Lehigh Valley Public Media, aka PBS 39, Board to Meet Monday

Sept. 25, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Lehigh Valley Public Media’s board of directors will meet Monday at 1 p.m., in person at the media outlet’s south Bethlehem headquarters.

Among the potential topics:

— the state of LVPM’s endowment, around $78 million or so. I hope local governments ponder that before voting to give money.

— the fate of WLVR FM 91.3, the radio station Lehigh University owns but LVPM operates.

— the usual financial report, which typically shows revenue falling short across the board.

— maybe status on fundraising. After federal aid to public media was cut, LVPM tried to raise money.

— perhaps some comment on personnel. The staff is 45 as of today, according to the LVPM website, down from 80 during its crazy spending days, when the station was running multi-million-dollar deficits. Actually, it is still probably doing that.

The cuts in staff are unfortunate because usually most of the people who are “no longer with the company” didn’t do anything wrong. In the case of LVPM, management went on spending and hiring binges and then had to cut back.

They ran up an $8.66 million deficit in fiscal 2023, and in fiscal 2024, the deficit was $7.2 million.

Here is the compensation of the top four decision-makers in fiscal 2024; all are now ex-employees:

— Tim Fallon, president and chief executive, $299,682.

— Yoni Greenbaum, chief content officer, $264,785.

— Andrea Cummis, chief technology officer, $224,094.

— Arthur Troccoli, chief financial officer, $212,459.

Decent pay for that kind of performance.

The meeting will only be in-person at the headquarters, there is no virtual option.

I don’t really want to go but having written negatively at times about the old Channel 39, I am sort of obligated. My attendance will depend on whether I have pressing other plans, or just don’t feel like going. I might make an appointment with the dentist, suddenly that looks enticing.

The Board of Directors of Lehigh Valley Public Media will meet at 1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29 at LVPM’s south Bethlehem headquarters, near ArtsQuest.

Lehigh Valley Public Media operates Channel 39, WLVR and a digital news outlet. Its large endowment, about twice as big as Cedar Crest College’s, comes from the sale of rights to public airwaves.

Now $78 million may not buy what it used to, but it’s enough money for a small media outfit to live on. The board is apparently working on an endowment policy, which is sort of refreshing. Previously, the policy seemed to focus on withdrawals.