Editor’s note: My thanks to the civic-minded people who noticed these items and alerted me. There’s no substitute for an active citizenry.
Sept. 29, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The board of Lehigh Valley Public Media has set a meeting for Monday that wasn’t on the schedule until today.
They might address a change involving the chief executive. Hasanna Birdsong, who was named to the job 14 months ago, is no longer listed on the LVPM/Channel 39 website as an employee.
That is not a surprise, I’d heard about a parting of the ways almost two weeks ago. Best wishes to her in the future.
The real question is what can this organization do to be relevant?
Lehigh Valley Public Media/Channel 39/WLVR FM has been a mess for years, saved by its $80 million endowment. It’s burned through millions of dollars with little to show for it.
Those fiscal follies preceded Ms. Birdsong’s tenure. She stepped into a bad situation.
The board has conceded earlier that it was slow to act when certain initiatives didn’t work out.
Yet more odd moves followed. Meanwhile LVPM hasn’t produced much of substance though it has some fine employees.
Perhaps this time the directors will set the ship on course.
If not it’s time to ponder the future.
The Lehigh Valley Public Media board of directors will meet at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 at the Channel 39 headquarters in South Bethlehem, near ArtsQuest.
Board members are volunteers. They are not paid and it’s not a full-time job.
This is the board as of 7 p.m. Tuesday, presumably now excluding Ms. Birdsong:
| Mr. Laks Srinivasan, Chair | Co-founder/Managing Director RoAI Institute |
| Mr. Luis E. Campos, Vice Chair | Easton City Administrator |
| Mr. Joseph Topper, Treasurer | CEO, Dunne Manning Inc. |
| Ms. Arundhati Khanwalkar, Secretary | COO of Energy 18H (Retired) |
| Ms. Hasanna Birdsong | President and CEO of LVPM |
| Mr. Michael S. Keim | President, Univest Bank and Trust Co. |
| Dr. Rick Bucher | President and CEO, Victaulic |
| Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr. | U. S. District Judge |
fiscal follies were there but it has gotten much worse
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I’ve heard little has gotten done. If I get to the board meeting maybe that will come up.
There are able people on the staff but what in heck has been going on?
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