WYPR Community Advisory Board
Wednesday, October 10 2007
Minutes
Attending:
Tony Brandon (staff portion)
Andy Bienstock (staff portion)
Kyle Leslie (staff portion)
Alexandra Price
Doreen Bolger Jessica Elfenbein
Ron Young Nancy Haragan
Mac Barrett Larry Kloze
Rebecca Hoffberger Peggy Obrecht
Ralph Moore Keith Losoya
Jackie Carrera Art Abramson
Bob Freedman
I. Tony Brandon Comments
a. Welcome to the board members
b. Addition of Ocean City to stations in Frederick and Baltimore
c. Review of digital conversion process – November 12th will move from 10,000 to 15,000 watts – improve signal strength and quality
d. Advent of multi-channel broadcasting
II. Andy Bienstock – Programming Director
a. How these technology changes affect what we can do with content
b. Launching of new channels late this year or early 2008
c. What to put on new stations with limited investment since few people currently own the HD radio receivers
d. Current ideas: second channel as additional news & information service – heavier on BBC; third channel possibility of adding music or programming geared towards younger audience
III. Kyle Leslie – Interactive Director
a. Website as an important extension of WYPR
b. Possibility of unique content and programming for the website
c. CAB on WYPR’s website: creating an interactive board:
i. Blog to post comments, reactions to meeting – easy link from the WYPR home page
ii. Possibility of using go-to meeting: online meetings for participants with long travel times across the state
iii. Posting minutes on the CAB blog with a record of all past topics
WYPR Staff leave the meeting to allow for open discussion from CAB members
IV. CAB Discussion: WYPR and Technology Challenges & Opportunities
- See below…
Group Brainstorming about the Top Issues Around Technology
|
Accessibility |
Costs Relative to Return on Investment | Content |
| How do we make HD radio affordable to the poor and working poor? Accessibility, i.e. how user friendly will it be? How can you be sure that the new technologies are not getting ahead of your listeners? How best to get across to technology challenged audiences the way to access previous programs and in what fashion? How to get the info about YPR technology out to listeners Please don’t assume that your 50 year old listener is well-equipped about technology capacity. How portable is technology? How on demand can content be? | What are the costs of the new technology? Could the money be better spent elsewhere in the station? What are the costs for the listener? How will you obtain additional funds to cover four stations? How are you prioritizing the various new technologies? | What is the most cost-effective way to program in short term to develop an interest / market? Should money be spent on additional programs until a sizable number of people own radios that can use the technology? Can we balance information, culture, and education in an effective way? What is the relationship between content and technology? |
| Audience | Is Technology Always Positive? | |
| What is the usage of current technology (among current audience)? How can you deepen the relationship of the current, traditional audience to WYPR? How can WYPR attract a broader and more diverse audience? | What is the future of HD? Is it as positive as it seems or is there at least a lot of high hope similar to the early satellite days? |
Top Questions Synthesized and Prioritized
1. How can WYPR expand its audience to be younger and more culturally diverse? (6 people / 44 votes)
2. How can WYPR assure access to a broad and diverse audience? (6 people / 40 votes)
3. How can WYPR retain its current audience? (5 people / 21 votes)
4. How can WYPR accomplish these goals while preserving creative capital (i.e. staff)? (3 people / 25 votes)
5. How can WYPR respond to these changes in technology in a cost effective manner (ROI)? (4people / 17 votes)
6. How will these goals be measured and evaluated? (3 people / 3 votes)
Filed under: Technology/Meeting 1 | Tagged: CAB, Technology, WYPR
Where is the Community Advisory Board on the cancellation of the Marc Steiner Show??
I have written the station to express my shock at the canceling of the Marc Steiner show. It is a terrible loss and I am touched by how many people with whom I have spoken in the last few days are saddened and outraged. It seems to show such a lack of respect for a true Baltimore treasure who has many gifts, was very prepared and interesting, interested, and an excellent moderator.I am afraid the station will be “homogenized”, with canned shows and no local interest. Was your organization aware of this? Surely dissension could have been handled better. “Your Public Radio” has infuriated a tremendous amount of loyal listeners. For a lot of people Marc Steiner was WYPR.
Where is the discussion of firing Marc Steiner? Was the CAB involved? Does the CAB have actual authority ? Is it consulted, listened to, about big decisions?
I hope that the CAB for WYPR will discuss Marc Steiner’s firing. Steiner’s show has been the only voice for intelligent discussion of issues of critical importance to Baltimore and the Nation. The management of WYPR has made a major mistake in canceling his show. I imagine that the next fund-raising drive will reflect the public dissatisfaction with their decision.
That’s interesting. At this Oct 07 meeting,there was no discussion at all of ending The Marc Steiner Show now or in the furure.
hmmmmmmmmm…………
How do I leave feedback or questions on this site, if I am not a CAB member? It appears to not have been updated since October.
C.F.
How do I become a member of the CAB? I would like to join and work for the interests of the community.
I am involved with many others in what is becoming an organized community response to the firing of Marc Steiner. We would like to work with the CAB, which it seems was not consulted or informed about this decision by the BOD. We are meeting on Sunday, Feb. 10 to discuss strategy. It is obvious to us, and we hope to you as members of the CAB, that this decision had nothing to do with ratings or focus of Marc’s show, but rather had everything to do with ideological/political differences on the role of public radio. We feel certain that the content of Marc’s show is the other equally important issue and that content was consistently offensive to Mr. Brandon and probably some or all of the members of the BOD.
Of course, this is unacceptable for a publicly-owned radio station. Mr. Brandon has, in our opinion, hijacked what is supposed to be - and is sold to the public in fundraising effots as - a community owned and operated radio station - for the benefit of the community which sustains it. We have learned that Mr. Brandon and certain members of the BOD feel that the 8 guarantors of the initial $5M loan are the owners of WYPR, not the public contributors.
It has also come to our attention that Mr. Brandon is attempting to shut down the CAB of 2/20/08 and has “closed” the 3/20 BOD meeting and has removed the links to both from the WYPR website. Both actions are, as you know, illegal under CPB and FCC rules.
We urge you to take action to prevent either meeting from being canceled and/or closed to the public. We also ask you to join with us to address this most serious issue that concerns not just us, not just Marc Steiner, but our entire city and state community.
Mr. Brandon has been ignoring some listeners for several years. Sirius has been using 88.1 for their transmissions for several years. This is much more serious than the occasional interruption of Morning Edition by Howard Stern. Howard Stern can now be heard many mornings on 88.1 at one of the local middle schools. I have tried to contact Mr. Brandon about this and have only been able to leave messages. He says that a complaint has been filed. The fact is that a lot of complaints have been filed and nothing gets done. Mr. Brandon needs to be doing a whole lot more than just filing a complaint.
I did not know about meeting at the BMA. If I had known about it I would have been there. I would like to share an Email I sent to various members of the WYPR staff (including Mr. Bandon). I believe the note reflects the opinion of may people:
Your decision to cancel the Marc Steiner show is incomprehensible and inexcusable. You have lost sight of you mission, to be MY public radio station. Marc was my voice. He dealt with issues of importance to the greater Baltimore metropolitan area as well as the state of Maryland. You can try to replace him with Dan Rodricks but you will not succeed. Dan is NOT Marc. You have sold your soul to the expansion of your radio footprint without regard to your mission. I saluted you when you took control of WJHU from a wealthy University whose hubris made it so it could not deign to support a community radio station. I have listened and contributed since your founding. Until you reinstate Marc, and make a public apology to him and your listening audience I will not contribute to the station. Much as I value the programming you provide, I ardently hope that you go belly up unless you mend your ways. You need to learn that hubris can be a failing of a “local” radio station just as easily as it can be a filing of a large nationally known university.
Shame on you, shame on you all!
Hi- I’m a member of YPR.
I hope that this will get to all CAB members- I have spoken to some who seem to be sort of washing their hands of the main board’s decisions and showing little interest in the kind of protest I would think this letter by Ms. Allwine’s implies.
I do not think that the overwhelming interests of the community- as expressed at your last meeting at the BMA- would be incompatable with your own? I do not think a wedge between you and us- the community (you are the “Community” Advisory Bd.) should be driven.
I’m hoping to hear something loud and clear. Will I?
Subject: Fw: From Maria Allwine on firing of popular talk show host Marc Steiner
A letter to Brandon and board of WYPR radio.
Peace - Maria
—– Original Message —–
From: Maria Allwine
To: tbrandon@wypr.org
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 9:15 PM
Subject: From Maria Allwine on Steiner
Mr. Brandon:
Let’s dispsense with the spin and get to the heart and truth of this issue. You and the board have been trying to get rid of Steiner for years - since you were first brought to WYPR - for reasons that have nothing to do with ratings, show focus or personality issues and everything to do with ideology and politics. You know it, I know it and more people than you want to believe know it. What you and the board did is what corporatization of media looks and smells like. Marc Steiner is the voice of the real Baltimore where ordinary people of often little means and far too often, no hope live. That’s the community you and your board are afraid of and in your fear of its empowerment, you set about to destroy one of its most eloquent and truthful voices.
That’s the heart and truth of this issue.
As if I needed any confirmation of this, all I have to do is listen to the “improvement” to Marc’s show. Dan Rodricks is the blandest, most boring, non-intellectual talk show host you could have possibly found. But no surprise there as this is exactly your purpose. Feed our community the pap that passes for most journalism in this country, keep us ignorant and eventually we’ll forget there ever was an engaging, stimulating forum where all the people in our community were given voice and were truly empowered to learn and become engaged in the decisions that affect all our lives.
That’s the heart and truth of this issue.
Now let’s turn to the CPB and the CAB. You and the board may think you’ve gotten away with rendering the CAB useless and in the short-term, you have. However, there is a long-term focus to this issue and we intend to see it through. WYPR accepts funding from the CPB and in doing so, you agree to abide by its rules. You must consult the CAB on major policy and programming decisions. We don’t even need to get into what “advisory” means in regard to the CAB because you and the board did not even inform, much less consult, the CAB about this decision. Spin it any way you want, but this decision was a major policy and programming decision - not a personnel decision and your failure to consult with the CAB is a violation of CPB rules.
I realize that people like myself and most Baltimoreans don’t exist for you and the insulated members of the executive board. But we’re here and we’re not going away. What you did to Marc Steiner you did to every one of us. And in doing so, you empowered us. For that, I do thank you.
Maria Allwine
Bring Back Steiner Movement
MD Coalition to Stop the BGE Rate Hikes
MD Green Party
MD Universal Healthcare Action Nework
Pledge of Resistance Baltimore
Maryland for Peace