterday and his other comments during the meeting note the past but focus on the future. I will have more on the meeting later, but this is LVPM’s turn.

Here is my transcription of what Keim said:

“Before we start the business portion of our meeting, I’d like to begin by acknowledging and addressing three topics that are certainly high priorities for the board and likewise are high priorities for many of you who have taken time out of your day to attend this meeting.

“The first topic is Lehigh Valley Public Media’s vision, mission and leadership. Lehigh Valley Public Media has a nearly 60-year history of engaging the Lehigh Valley community through public media and educational programming. Through decades of change in how local journalism and education programming is delivered, one thing remains constant for Lehigh Valley public media: Making a difference and being a good neighbor.

“LVPM is a public television station, a local and NPR news radio station, and is home to the region’s only locally operated and free digital news platform. LVPM’s educational programming engages thousands of children, families and educators annually, but more than that we care about our region and creating a better future for everyone who lives here.

“Driven by that civic mission, in 2019 with the support of the community, Lehigh Valley Public Media began making investments to be the go-to trusted source for local journalism and fill the void left by the closure or decline of other local news media.

“This required investments to build local journalism capacity and procure necessary technology. Those investments were made knowing they would result in a short-term operating deficit and they did.

“The board is keenly aware of the attention this financial performance has attracted and all of us are actively engaged in sound financial planning and stewardship to manage the resources entrusted to the organization.

“Part of that stewardship is preserving the organization’s investment fund while investing and securing the future of LVPM for the community. While LVPM is fortunate to have an investment fund, the fund’s earnings only support a portion of operating expenses annually. The balance is funded through a combination of corporate underwriting, individual donors and grants. All critical support that makes LVPM’s programming possible.

“Looking ahead, our vision and mission to inform, engage and connect the community remains the same, but how we deliver community impact needs to change with the times. The board will soon be introducing a new strategic direction. Additionally, we are now conducting the search for a new, permanent chief executive to execute that vision.

“The second topic is Lehigh Valley Public Media’s relationship with Lehigh University to operate WLVR. Lehigh Valley Public Media deeply values its relationship with Lehigh University and deeply values WLVR. We also recognize the special place that WVLR holds in the community especially among Lehigh University alumni and individuals who have generously given their time and money to the station, some over the course of decades.

“LVPM desires a future for WLVR that will continue to be beneficial for local journalism, for the community, and for Lehigh University students. For context, Lehigh Valley Public Media became station manager of WLVR in 2019, launching the station as a local and NPR news station.

“In addition to providing local news and information, the station has hosted Lehigh University students to engage in internships in the areas of news, marketing and educational programming.

“Since 2019, 16 Lehigh University students have benefitted from internships. Lehigh Valley Public Media is currently engaging in conversations with the university about the station and its future. We are hopeful these conversations will result in a path for WLVR that builds on the station’s trust journalism and experiential learning opportunities provided to Lehigh University students.

“We look forward to sharing the outcome of those conversations in the near future.

“The third topic is, public broadcasting is in the spotlight these days including potential cuts to federal funding. Lehigh Valley Public Media is a public service, one that is more important than ever, not only for unbiased journalism and information but for programming that contributes to educating our children and inform citizenry and initiatives that brings neighbors together on topics of local concern.

“If you’re wondering how much local support for LVPM matters, the majority of our annual budget is funded by you, the Lehigh Valley community. Whatever happens in Washington, with continued local support we are here to stay.

“Lehigh Valley Public Media is discernibly still in a time of transformation but it is a critically important time, a galvanizing time and a time to intensify our focus on what matters most: serving the Lehigh Valley for generations to come.

“That is what we are committed to. That is what we are driving from the board’s perspective and that is what we believe will continue to contribute to the vibrancy of the Lehigh Valley community.”