July 25, 2025
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The Washington Post has a story today focusing on WDIY, the public radio station based in South Bethlehem.
The story focuses on cuts in federal support for public media and how WDIY needs to raise money and make some difficult programming decisions.
WDIY is not like Lehigh Valley Public Media, operator of a digital news website, WLVR 91.3 FM radio and Channel 39.
Lehigh Valley Public Media received $82 million in 2018 from the auction of public airwaves.
It has since found various ways to squander money: paying its former chief executive more than $300,000 per year, starting a news program that didn’t last and going on hiring sprees.
As far as I can tell, and I’ve asked LVPM’s board, it has no endowment policy or target return. The board has set some restrictions on who can tap the $75 million pot of money.
WDIY has never had a lot of money, and as it name — DIY, “Do It Yourself” — suggests, it has relied on volunteers.
I’ll try to get you past the Post’s paywall, try this link:
Here’s WDIY’s website:
And Lehigh Valley Public Media:
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 
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