Lehigh Valley Public Media, AKA Channel 39, Posts Minutes of July Meeting; Loss of Funding, Finances, WLVR Among Items Discussed

Oct. 9, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Lehigh Valley Public Media, also known as Channel 39 and other things, has posted its July 28 meeting minutes.

They cover the usual topics, including a financial report and a brief discussion of WLVR FM, the Lehigh University radio station that LVPM operates.

Meeting minutes from any board tend to be dull but there are a few interesting tidbits in this compilation.

Posting the minutes two months after the fact is not unusual. The minutes of the meeting are compiled, and then voted on by the board at the next meeting (Sept. 29) before being posted.

You can read the minutes at this link and in the cut-and-paste version below, which has some formatting problems:

Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation (“LVPTC”)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNUAL MEETING
Monday, July 28, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.
DIRECTORS PRESENT:
Mr. Michael S. Keim (Chair)
Dr. Rick A. Bucher
Mr. Luis E. Campos
Mr. Todd P. Donnelly
Mr. John Eureyecko (Member Emeritus)
Ms. Tinku Khanwalkar
Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr.
Ms. Lucindalea B. McCarthy
Mr. Laks Srinivasan
Dr. Christopher S. Wolfel
Ms. Susan C. Yee
I. Welcome and Introductions
STAFF PRESENT:
Mr. Stephen Bahmueller
Ms. Hasanna Birdsong
Mr. Stephen Budihas
Ms. Jean S. Magilton
Partners Present:
Ms. Dolores A. Laputka, Esq
Mr. Keim opened the meeting at 1:04 p.m. and noted that there was a quorum.
II. Approval of Minutes
Mr. Keim asked for a motion to approve the minutes; Dr. Wolfel made the motion, Mr. Campos
seconded; the minutes were approved.
Mr. Keim opened the meeting by speaking of the Rescissions Bill passing, which means there will be no more funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Mr. Keim stated that the organization will continue to focus on the future, and on the Lehigh Valley. Mr. Srinivasan said that Lehigh Valley Public Media is not going anywhere; the community needs the organization, and the organization needs the community.
Ms. Yee welcomed Ms. Hasanna Birdsong, the new President and CEO of Lehigh Valley Public Media (LVPM).

III. Community Advisory Board Update
Mr. Keim shared that Ms. Birdsong was introduced at the recent Community Advisory Board (CAB) meeting. Ms. Birdsong said that she wants to leverage the CAB members to help the organization. For example, Mr. Steve Thompson is volunteering to come to the organization to speak about project management, and Dr. Dave Ruth is coming to co-host the Town Hall meeting at LVPM in October.
IV. Finance Committee Update
Mr. Bahmueller shared his screen to present the financial reports:
FY25 June Overview

• Revenue: FY Revenue $3.96M, $1.1M below budget
• Operational Expenses: FY Expenses $8.55M, FY Expenses $1.0M below budget, $3.1M
  improvement vs FY24
• FY Net Operating Loss: FY loss above budget by $89K, $2.4M improvement vs FY24 YTD.
• Funding Draw: June $111K below budget, FY $393K above budget
• Investment Balance: June 30, 2025: $78.1M, Investment Income $3.49M, Unrealized Gain
  $6.34M
• Resolution 2025.04: Authorized Signers and Users to Investment Account
  This resolution was approved at the Finance Committee to bring before the Board. Withdrawals from the investment account at Mercer will require two signatures: a member of Management and a Board representative. Authorized Management signers include the CEO, Controller and VP of Operations.
  Authorized Board representatives include the Board Chair, Finance Committee Chair and/or Board Treasurer, if different than the Finance Committee Chair.
  Ms. Khanwalkar made the motion to approve the resolution; Dr. Wolfel seconded; all in favor.
  V. Organizational Updates
  Ms. Birdsong explained that her three weeks on the job has included many internal meetings, as well as meetings with community partners and school superintendents. The purpose of these meetings is to reveal similarities in which we can work together. Ms. Birdsong is also working on access to the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and a tactical business plan. There will be an on-air pledge drive from August 1, 2025, to August 4, 2025, and a Town Hall meeting on October 2, 2025.
  Ms. Birdsong stressed that now is the time for donations and asked members of the Board of Directors to volunteer and film a prerecorded or a live segment during the pledge drive. The collective goal from the Board of Directors is a match of $10K.
  VI. Audit and Risk Committee Updates
  Ms. Khanwalkar shared that the committee approved a new process to track restricted contributions and also established a threshold for the amount is necessary to track. Another issue was the accounting for LBF Partners, which operated on the calendar year as opposed to the organization using a fiscal year.
  Mr. Bahmueller shared that he is continuing to work with the organizations auditors to ensure our approach is correct.
  Ms. Khanwalkar explained that the committee developed a form to close out audit findings, and a form on risk resolution.
  VII. Transformation and Technology Committee Updates
  Mr. Keim thanked Mr. Srinivasan on his time served as temporary CEO for LVPM.
  Mr. Srinivasan shared that the next step for the committee is to summarize the technology needs of the organization. AI will play a role. Ms. Birdsong shared that we are working on governance with AI in the newsroom. Ms. Yee said it was important for the Board to be aware of all of the distribution resources we have available.
  VIII. Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Updates
  Ms. Yee said that the next committee meeting is on September 3, 2025.
  Ms. Yee asked members to send her any nominations for possible new Board members. The committee will be working on a skills list for potential new members.
  Mr. Keim mentioned that he will be combining the Content and Education Committee with the Community Cultivation and Engagement Committee. There will be a new committee formed, a Donor Relations Committee. Mr. Keim requested anyone who is interested in being the Chair of this committee to contact him.
  IX. Old and New Business
  Ms. Yee wanted to share that the recent Good Neighbor Awards was very well received. Mr. Keim believed that having the event in our building was very good for the organization and the community.
  X. Public Comments
  Mr. Keim thanked the members of the public for attending today’s meeting and asked if anyone had any questions.
  Ms. Danielle Gustafson wanted to thank the organization for its transparency and for all it does.
• Mr. Jeff Ward asked about what the unbudgeted expenses for the organization were. Mr. Keim explained that as radio’s future was uncertain, it was not fully budgeted. Mr. Ward then asked if there was a decision on the future of radio. Mr. Keim said that it still has not been reached at this point but will be shared when decided.
  Mr. Keim ended the Open Session at 2:03 p.m. The Board of Directors then met in Closed Executive Session.