Oct. 10, 2026

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Lehigh Valley Public Media, parent company of Channel 39, has shut down its LehighValleyNews.com website.

The web address takes viewers to LVPM’s website, “your source for trusted local news, newsletters, and community connection.”

Keep pretending that’s true, LVPM.

This is one more reason to ask of the Board of Directors of this south Bethlehem-based boondoggle: What is the future of this organization?

Meanwhile, the news staff now lists just two reporters, down from more than 10. LVPM’s total staff is 26 as of today, according to its website, down from 80 about three years ago.

LVPM doesn’t just waste money, it wrecks careers.

A help-wanted post on the Channel 39 WLVT website seeks a “community engagement lead” (these people speak in jargon compulsively): “This role manages a network of volunteer community correspondents, edits and shapes community-created content to meet editorial standards … “

Volunteer community correspondents. Hey, who wants to sit at a zoning meeting for four hours?

This is what the millions spent on television and digital news has led to?

LVPM has burned through tens of millions of dollars, run annual deficits of as much as $8.66 million and done almost nothing for the community. Recently it’s parted ways with its last chief executive after just over a year but has made no public statements about what happened.

The news venture could have served a need. While I’m wary of government-funded media (LVPM’s $80 million endowment comes from a federal auction of airwaves), LehighValleyNews did cover some municipal meetings.

It could have become a clearinghouse for information about the Lehigh Valley’s 62 municipalities, along with news on the Lehigh and Northampton county governments and school districts. The website could have been where residents could find out what was happening around the area and what might happen in their town.

The news outfit never showed the discipline or urgency needed. Discipline in that it’s a grind, checking with dozens of governments. Urgency in that people want news now and many won’t read long stories.

Some good work was put out, but not enough. Doing things the right way would have been hard work, but LVPM had the resources to do it. It didn’t.

Just another LVPM disaster.

Lehigh Valley Public Media operates Channel 39 and WLVR FM 91.3, Lehigh University’s former radio station. It also continues to put out a few news stories on its website.

The board owes the public an explanation. The next public board meeting will be at 4 p.m. on Dec. 7 at LVPM’s headquarter, unless they change that one to private, as they did with the last one.

I might be traveling. If not, I’ll try to be there.

Public media doing its business in public has been ugly enough. Doing it in private raises more questions.

From the WLVT.org website:

Board of Directors Meetings

2026 Meetings are on the following dates:

– Monday, January 26, 2026, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Open to the Public)

– Monday, October 5, 2026, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Private Executive Session)

– Monday, December 7, 2026, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Open to the Public)

Meeting information can change, so check closer to the date.