Lehigh Valley Public Media’s Board, in Their Own Words

**Editor’s note about future coverage at the bottom of the story**

Oct. 7, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The board of directors of Lehigh Valley Public Media, aka PBS 39 and other things, met Sept. 29.

I’ve been following this organization for awhile, thanks to its reckless spending ($8.66 million deficit in fiscal 2023, $7.2 million deficit in fiscal 2024), its bombastic press releases (it’s improving on that front) and what I contend is a lack of connection to the community.

Also, keep in mind that this organization has about $79.3 million in its investment account, yet it pleads relentlessly for money. Here’s my story about the meeting last week.

I’ll step back today and present some quotations from board members and staff from the Sept. 29 meeting.

In their words:

Steve Bahmueller, controller: “We did have a small layoff in the middle of August.”

The staff is now 45, according to LVPM’s website. It peaked at 80 during the spend-spend-spend years and has been falling steadily.

Michael Keim, board chairman: “It is incumbent upon this board to get back to being strategic and being governance oriented.”

For several months, the board ran the organization. Board member Laks Srinivasan was acting chief executive.

Joseph Topper, board member, suggested cutting back to 11 members. Only 11 of the 15 members were at the meeting.

That may have been partly in jest, but Susan Yee, board member, noted something about “complacent board members.” That issue has come up before.

Board member Todd Donnelly said he doesn’t feel comfortable asking for donations “when we’re not sure who we are.”

LVPM’s board has been talking for years now about a transformation.

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Donnelly said.

“I have to be working toward tangible evidence of the story we’re building towards,” CEO Hasanna Birdsong said. That means fundraising goes on, while LVPM sits on a $79.3 million pile of investments.

Board member Luis Campos said the organization’s brand is not clear. He nailed that. The people who do think about the south Bethlehem-based media outlet often call it Channel 39, or PBS 39, or PBS39.

Birdsong also noted “a small group of initial layoffs” and she said three times that the staff is “tired.”

“They’re tired and a bit stressed out just because there is so much change happening all at the same time.”

Yes, the staff faces a lot of change and they’ve seen colleagues let go. That is unfortunate; it is also the nature of many workplaces.

Birdsong did announce one change.

“The PTO (paid time off) policy is unlimited, not working, and that will change this week,” she said. Later, she told a board member, “You could be part-time and have unlimited time off.”

That is being corrected. The unlimited PTO is over, based on Birdsong’s comments.

Birdsong also said there have been too many meetings with the staff.

The next Lehigh Valley Public Media board of directors meeting will be Dec. 1, in person at the south Bethlehem headquarters.

Lehigh Valley Public Media operates a digital news outlet, Channel 39 and WLVR FM 91.3. That radio station is owned by Lehigh University but operated by LVPM. Its future is up in the air.

**And here’s the editor’s note, I probably will not attend the board meetings anymore. They will all be in person, without a webcast. I’ve gone to several meetings virtually and in person because that’s my responsibility, after criticizing LVPM.

At the meetings I’ve been treated courteously by members and staff.

I will continue to follow LVPM’s activities, but I’m semi-retired and have attended more than my share of long meetings. It’s time for lighter activities.