Below are handouts given to attendees at the
Community Advisory Board meeting held at the Baltimore Museum of Art
February 20, 2008.
WYPR Board of Directors Flow Chart
Click the Image to Enlarge
WYPR Staff Flow Chart
Click the Image to Enlarge
WYPR Revenue Pie Chart
Click the Image to Enlarge
To View a History and Description of the WYPR Holding Company,click here
Filed under: Uncategorized
Are there any plans for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to investigate whether WYPR management violated guidelines about the Community Advisory Board by not consulting with them about the major programming and policy decision to cancel the Marc Steiner Show? Could CPB withdraw funds or fine the station?
Also, could we see a pie chart of how station funds are being spent? What percentage on producing programs, paying the underwriting staff, buying up new signals and stations, updating technology, membership services etc.?
Also, how about posting the last 990 form available to give an idea about income, and pay of top officers?
How interesting it was that no one from the station identified themselves at the meeting. In previous meetings, Mr. Brandon and WYPR management has been front and center both in person and in the minutes. How interesting that Mr. Brandon sat quietly in the front row while most of the audience had no idea he was there. See, people know what Marc looks like.
No one would notice Mr. Brandon.
How sad that his jealousy, cowardice, and stupidity have ruined what was a great radio station.
To the CAB,
Your introduction on web site says”WYPR’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) is a volunteer group of interested citizens and listeners that meets twice a year to gather public comment and to make non-binding recommendations to WYPR’s Board of Trustees”
I heard you’ve met very infrequently in the last few years. What happened?
You need to become stronger and united, have a real voice to the station.
I sincerely hope that it was a wake-up call last Wed evening to feel the passion and outrage fellow listeners have in wanting Marc back and get this messy politics away from the WYPR mission.
Ray
Member and still a volunteer
WYPR 2005 form 990
IRS Form 990 for tax year 2005 (7/1/05-6/30/06). The filing date was extended a couple of times, and the form was fially signed by Tony Brandon May 8 2007.
Ray, the story seems to be that the CAB didn’t exist until last May (from a comment at Wednesday’s meeting.) This would have been only the second, or perhaps the third, meeting.
I tried to search the inet for info about this, but didn’t find anything. Factual information from the CAB would be helpful, I’m only repeating what I heard at the meeting.
At what point will the CAB call for the resignation of the Board of Directors due to the illegal and fraudulent use of public funds in offering Mr. Steiner $50,000.00 to keep quiet about the decision to drop his show? Surely the person(s) who authorized and/or made this offer are subject to prosecution.
Thinking about factual information:
I would love to see a well-researched article about the CAB, complete with reasonably concise member bios. This could be in the City Paper, on the WYPR website, in Wikipedia, etc. From reading the membership list, the CAB seems comprised of an extraordinarily interesting group of powerhouse women and men.
Gosh, a couple of weeks ago I didn’t even know there was a CAB!
I wonder if CAB members have helpful insights or pithy observations concerning my comment about FCC ownership reports. Is this information helpful, or irrelevant, or?
Addendum to the WYPR announcement of the April 15 meeting of the increasingly meaningless BoD of the Your Public Radio Corporation:
From the CAB page (hat-tip to Joe in Waverly):
Might as well post other information from the same page:
Ralph Moore asked a question in Tuesday’s CAB meeting, which was answered in this morning’s article by Baltimore Sun reporter Jill Rosen, about the Peabody Award earned by Steiner and his producer Jessica Phillips.
Another question from Mr. Moore, whether Steiner and Brandon can co-exist in the same building, remains unanswered.
when will we see minutes from the April 1st meeting?
Mr. Moore,
Marc addressed your question in February, as well as a couple of days ago in Jill Rosen’s article. An article published in the Johns Hopkins Newsletter, February 7, 2008, ends this way:
I hope everyone realizes that this blog is actually run by WYPR, not the CAB.
Dear CAB,
When you publish the recommendations that you will present to the Your Public Radio Corporation BoD, will you also please publish the revised roster of CAB members?
Thanks.
Ding ding ding!
The petition to renew the Steiner Show on WYPR reached 1,000 signatures at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, 2008. Confetti, balloons, fireworks, doves flew across the sky.
Kidding about that last part.
Re. Pie chart on revenue sources: Please publish the number of individual contributors along with dollar pledge amounts for last 3 to 5 years to assist in analysis of width of public participation.
Joanna,
I know this blog is run by WYPR, not the CAB. Your point isn’t clear. I note, however, that every one of my submitted comments has been published, and still is available here.
Perhaps your point was that CAB participation in this blog is notable for its absence. The CAB is overlooking a great means of communicating with the listener community, I think, but I guess that’s their choice. I hope someone on the CAB reads the comments here, at least.
George,
Your mild, reasonable request barely scratches the surface of what should be known, I think. Why are the affairs of this so-called public radio station so un-public, so murky, so hidden in secrecy? Why have contributor members always been denied financial reports? Why did WYPR not post a goal for the fundraiser, like any other self-respecting fundraiser? Why wasn’t progress toward the goal tracked on the station’s website? Why did Deborah Davis reportedly lie to fundraiser volunteers (third-hand info)? Why did Brandon and Bozzuto lie to the public about why Marc Steiner was terminated? Why did some members of the Your Public Radio Corporation BoD tell some members of the CAB that the true reasons for Marc’s firing would not be disclosed, not even to the CAB? Why does WYPR management refuse to disclose ratings?
I dunno. The list just goes on and on.
The simple answer to these questions is that information is empowering. Happened to be listening yesterday afternoon at the end of the drive. Don’t remember who was on the air but the no information rule may have been broken. Thought I heard it said that they hoped to hit 175,000. According to the pie chart, last year member support totalled 1.3 million. If that is true, they will either have to have more and longer fundraisers than have been needed in the past or they will have to shut down. I fear that Mr. Brandon would prefer to shut down.
I disbelieve that WYPR raised more from members this last fund-raising drive than in the past. WYPR did not say all the money came from members but it is implied. I suspect some major gifts and contributions were made by management or their friends as a face saving method.
Can anyone get details about this last fund drive & prior fund raising efforts and make the info available? E.g. - average or median gift size comparisons between this year and last.
Moreover, did they hold a winter drive last year? If they did then you need to compare the total of winter + spring drive contributions this year versus last year to determine if the station is losing money because of its decision.
This listener discontent is not going to go away soon. They can ride it out and hope that in a year or two it is forgotten, but they will have made two steps backwards before going one forward.
Please advise date and time of next CAB meeting. Do these questions boxes ever get answered by CAB?–or is this system more like a discussion board? Thank you.
George,
No CAB member has ever posted a comment here. I have spoken with CAB members who seemed to have been unaware this blog exists.
As to whether there still is a CAB with actual members…well, I don’t know about that.